We arrived at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the later afternoon and inquired about taking a tour. But when I expressed my desire to also visit the Presidential Library and Museum, the Park Ranger recommended that we just go there since we wouldn't have time to do both that day. I had heard such glowing reviews of the museum that I really didn't want to pass that up. We took the time, however, to visit the historic neighborhood where Lincoln lived and to take a few photographs of his home.
Unlike most historic homes, which sit amid their modern-day counterparts, the Lincoln home resides in a historic neighborhood so you really get a sense of the context and time period of Lincoln.
How cute is that little baby of mine? It's so funny to look at photographs of her when she was just learning to walk and still a little unsteady on her feet because she is always on the go, go, go now. She runs circles around me now.After our quick tour of the Lincoln neighborhood, we hopped back into the car to drive up town to the Lincoln Library and Museum. Now, I know most people don't share my same perverse adoration of any museum, large or small. David should win a prize for his good natured indulgence of my museum habit. He tolerates being dragged from one historic house to the next with nary a complaint, coughs up sometimes exorbitant admission fees without blinking an eye, and has become quite conversant on topics ranging from exhibition design and curating to what constitutes a good docent-lead tour and the controversies of museumship. Man, if only I could muster the same interest in finance. That husband of mine is a keeper.
Anywaaay....the point is: even if you don't love museums and you find them dreadfully dull and boring, you must visit this museum. It is visually stunning, beautifully curated, and presents the facts and minutiae of Lincoln's life with such ease that you can't help but be drawn in. Some museum professionals have derided the special effects and more entertainment-like aspects of the museum but I thought they were used very thoughtfully, without being heavy-handed, and did nothing to detract from the presentation of facts. I think learning should be fun and interactive. Some museums offer no fun, and some forget to include the facts with their fun. But this museum struck the perfect balance, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the exhibitions otherwise I would have taken a ton of photos. We had to put our cameras away in the museum plaza, but I was able to take these two photos which maybe gives you an idea of what the rest of the museum is like. The museum is broken up into different stages (they call them "journeys") of Lincoln's life. On the left, you enter Lincoln's boyhood home to learn about his pre-presidential years. They talk about Lincoln's education (he was largely self-taught), his first encounters with slavery, his courtship of Mary Todd, his beloved sons, and his slow journey into politics and the road to the White House. You emerge from this section of the museum just after his election to the Presidency.
Journey two starts, literally, by entering the White House. (You can see Lincoln and his family in the right hand corner.) This portion included a section of clothing of the period, including a selection of some of Mary Todd Lincoln's beautiful custom-made gowns and "The Whispering Gallery" which showcases some of the less-than-polite things that were said and drawn (in the form of political cartoons) about the Lincolns. I found this room to be particularly effective. The majority of this exhibit, naturally, focuses on the Civil War, Lincoln's Cabinet and war strategies. They had an electric map which showed "The Civil War in Four Minutes." It was so fascinating, we watched it twice. It shows the changing progress of the war and where the battlelines were drawn and ultimately, how the North emerged victorious. They also delve into the devastation Abe and Mary felt by the loss of their son, Willie, and the drafting of the Emancipation Proclamation. The final section brings you to a recreation of Ford's theater, Lincoln's assassination, his funeral and the public's reaction to his death.In addition to these two highly interactive exhibitions, there are several other smaller exhibits. One is the Treasures Gallery which showcases artifacts related to Lincoln in a far more traditional museum setting. They also have two theaters which play two different presentations, one called "Lincoln's Eyes" and the other called "Ghosts of the Library." We watched the latter presentation and I'm still flummoxed over how they did all the special effects. It was incredible.
I felt the two hours we had was enough time to see everything without feeling rushed, but I really could have spent the whole day there, just soaking everything up. Unfortunately, we were kicked out of the museum at closing time but we needed to get on the road anyway. We headed out of Springfield through the northwest end and took small, backcountry roads through miles and miles and miles of cornfields before stopping in Macomb, Illinois (about 30 minutes to the east of Carthage) for the night.
