Springfield Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

Pause at the intersection with 8th Street. Check out the house across the street, on the corner, to the left of the road. It’s a tan house with green shutters. That’s Abraham Lincoln’s home, the only house he’d ever bought and paid for.

Pause here and look at the big brown house with green shutters to our left. This is the Dean House. And who were the Deans you might ask? A smart woman with a prospector husband, that’s who! Harriet Dean bought this land just days before her husband Frederick left to look for gold in California. He found no gold, but came back to Springfield to find a cozy home. Sounds pretty good to me. Plus, who wouldn’t want to live next to the Lincolns?

Notice the red brick church across the street on our left? That’s the First Presbyterian Church, also known as the Lincoln Family Church. The Lincolns first came here in 1850 after the death of their three-year-old son Edward. It was a devastating loss for both of them. They came to church to find solace and meaning.

Pause here and look at the three-story brick building on our left. This is where Lincoln worked in the mid-1800s. Clients would come to the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices. Imagine you’re one of them! You’re here because of a dispute between you and your neighbor over some chickens. They’ve been wandering off, destroying your vegetable and flower gardens. You seek counsel from either Abraham Lincoln or his partner William H. Herndon. These were their law offices.

Take your time admiring the Old Capitol State Building on our right. You can’t miss it! We just saw Lincoln’s law office. Now this is where his political career really ramped up. Springfield residents may not all have had personal contact with Lincoln the Lawyer, but they probably did with Lincoln the Politician! Shaking hands, telling jokes and attending public events, Lincoln was everywhere. And standing at six-foot-four, he was hard to miss!

The papers Lincoln is holding here are his second inaugural address, delivered in March of 1865. The Civil War was nearing its end. Slavery in the United States would soon be abolished. And a month later Lincoln would be shot dead. We’ll hear more about all of these things soon. For now, here is perhaps the most famous excerpt from Lincoln’s speech:

Here we see a different, more pensive version of Lincoln. He’s clutching his coat against the cold, looking at something far away. What could he be thinking of? His time in Springfield, his hopes and dreams? Or maybe he’s bracing himself for war.

Pause here. On our left stands the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This massive library is 50 percent larger than any other devoted to a US president. Inside are presidential documents, early drafts of speeches, and more, though the most valuable artifacts are available only for research purposes. The museum also features life-size dioramas portraying Lincoln’s life.

This red brick building near the train tracks on the corner of East Monroe is Lincoln Depot. No, it wasn’t named that in Lincoln’s day. It was just known as The Depot, but it’s from here where Lincoln’s hands became bruised from shaking so many hands. He was saying goodbye to his friends, colleagues and hundreds of complete strangers. Lincoln was on his way to Washington, about to be sworn in as the next president of the United States.

This is the final resting place for Abraham Lincoln, Mary and three of their four sons. It was Mary’s choice that her husband be buried here. The family is together again here at Oak Ridge Cemetery.