Old State Capitol provides a look the architecture and design of Illinois' most important state building from 1839 to 1876, a period during which Abraham Lincoln was a frequent visitor. It was here that Lincoln gave his famous "House Divided" speech, declared his candidacy for Senate, and laid in state before his funeral. Watch a video detailing the restored Greek Revival building’s history before embarking on an interpreter-led tour of government offices, libraries, the Supreme courtroom, and legislative chambers. Take a stroll around the gardens surrounding the building and see the nearby fountain. Tours are free. By using our Springfield holiday planner, you can arrange your visit to Old State Capitol and other attractions in Springfield.
Old State Capitol reviews
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This site is self-guided so you can spend as much or as little time as you'd like, but half an hour was plenty for my family. Great stop on a Lincoln Tour. Beautiful interior with a rich history.
This site is self-guided so you can spend as much or as little time as you'd like, but half an hour was plenty for my family. Great stop on a Lincoln Tour. Beautiful interior with a rich history. more »
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The most interesting thing about this site is the "living history" presentations that are performed inside...most notably, the House Divided speech.
The most interesting thing about this site is the "living history" presentations that are performed inside...most notably, the House Divided speech. more »
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Beautiful Halloween event at the Old State Capitol. My nephew and I were downtown to grab dinner and dessert but the roads were closed for the Halloween Parade. It was so nice to have the streets closed. It was quiet and peaceful.
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Review Date: April 11th, 2012 No no, Springfield is still the capital of Illinois. This is just the old capitol building The confusion between capital and capitol is one that confuses many people. Truth be told, I had to double-check to make sure I was using the right one while typing this post. I will remember it for awhile until the proper spelling fades to the unused parts of my memory and I will inevitable use the wrong spelling in the future. Then I will be back to looking up the proper spelling again and I can go through all this over again. Do you forget which spelling is which for this? Matt and I hit up a bunch of the big things to do in Springfield over a few different visits. It’s only natural to visit the old capitol building if you are exploring the capital. As with most kids who grew up in Illinois, the Old Capitol Building was probably one of your destinations during a trip to see the capital. I know it was a tradition for my school to come here during our grade school (3rd-5th grade) days. It was only fitting to return here as an adult during my traveling days. We had to park a bit away and hoof it to the building. Despite this place being a tourist attraction in this day and age, the area surrounding it is still busy with businesses and other government facilities. . We were able to explore the building at our own leisure. There is staff on hand if you have any questions, but Matt and I were comfortable with exploring the place at our own pace. You don’t need to be a government history buff to enjoy this place. It’s cool to walk past rooms to see where history was made and see how things operated in the past. I’m sure if these walls could take, they would have a ton of stories to tell. That’s about it. This is one of those places that is better to visit yourself or see a video of. Words just don’t really do it justice. It’s an experience that is more visual than anything and one you should experience if you visit Springfield. It won’t take up your entire afternoon. A simple stroll through it is more than enough.
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