Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Even though he was born in a log cabin in Kentucky, Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln” because the President lived in the state for over thirty years. Visiting the Lincoln sites in the capital city of Springfield and nearby village of Salem is almost a requirement for any Illinoisan, especially the people who grew up in the state. Yep, that’s little ol’ me standing like a Japanese tourist in front of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the summer of 1990. Did you know Lincoln’s eldest son Robert donated the family home in Springfield to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would always be open free to the public? So there’s no excuse not to visit if you haven’t already. It’s FREE, people! Anyway, I haven’t been back to visit since that trip almost twenty-five years ago. I don’t really remember anything about it, except the Maid’s Room for whatever reason. It’s weird not to have any real memories considering I liked history, even at that relatively young age (Yes, I was the dork who was excited to see the film Gettysburg on a class field trip). Although I’m not a Abraham Lincoln fan (but I’m a Michael Bolton fan) I have nearly visited all the Lincoln-related sites, including the ones in Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, so I guess all I have left to do is go to the Kentucky birthplace so I can finally win the “Sarah Vowell-Approved Medal of Being An Official Lincoln Tourist”.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois
