Illinois

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We started the day at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. It is run by the State of Illinois and is excellent. Using multiple media, there are several sections that examine different aspects of Lincoln, his life, and his times. In the large lobby there are life-size statues of the Lincoln family as they would have appeared on their arrival in Washington. Nearby is the Lincoln Home National Historic Site which contains, among other buildings, the only home Lincoln ever owned and where he and his family lived in Springfield for many years before moving to the White House. This site is run by the National Park Service and it too is extremely well done. It was inspiring and humbling to walk the same floors that Abraham Lincoln once walked. Altogether I was most impressed with the entire Springfield experience and I'm very glad that we took a detour from the Mississippi River valley to see it. Tomorrow we will head back to the big river.

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