We started out this morning (Wednesday) with cool but dry weather so we decided to head for the Lincoln Home National Historical Site Visitor Center.
They show an introductory video and provide free tickets for a guided tour of the Lincoln Home. The friendly staff there also gave us recommendations on the other "Lincoln" things to see in the area as well as other interesting sites. This Lincoln Home National Historical Site complex is equivalent to about two city blocks and contains 14 old, historic houses that have been restored, including the Lincolns. The streets are closed to vehicle traffic and it is a good thing as there were over a dozen school buses fully of kids there besides a parking lot full of other vehicles. After the video we followed our ranger to the Lincoln house where he guided us room by room describing the history and the significance.
There is a blue carpet runner that you cannot step off from or there are alarms that sound. You are prohibited from touching most anything in the building. This is the only house the Lincolns actually owned and they lived here from 1844-1861 until they moved to Washington DC. A few pictures:
Lincoln's house
The formal parlor used for entertaining and Lincoln's office
The dining room
The informal parlor where the kids played
The Lincoln's kitchen
There are several other houses in the complex and a couple others are open for self-guided touring. We walked through the Arnold House, which featured "If These Walls Could Talk - Saving an Old House" preservation, archeological findings and neighborhood social environment. The Dean House focused more on the personal lives and domestic realities of the families who lived alongside the Lincolns.
The Arnold House
The Dean House
Huge groups of school kids touring the facilities
The next stop on the list was the Lincoln Library, but this is actually a working public library across the street and to the north from the Lincoln Home National Historical Site. It is not a typical tourist stop, so we diverted.
North from here a few blocks and to the west (all walking distance) is the Old State Capital. It is not one of the most glamorous state capitals we've seen but it has quite a history. It served as the seat of state government from 1839-1876, and it was the fifth Illinois capitol. In 1876 they moved into the new capital building and this building then served as a county courthouse. In the 1960s, the building underwent a massive dismantling and reconstruction project. Believe it or not, it was taken apart stone by stone, a parking garage was built underneath, and the building was then reassembled and restored to its 1840s appearance! A few pictures:
The Governor's office
North a couple blocks from the Old Capitol and to the east is the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It offers an immersive, high-tech journey through the life of the 16th president. We watched a "movie" that utilizes "holavision," life-sized dioramas, and engaging multimedia exhibits. The areas within the museum include an early Lincoln area describing his humble beginnings in a log cabin. Another area is a walk through the corridors of power in the White House. The facility is divided into two main buildings: the Museum, which houses world-class galleries and special effects theaters, and the Library, which serves as a massive research center holding millions of documents and artifacts related to Lincoln and Illinois history. A few pictures:
Lincoln's early days
His White House days
Mary Lincoln and her dresses
Son Willie with Typhoid Fever
Discussions on the Emancipation Proclamation
Doreen and the Lincoln Family
We called it a wrap at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and since we toured our way through lunch, and walked to all to the sites, we headed back to our parking lot and drove to the Cozy Dog Drive-in on the way back to the campground. This place is is a legendary landmark primarily famous for being the birthplace of the "Cozy Dog"—the original hot dog on a stick. We know these as "corn dogs"! 
The Cozy Dog got it's start as an idea by Ed Waldmire. He served at the Amarillo Army Air Field back in 1945 and he began experimenting in the base mess hall. The prototypes were served on cocktail forks and were a huge hit. He returned to Springfield after his discharge and perfected his idea, and quick frying them in hot oil, three at a time using clothes pins. The product debuted at the Illinois State Fair in 1946 under the name "Crusty Cur." Renamed the Cozy Dog at his wife’s suggestion, the family-owned business found its permanent home on South Sixth Street in 1949. Today, the drive-in serves as a living museum of roadside Americana, celebrating the legacy of the Waldmire family and the golden age of travel along the Mother Road.
I had to try a Cozy Dog and Doreen had a cheeseburger. The food was great and the nostalgia was awesome!
Since the weather was good, after coming back and taking a short break we drove south tonight to see some more Routh 66 stuff. First stop was the Sugar Creek Covered Bridge. Although not necessarily related to Route 66, this is the oldest covered bridge in Illinois. It was constructed in either 1827 or 1880. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1984. I was amazed by how it is protected. There are multiple cameras on and around it. It is powered and has fire detectors/alarms. There is a nearby building that undoubtedly houses a fire pump and the bridge fire suppression system is fed from there. Coming from Iowa we have seen the tragic results from arsonists and our covered bridges. 
Burr precision truss design
Sprinkler pipes
Lighting and camera
Note the fire department connection here. The pipe exiting the building reappears at the bridge.
Last but not least, we traveled from the bridge to a section of the original Route 66 that is brick, and has been preserved as such, and a nearby Route 66 silo mural. It is open to vehicular traffic but a rough ride in a RAM 3500!
Transition from concrete to brick
Tomorrow (Thursday) the weather is supposed to be better than today. Friday, our last day here, the weather is supposed to be rainy again. We will figure out a plan to see as much of what we have left as we are able:
- Lincoln Monument and Burial
- Abe Lincoln Rail Splitter Stature
- Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grille Museum
- Illinois State Military Museum
- Illinois State Museum
- National Corvair Museum
- Air Combat Museum
- Ace Sign Company Museum
Saturday we depart here and move to Scott Air Force Base which is only 88 miles south in Belleville IL. Check-out here is 1100 hrs at the latest, and check-in at Scott is 1300 hrs at the earliest. We don't normally stop and tour enroute on our travel days mostly because of the logistics involved with the truck and trailer, but it looks like there is a good spot to park the rig across the street from the Litchfield IL Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center (35 miles south), so we may do that.
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