By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

On Nov. 23, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency held a press conference undertaking a monumental task: It plans to attempt to kick off the nation’s observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial on Feb. 11 – and have the world join in.

While the reenactment will be an amazing event, with Abraham Lincoln impersonator Fritz Klein, the original event is worth remembering and the Lincoln Depot is a place worth visiting. When Lincoln left Springfield, he was one day shy of age 52. The day was cloudy and drizzling.

Dave Blanchette of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency said, “Abraham Lincoln had breakfast at the Chenery House hotel, where the family had been staying. At about 7:30 a.m. he asked the proprietor about his wife’s health, then walked into the hotel office to get his luggage ready for the impending train trip. Lincoln used a rope to tie shut his family’s packed suitcases, and then used a handful of Chenery House note cards to label each bag with the simple, ‘A. Lincoln, White House Washington D.C.’”

Lincoln traversed the muddy streets from the hotel to the Depot. History shares that although well-wishers followed, his secretary John Nicolay said the soon-to-be president’s his mood was one of “subdued anxiety, almost of solemnity.” Lincoln’s words reflected his joyous, yet somber mood.

The speech began: “My friends – no one not in my situation can appreciate my feeling of sadness of this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return …”
At the Depot, around 1,000 friends and neighbors gathered to see the family off. The train that would take Lincoln to Washington consisted of a modern Rogers locomotive with a towering funnel stack, a baggage car and a bright yellow passenger car adorned with patriotic bunting.

The inauguration for the 16th president took place March 4, 1861. Lincoln was in office only a little over a month before the April 12, 1861, bombardment of Fort Sumter. To see the inside story of Lincoln’s cabinet and how he and they reacted to this crisis that started the Civil War, check out the special exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Museum.

Originally known as the Great Western Railroad Depot, the Lincoln Depot is located at 910 Monroe Street in Springfield. The museum was built in 1852 and served as freight and passenger station, as well as the general offices of the railroad.

When visiting the museum, you’ll find the main floor is typical of a 19th century train station, with a ticket cage in the center and a gentlemen’s waiting room on the right and a ladies’ waiting room on the west. According to the brochure this was to ensure the ladies were “away from the language and tobacco-spitting of the men.”

The Depot served as a passenger station until 1868, when a newer building was erected. The building was then used for a variety of purposes by the railroad. For more information, call 217-544-8695 or 217-788-1356.