Happy Fourth of July

We spent the Fourth of July week in Springfield, Illinois. What a fantastic city! It was the home of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President. It's also home to his tomb where he was laid to rest following his untimely assassination in 1865. Springfield is also the Illinois State Capitol. Because of all the interesting things here, I've had to post everything in two pages. This page offers a glimpse of the City and the following page offers information on the two Capitol buildings, the new and the old.

Anyone who has been at a mall in America has had a hot dog on a stick. They were first introduced to the public here in Springfield, Illinois, at the Cozy Dog Diner.

The Cozy Dog is a regular diner featuring, of course, hot dogs on a stick, 10 for $6 ! The Cozy Dog, aka Corn Dog, aka Hot Dog on a Stick, was the brain thrust of two servicemen  during World War II. It was introduced to the public at the Illinois State Fair in 1946 and quickly gained popularity. It's located at 2935 S. Sixth St. in Springfield.

By chance, we happened on this covered bridge over the Sugar Creek. This bridge was built in 1827 by several landowners who tired of fording the creek. It is still standing but is closed to vehicular traffic.

On May 3, 1865 a steam locomotive pulled into this train station carrying the body of Abraham Lincoln. His body was taken by wagon to the Capitol Building where he laid in state for one night. After his funeral the following day, his body was taken to the Oak Ridge Cemetery for burial, a site chosen by his wife, Mary Todd.

 

Not too far from the train station is the Oak Ridge Cemetery. Here lie the remains of Abe Lincoln, his wife, Mary and three of their sons. Robert, upon the request of his wife, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Lincoln's body originally was buried nearby with a less dramatic monument, but an unsuccessful plot to steal his body to hold for ransom in 1876 called for a more secure method of interment. It took three years to construct this monument which was completed in 1901.

Lincoln's body is now safely interred in a cement vault 10' below this monument in the burial room. The interior of the memorial is constructed of marble and contains a rotunda, the burial room and several corridors. The walls are decorated with 16 marble pilasters symbolizing Lincoln and the 15 Presidents that preceded him. The burial room also contains 36 bronze panels, one for each State at the time of Lincoln's death. Directly in front of this monument are the crypts of his wife and three of their children.

No, this isn't an early recreational vehicle. This wagon, constructed of hand hewn logs was used by President Lincoln during his Presidential campaign. It was pulled by horses and used in parades to generate support for his election.

 

Abe Lincoln called this his home. It is preserved and part of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which consists of several blocks of homes all preserved in their time period. This area is closed to vehicular traffic, and walking these streets with their wooden sidewalks, one could almost sense the feeling of days long ago past.

It was so peaceful while we were walking through the streets of Lincoln's neighborhood, even this swallowtail butterfly seemed content. This is an Eastern Tiger Butterfly. 

 Now that's up close and personal with a butterfly. She was quite content to crawl all over us but I finally managed to release her on the front porch of one of the houses.