On February 12 of every year, the Abraham Lincoln Association sponsors a series of lectures at the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield. Here’s a tour of that building:
Speakers address the audience in the house assembly chamber, the same location where Lincoln delivered the House Divided speech in 1858.
Hello from Springfield. It is cold. COLD.
I’m here as a member of the board of directors for the Abraham Lincoln Association who has been charged with organizing the annual ALA symposium, where scholars come to Springfield to discuss various aspects on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Between 2011 and 2015 the symposium will explore Lincoln’s presidency and the Civil War.
Today’s a day of meetings for me, followed by a keynote lecture on Lincoln and emancipation by James Oakes this evening delivered at the University of Illinois-Springfield, a partner institution. So I’d thought I’d link to some videos to give you a taste of the Springfield experience, starting with this wintertime tour of the Lincoln home:
There is more to the tour besides the living room.
So here’s a longer series of videos that offers a more complete view:
Ah, the joys of touring a famous home.
North of town is Oak Ridge Cemetery, where Lincoln is buried. Here’s a rather chatty video of a visit there:
No, they don’t play gloomy music in the tomb. This video has better lighting of the tomb’s interior:
Enjoy your visit!
Crossroads 