Illinois Presidential Trails

Illinois Presidential Illinois is the “Land of Lincoln,”

Trails

and its Abraham Lincoln historical sites draw tourists from around the world to the central part of the state. But several U.S. presidents, including the current occupant of the White House, have Illinois connections, and their home communities proudly show off the legacies of their famous sons. Travelers who want to follow in presidential footsteps will find plenty of attractions that commemorate these great men.

Illinois’ best-known presidential trail follows Abe Lincoln to Springfield, the state capital, and smaller towns in Central Illinois. Travel about 20 miles northwest of Springfield and you’ll find yourself in Lincoln’s New Salem, a reconstructed pioneer village where Lincoln spent his early adulthood in the 1830s. Visitors can see where he split rails, clerked in a store and served as postmaster. Lincoln was elected as a state representative while living in New Salem. Costumed interpreters demonstrate pioneer chores and crafts in some of the log buildings.

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Contact Information:

Angela Ingerson Tour Illinois Chairman 1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 201 Champaign, IL 61820-7269 Phone: 1-800-369-6151 Angelal@champaigncounty.org Tourillinois.org

Illinois Presidential Trails Continued...

The first stop for many Springfield tour groups is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, one of the nation’s most visited presidential museums. A treasury of Lincoln documents and artifacts that blends scholarship with showmanship, it has interactive exhibits and several theaters. Visitors see a replica of Lincoln’s early boyhood log cabin, his stovepipe hat, a reproduction of the White House southern portico and a multi-screen presentation of Civil war scenes.

Nearby is the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln gave his famous “House Divided” speech (“A house divided against itself cannot stand”). He lay in state in the Old Capitol before his burial in Oak Ridge Cemetery, another key point on the Lincoln trail in Springfield. Lincoln’s Tomb is also the final resting place for his wife Mary and three of their four sons. Outside the cemetery gates, the Museum of Funeral Customs is one of Springfield’s offbeat attractions and has some Lincoln tie-ins.

Another Springfield must-see is downtown’s Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the only home that our 16th president ever owned. He lived there from 1844 until he left Springfield to become president.

Furnished with actual family pieces and period reproductions, it’s the centerpiece of a four-block historic district that includes the homes of his neighbors. Also downtown is the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, where the young lawyer practiced from 1843 to 1852.

The town of Lincoln, 30 miles northeast of Springfield, abounds with Lincoln sites. Outdoor murals in the downtown Courthouse Historic District include a giant Lincoln penny. A historical display by the small Amtrak station tells how Lincoln christened the town with the juice of a watermelon.

Founded in 1853, Lincoln is the only town that was named for him before he became president.

Postville Courthouse State Historic Site in Lincoln is a reproduction of the Logan County courthouse where Abe Lincoln practiced law while traveling the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The town’s Lincoln College Museum, a real gem, has rare Abraham Lincoln artifacts.

More Lincoln lore awaits in Charleston, 100 miles southeast of Springfield. The Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum, built on the spot of the fourth debate, retraces the 1858 senatorial debates between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. A life-size bronze sculpture of the men provides good photo ops. In nearby Lerna, a living history farm highlights the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, the 1840s home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, Lincoln’s father and stepmother. Abe never lived there but did visit. The visitors center has excellent exhibits on the Lincolns and a 15-minute video. There are demonstrations of cooking, spinning wool, splitting logs and other skills.

Contact Information:

Angela Ingerson Tour Illinois Chairman 1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 201 Champaign, IL 61820-7269 Phone: 1-800-369-6151 Angelal@champaigncounty.org Tourillinois.org

In the northwest corner of Illinois is one of the Midwest’s best preserved 19th century towns, Galena.

Among the state’s most popular tourist destinations, this antiques center and bed-and-breakfast capital was the home of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States. Galena has many historic homes, but most famous is the one where the Union Army’s victorious commanding general lived after the Civil War. (He had moved to the town in 1860, just before he left for the war.) With much hoopla, the handsome Italianate brick home was presented to him as a gift by the townspeople in a hero’s homecoming in 1865. After he became president, Grant visited Galena only occasionally and made his last visit in 1880. Much of the furniture belonged to the Grant family or is original to the house.

In Galena’s Grant Park a statue of Grant honors all veterans who have served the country. The Old State Market House Historic Site, a museum that sheds light on the history of Galena, displays Grant memorabilia. The Desoto House Hotel is where Grant learned he won the election for president in 1868.

For groups following the presidential trail of Ronald Reagan, the logical starting point is the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in the Northern Illinois town of Dixon. Built in 1891, the white, two-story house on Hennepin Avenue was one of four homes the Reagan family occupied in Dixon and has been restored to its 1920s appearance.

Visitors hear what it was like growing up for Ronald (nicknamed “Dutch”) and his brother Neil. Dutch was a star football player, took part in school dramas and spent summers lifeguarding at a Rock River beach (Lowell Park), where he was credited with saving 77 lives. A statue of Reagan stands downtown by the river. The nearby Dixon Historical Center, once a school Reagan attended, has displays on Reagan and local history.

In the small farm town of Tampico, about a half hour from Dixon, visitors can see Ronald Reagan’s Birthplace and Museum. Our 40th president was born in 1911 in a second-floor apartment, located above a store on Main Street.

In Eureka, to the south, the Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College recalls his college days as an actor and athlete, plus events from his movie and political careers. This is the largest collection of Reagan memorabilia outside the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Galesburg and Monmouth also offer reminders of young Ronald Reagan.

Turning our attention to the 44th president, Barack Obama’s stomping grounds are primarily in Chicago. Specialized group tours of Chicago spotlight Hyde park, the South Side neighborhood where the Obama’s maintain a large home.

Curiosity-seekers can see the campus of the University of Chicago, where Obama taught constitutional law, and peek into the family’s favorite restaurants and stores. Also in the vicinity is the Museum of Science & Industry.

Downtown Grant Park, the scene of Obama’s 2008 victory speech, is called Chicago’s front yard and abounds with tourist attractions, including Buckingham Fountain and the newly expanded Art Institute of Chicago with its dramatically designed Modern Wing. Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum comprise the lakefront’s Museum Campus.

The Obama trail also leads to Springfield, where the 44th president was a senator. Tours of the Illinois State Capitol are available. The Old State Capitol has an Obama connection as well – it was the setting for the launch of his presidential campaign.

For information on Illinois Presidential Trails, visit http://www.vacationfun.com/ebrochures/ibot/ibrochure-trails/

Contact Information:

Angela Ingerson Tour Illinois Chairman 1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 201 Champaign, IL 61820-7269 Phone: 1-800-369-6151 Angelal@champaigncounty.org Tourillinois.org