We got a little bit of a late start because we were hoping to get the other tires but they were unable to do it. We did decide to take what looked like a short cut to Springfield, IL. Turned out it was shorter and also a smoother road than the interstate.
We made a brief stop at the Lincoln New Salem Museum which just happened to be on the shortcut road. It is reconstructed to look like the New Salem IL when Lincoln lived there in his early 20s (the 1820s). It is where he first got into politics, taught himself law, met Anne Rutledge, etc. I just went into the visitor's center to check it out. We weren't in the mood for lots of outdoor walking with costumed people explaining things. See picture of the rail splitter statue at the end of the pictures. Sorry it's in the wrong order.
On to Springfield. The Lincoln Museum and Library is all new. This weekend is the official celebration of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The new place is celebration of this bicentennial. What can I say. It was way to Disneyesque for me and not enought oomph. For instance, there is this huge room that recreates the death bed of Willy in the White House with background music heard through the door that is ajar as Lincoln (a model of him of course) comes in the room. It's huge with this tiny little tablet explaining that both sons were ill but it was the first ball that they were hosting in the renovated White House so they kept coming up from the ball to check on the boys. He died that night. The whole thing seems like the target audience is kids.
The thing I liked best was the 4 minute Civil War. It was a map with a time line of the Civil War across the bottom. The battle lines changed on the map and a small box showed the tally of Union and Confederate causalties on each side as an arrow moved across the time line. The North had higher numbers consistently and ended up with 80,000 more total casualties. Do you know how many soldiers died in the Civil War? 1.3 million. Jack thinks it was injured and dead and now that I think of it, it wasn't clear on this map. Any way, it makes me wonder if Lincoln was all that great of a president with that horrible statistic to his credit. Over a million soldiers for cryng out loud. I never knew that. He was not popular at all during his time and I also wonder what history might say if he hadn't been assassinated.
Any way, there is a big theatre (beyond the myth but it really wasn't) and a hologram theatre which they are set up exactly like Disney. Although there was no sign and no one told me on the way in, one of the attendants told me photos were not allowed except if I was standing on the marble in the main hall. Said sorry, I didn't know. She told me I should have read my ticket. Whatever. But then when I got to the next room the security guard came rushing over to me to tell me no cameras. I didn't even have the camera out. She must have told on me or I was caught on camera. See pictures I did take on the marble floor.
There was an Illinois exhibit which reinforced Abe's role in the Homestead Act which we already knew and his role in development of the Department of Agriculture which was interesting. Otherwise there was not really much new info about Lincoln that we didn't know. Saw his stovepipe hat but I think I saw another one in the Smithsonian. Stayed to closing and we found an rv park just a few miles south of Springfield. Thinking of driving back tomorrow to go to the Lincoln home which is a National Park. That may strike us more positively. I don't know who controls the Library and Museum. Illinois? The Library stuff must belong to the US government but I don't know. I bought a book on presidential libraries. I guess I better get that sucker out.
No comments:
Post a Comment