One of many Springfields, but no Homer

We left Pontiac around noon since we had stayed late to see the museums. Unfortunately the Midwest is having a heat wave, and it was really hot driving with the sun streaming in the front window. We decided to stay at Mr. Lincoln's Campground - $28 a night, but in town for us to see all the Lincoln sights. It was only about 100 miles to Springfield so we got in by 3 and got the air conditioner on in the Airstream.

We had gone to the Lincoln museum several years ago, in fact, the year it opened, but for some reason which we do not remember having slept several times since then, we did not have time enough then to see all of the museum. It is so well worth the trip. The things we missed last time were the two multi-media presentations - Ghosts in the Library and Lincoln' Eyes. They were terrific! There was also a new exhibit on Mary Todd Lincoln which was very good. We enjoyed going back through the other exhibits we had already seen as well. We did miss Lincoln's stove pipe hat though. It had been on exhibit before, but was not there now.

Pictures are only allowed in the rotunda area, so here is a picture of the Lincoln cabin replica

Cabin where Lincoln grew up

. There is also a mockup of the South portico of the White House which holds many of the priceless Lincoln artifacts

White House South Portico

, and replicas of Lincoln's family with the exception of Eddie who died before Lincoln became President.

Tuesday evening brought a much anticipated cold front and it was 46 degrees Wednesday morning. We drove out to Oakridge Cemetery which is the most visited cemetery in the US second only to Arlington. The Lincoln Tomb is very impressive from a distance

Tomb from a distance

, and the dome is decorated with several sculptures

Top of memorial

. Just outside is a sculpture of Lincoln's head

. You can see how shiny the nose has become from so many people touching it.

The inside of the tomb is very beautiful and moving. The museum guide was telling another couple about the time in 1876 that grave robbers had tried to break in and steal Lincoln's body. They were unsuccessful, but because of that, Lincoln's casket was exhumed in 1901 so that people who were alive who knew Lincoln could testify that it was his body in the tomb. After that, his casket was buried 10 feet underground instead of above ground as it was before.

I had remembered hearing something about Lincoln's casket being opened when I was a kid, but it turns out that what I remember was a Life magazine story which ran in 1963 with an interview from one of the people who viewed Lincoln's body in 1901. He had been a 12 year old at the time, and four days after the interview, he died.

We also had to stop at Cozy Dog on Historic Route 66

Cozy Dog on Historic Route 66

which claims to have invented the corny dog.

Home of the Cozy Dog

Cozy dogs are good, but not as good as a corny dog cooked fresh at the Texas State Fair.

Tomorrow we head further south.

Oct 9, 2007

Show all 8 photos