Related Links

Historic Sites

Lincoln spent his early adulthood in the village of New Salem, Illinois. It is located outside of Petersburg about 19 miles northwest of Springfield. Here, he held a number of different jobs including storekeeper, postmaster, politician, surveyor, and general handyman. He studied law and left New Salem to become a lawyer in Springfield on April 15, 1837. Visitors can see his grocery store and all of the rebuilt structures that existed when Lincoln walked the streets of New Salem.

The Old State Capitol is located in downtown Springfield. It was built in 1839 and served as the hub of state government until 1876 when the current State House was completed. Lincoln used the law library, argued cases before the Supreme Court, gave his famous "House Divided" speech in the Hall of Representatives, and used the Governor's reception area for several months as president-elect. After his assassination, Lincoln's body lay in state in the Hall of Representatives.

The Lincoln-Herndon Law Office contains several offices Lincoln rented with partners Stephen Trigg Logan and later, William Henry Herndon. This building also contains rooms that served as the Federal Court and the Springfield post office. The Lincoln boys enjoyed visiting their father's office. They would throw books about, turn over ink bottles, and chase each other around the rooms.

The Executive Mansion was built in 1855. A year later, William Bissell, a friend of Abraham Lincoln and the first Republican governor, moved into the building. Lincoln was a frequent visitor and attended a number of parties in this building.

The Lincoln Home was purchased in 1844 by Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Most of the decisions concerning the operation and decorating of this building were made by Mary Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln spent a great deal of time away from home attending to his legal practice and political career.

The Lincoln Tomb is where the Lincoln family is buried. President Lincoln's body was placed in a temporary tomb until enough money could be raised to complete the Lincoln Tomb in 1874. Robbers tried to steal his body in 1876 but were unsuccessful.

The Lincoln Depot, Three months after his election in November 1860, Abraham Lincoln left Springfield for Washington, D.C. to become the 16th President of the United States. The special train that would take him there left the Great Western Depot on the rainy morning of Monday, February 11, 1861, the last day Lincoln spent in Springfield.He gave his famous "Farewell Address" from the platform of the train.

Other Presidential Libraries

George Bush Library

Jimmy Carter Library

William J. Clinton Library

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library

Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum

Herbert Hoover Library

Lyndon B. Johnson Library

John F. Kennedy Library

Ronald Reagan Library

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library

Harry S. Truman Library

Sites of Local Interest

Looking for Lincoln is a new heritage tourism project for the Central Illinois area. The program, which includes participation from 10 central Illinois communities, is being developed based on the stories of Abraham Lincoln's life and times throughout the area.

Enjoy Illinois - Let the official State of Illinois Tourism Web site guide you through Illinois. Everything from hiking/biking trails, to historic main streets & villages, to world class sports, restaurants, clubs, and theater.

Welcome to Springfield, Illinois, a city that offers you everything you're looking for in an unforgettable vacation. From our historic Lincoln attractions to our national art shows, from the Illinois State Fair to the ethnic festival - great adventures await your discovery.

Capital Development Board, As the construction management agency for Illinois state government since 1972, the Capital Development Board (CDB) oversees the construction of new state facilities, such as prisons, college and university classroom buildings, mental health hospitals and state parks. In addition, CDB is responsible for renovation and rehabilitation projects at the State’s 8,441 state-owned buildings containing more than 96 million square-feet of floor space.

Other Sites Interest

http://www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org/, The Web site of the Abraham Lincoln Association containing information on its past publications and symposium/banquet speakers from 1909 to the present. It also links directly to the COLLECTED WORKS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN at the University of Michigan's Making of America web site. One can search all of Lincoln's writings by either individual word or by phrase.

http://www.papersofabrahamlincoln.org
This site contains a brief history of Lincoln's law practice and a description of the progress of the project in finding documents to include. The site also includes a bibliography of works about Lincoln and electronic copies of past newsletters.

http://www.abrahamlincoln.org
The Lincoln Institute concentrates on providing support and assistance to scholars and groups involved in the study of the life of American's 16^th President and the impact he had on the preservation of the Union, the emancipation of black slaves, and the development of democratic principles which have found worldwide application.

http://www.mrlincolnandthefounders.org
Mr. Lincoln and the Founders examines the impact of the Founders, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on Mr. Lincoln's life, political thinking and political actions in the 1850s and 1860s.

http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org
Mr. Lincoln and Freedom details the progress of Mr. Lincoln's opposition to slavery from his years in the Illinois State Legislature to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery.

http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org
Mr. Lincoln and Friends reviews the many men and a few women whose friendships helped determine Mr. Lincoln's political progress and success in the state Capital in Springfield, Illinois and the nation's Capital in Washington , D.C.

http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org
Mr. Lincoln and New York appraises how the center of political, media and economic power in 19th century America interacted with, supported and tormented Mr. Lincoln both before and during his Presidency.

http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org
Mr. Lincoln's White House examines the people and events who worked with President Lincoln in Washington during the tumultuous years of the Civil War.

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln.html
A guide to Abraham Lincoln information on the web which includes links to Lincoln related educational sites, historical sites, and bookstores. Links to recently posted information are also available . Find out what happened this week in Lincoln history or view the latest Lincoln news.

http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/index.html
Provides a timeline of relevant dates is Abraham Lincoln's life. It also includes portrait of Lincoln photographs of the Civil War, and transcripts of selected Lincoln letters and speeches. The History Place also provides a timeline of the Civil War.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html
Part of the presidential history section of the White House server. It includes a short biography of Lincoln, links to the first and second inaugural addresses, and links to favorite Lincoln quotes.

http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS/alincoln.html
Maintained by the Internet Public Library as a part of the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) series. This site contains a brief roster of facts, including election results and a list of Lincoln's cabinet members. There are also links available to web sites with information about cabinet members and other politicians associated with Lincoln.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alhome.html
Maintained by the Library of Congress. This web site includes a gallery of Lincoln manuscripts from the Robert Todd Lincoln and Alfred Whital Stern collections of the Library of Congress.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/scsmhtml/scsmhome.html
This site contains images of sheet music, along with transcriptions of their lyrics and publication information, which can be downloaded. This collection of sheet music from the Alfred Whital Stern collection of Lincolniana can be searched by subect, title, author, etc.

www.netins.net/showcase/creative/lincoln.html, This independently operated Web site by Lowell and Rhonda Sneller is the best introduction to other Lincoln organizations, sites, and recent writings. It also has a chat room for Lincoln students to exchange their views.

www.loc.gov, The Library of Congress has placed a number of their Lincoln holdings on line including prints and documents.

http://www.sewardhouse.org/, William Henry Seward House

http://www.historyillinois.org/hist.html (Illinois' First History and Government Resource Page)

http://www.chicagohs.org/ (Chicago Historical Society)

http://www.vitalrec.com/il.html (IL Dept. of Vital Records)

http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/archives.html (IL State Archives)

http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ (free genealogy web site)

http://landplats.ilsos.net/Flash/Welcome.html (printable township plats from IL (1804-1891)

http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.htm (Board for Certification of Genealogists)

http://www.historyillinois.org/ (IL State Historical Society)

http://www.agr.state.il.us/spacerental/facility/camp.php (Camping)

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln2.html
The Abraham Lincoln Research Site contains reference information on the life of Abraham Lincoln. The site is the creation of Roger Norton, a former American history teacher.

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln.html
Created by Roger Norton, this website contains information exclusively regarding the Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln15.html
The Mary Todd Lincoln Research Site provides useful information on this controversial First Lady. It is the third informational website created by Roger Norton dealing with the Lincoln story.