Springfield: Lincoln, Architecture and Route 66

Springfield offers several cultural perspectives that can shape the focus of a hotel stay. They include sites connected to Abraham Lincoln, the history of the state of Illinois, a house by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the link between Route 66 and African American history.

Lincoln Sites and State History

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves and interprets the house where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1844 to 1861. Tours take visitors through the Lincoln Home, placing the residence itself at the center of the visit. If you are interested in Lincoln’s years in Springfield, this site offers a tangible biographical point of reference.

The Old State Capitol offers a different historical perspective: it is a reconstruction of the Illinois State House as it stood from 1840 to 1876. You can visit the historic grounds on a guided or self-guided tour. The two tours differ in their visitor arrangements: neither charges admission; tickets for the Lincoln Home are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and often run out quickly, while donations to support the historic site are welcome at the Capitol. If the Lincoln Home tour is important to you, factor the ticket distribution into your plans.

The two sites can also be compared chronologically: the Lincoln Home’s years, 1844 to 1861, overlap with the 1840 to 1876 period of the reconstructed State House. However, each emphasizes a different perspective: Lincoln’s family home on the one hand and the Illinois State House on the other. This lets you explore biographical history and the history of the state at specific sites with distinct contexts.

The Vachel Lindsay House is a historic house museum in Springfield. At Lincoln Tomb, visitors can tour the interior as part of a guided visit. These offer two distinct ways to experience history: a house museum and a guided tour of an interior.

Architecture and Cultural History

The Dana-Thomas House puts architecture in the foreground. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the building during his early Prairie period. It preserves more than 100 original oak furnishings designed by Wright, as well as 250 examples of art-glass fixtures and lamps. These specific quantities make the furnishings a focus in their own right, alongside the house’s architectural context.

Route History adds a perspective on African American history to these topics. The Springfield attraction explores how Route 66 influenced African American history in Springfield and beyond. If you are interested in Route 66, Route History offers a specific historical focus that addresses developments in Springfield as well as their wider context.

For an overview of the wider area: Sangamon County.