The U.S. state of Illinois is commonly known as the ‘Land of Lincoln’. Even though Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America, was not born in the state, (born in Kentucky) he spent much of his public life here as a lawyer and a politician. In Springfield, the state capital of Illinois, you can visit and tour his home that is owned and operated by the National Park Service. It is also where he is buried along with his wife and son in a tomb in a cemetery on the northwestern area of the city. He is one of the most honored politicians in U.S. history, but when it comes to the railroad, most people would associate him with the railroad more than any other president. Without Air Force One, the railroad was the fastest mode of travel in his day.
This brings us to an old train station in the capital city that is known as the Lincoln Depot. Originally called the Great Western Depot, it was originally built in 1852, and it was repaired in 1857 after a fire destroyed parts of the station. It was here on February 11, 1861, where Abraham Lincoln made what would be his final speech in the capital city before he departed on a train for another capital city, Washington D.C., to begin his life as the President of the United States of America.
Around 1900, passenger and freight service ceased. The depot when through many ownerships before it was bought by a local group in 1960 to preserve the depot, and it was eventually made into a museum. There was another fire in 1968. (Arson was suspected but not proven.) The museum was closed in 1977, but it was reopened as a museum in 1980 when a new owner took over. The museum was closed in 2011, and it was sold again to be a law office, but the lawyer was a descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s law partner. In 2014, it was a museum again, and it remains a museum today.
Today, the Lincoln Depot in Springfield, Illinois in on the National Register of Historical Places. The trains that pass by the station are freight trains from the Norfolk Southern Railway. (Amtrak service is in the center of the city just blocks from the State Capitol.) It is open Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Please note that only the first floor is open to the public, and admission is free. It is also wheelchair accessible. The museum does not have its own parking. There is metered parking on the street or you can park at a parking garage. You can get more information on the depot at https://www.lincolndepot.org/. On the website, you read Abraham Lincoln’s farewell speech, read more into the history of the train depot including a timeline, and see photos of the depot.
When in Illinois, visit the capital city of Springfield. Visit an old train depot where the journey of a man on his way to a house called the White House, began.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 