<div>The Price/Wheeler house is the city's first fully-developed classical revival house to be built after (and inspired by) the influential architecture found at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Springfield's classical revival period arrived later than what was found in bigger cities, such as Chicago and New York, occurring after the turn of the twentieth century. In fact, by 1900, several pre-Civil War classical buildings remained standing in Illinois' capital city and vicinity.&nbsp; Even the buildings constructed during the 1890s adhered to older styles such as Romanesque revival, Queen Anne or shingle. The Price/Wheeling neo-classical style proved to be a striking contrast to that late nineteenth-century trend, and one that would influence other buildings projects for the decades that followed.</div><div><br></div><div>Clothing and tailoring entrepreneur, Isaiah Price, financed the building designed to be a part of the city's prestigious Aristocracy Hill. However, he died at the young age of 49, a mere two years after his mansion's completion. Upon discovering that he had been financially over-extended, his widow was forced to sell the house.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1904, Loren Wheeler, a former Springfield mayor, postmaster and, U.S. Congressman, paid nearly $9,000 for it at a time when neighboring houses were selling for $5,000 to $7,000. Wheeler served several terms in Congress and voted against declaring war against Germany during WWI. He also served as chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals.&nbsp; He died in 1932.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The house today looks much as it did during Wheeler's ownership of the mansion. It serves as a reminder of the city's architectural transition to revival-style buildings, but also as a monument to two significant Springfield figures.&nbsp;</div>

By Mrphelps - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51590586

More Info

Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places

World's Columbian Exposition from the Encyclopedia of Chicago

The Price/Wheeler, named for its two owners -- a local businessman and a U.S. Senator,  is the city's first fully-developed classical revival house, inspired by Chicago's 1892 World's Columbian Exposition. It stands as a reminder of that architectural transition and provides insight into the lives of those who lived in Springfield during the early twentieth century, especially its first two residents. 

Price/Wheeler House

This walking tour begins at the city's railroad depot and includes many of the well-known sites associated with Abraham Lincoln. The tour also incorporates historic buildings and landmarks related to the history of Springfield and its role in Illinois history beyond its most famous resident. Enjoy!

<div>Located a few hundred feet from the Chicago and Alton railroad station, the location of the final link between New York and the Mississippi River (completed in the early 1850s). The hotel served as a striking feature that greeted newcomers to Springfield and later many prominent political figures, such as &nbsp;Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Carl Sandberg, and Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Given Springfield, Illinois' status as a capital city for the state, many politicians stayed at St. Nicholas when the assembly was in session. Thus, many political deals occurred at the hotel, as well as a few scandals. For instance, in 1970, $750,000 --- more than $4 million in 2017 terms -- was discovered inside a shoe box found in Secretary of State Paul Powell's room shortly after he had deceased. A subsequent investigation revealed he had taken many bribes, which led to arrests and several convictions of many state contractors.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Before World War I (1910) and during the 1920s when the country enjoyed a robust economy, St. Nicholas enjoyed many renovations intended to help draw tourists and conventions to Springfield, notably tied to the many Abraham Lincoln memorials found in the city. However, by the 1960s, after the Great Depression, World War II and a changing economy and culture, downtown Springfield no longer remained significant, outside of politicians who continued to use the facilities.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Today it's an apartment complex that recently enjoyed extensive remodeling and renovations. Rooms range from inexpensive studio apartments to luxury penthouses. &nbsp;</div>

Built in 1855, the hotel was located near the final railway link that connected New York to the Mississippi River. Functionally, the building served incoming politicians and visitors to the Illinois State Capitol for more than a century. Presidents visited, deals were made and a shoebox filled with huge sums of money in politician's room uncovered a scandal -- many went to jail.

St. Nicholas Hotel (now known at St. Nicholas Apartments)

<p>Springfield Union Station was completed in 1898 by the Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) in downtown Springfield. A competing railroad company, the Chicago and Alton Railroad, built a new depot in Springfield in 1895 after locals complained of their poor facilities and boycotted the line; ICRR didn't want to be seen as less modern. The ICRR leased office space in Union Station to several other passenger service lines including the Baltimore and Ohio; the Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis; and the St. Louis, Peoria and Northern Railway. Most passengers arrived from (or departed to) the two nearest big cities, Chicago and St. Louis, but the railways extended to many of the country's biggest cities. </p><p>The Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style building was faced in pressed brick in brown, red, and buff colors; Bedford limestone was used for the watertables, lintels, and sills. Terra cotta decorations were placed at the main gable, three-story clock tower, and dormers. The interior featured separate waiting rooms for men and ladies; the mezzanine and second floor (built from yellow cypress) held railway offices. A carriageway paved in brick along the south side of the station allowed easy access for horse-powered and later, automobile, traffic.</p><p>The ICRR added two office bays on the Madison Street side in 1924 but matched the style of the original building. The 110-foot clock tower served as a downtown skyscraper, immediately noticed by those coming to and from Springfield. However, the town decided to remove the clock hands in 1936 while in the midst of the Great Depression; the cost of maintaining the clock proved too expensive. The tower was removed down to its base in 1946 for safety reasons. Employees of ICRR who were killed in action during World War II military service were honored by a War Memorial Plaque, unveiled at Union Station on September 10th, 1945.</p><p>Union Station ceased to exist as a functional passenger train center in 1971 when the ICRR merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio and moved into the former Chicago and Alton station, located about three blocks west of Union Station. The last passenger train left Union Station on April 30th, 1971. The building was abandoned and vacant for fourteen years; it was documented in the late 1970s for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1985, the building was turned into a shopping mall after a $4.5-million rehabilitation project.</p><p>After a $12.5 million renovation completed in 2007, Union Station became part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum complex. The renovation project included restoring the 110-foot clock tower and installing a clock that matches the original visually but is electric-powered and calibrated by GPS satellite technology. The former train station has served as the visitors' center but is closed to the public (as of December 2023).</p>

<p>From 1898 to the mid-twentieth century, the ornate Union Station served as the town's central railroad hub, connecting St. Louis and Chicago, as well as a few other main cities in the Eastern U.S., to the Illinois capital. The Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style building cost $75,000 to build (around $2.8 million in today's money) and was designed by Francis T. Bacon. Its 110-foot clock tower (removed in 1946) was the prominent feature in downtown Springfield, greeting visitors immediately upon arrival. The train station was abandoned in the 1970s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It was rehabbed and turned into a shopping mall in 1985. The building underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2007, including restoration of the clock tower. Union Station is part of the multi-building Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; the former train station has served as the visitors' center but is currently closed to the public (as of December 2023).</p>

Springfield Union Station (Illinois)

<p>Located in Illinois’s capital of Springfield and covering an entire block downtown, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum tells the story of the nation’s sixteenth president. Born in Kentucky, Lincoln (1809-1865) first moved to Springfield in 1837 to practice law. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and returned to Springfield after serving one term. The Lincoln Tomb, located in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery, is the final resting place of Lincoln, his wife Mary, and three of their sons. </p><p>The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in 2005, and the museum itself covers 50,000 square feet, making it the largest presidential museum in the nation. Featuring exhibits and theaters with special effects, the museum combines digital technology, historical items, and storytelling to bring history to life. The state-of-art museum was designed by BRC Imagination Arts, who worked in close alliance with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and established Lincoln historians.</p><p>The museum has, along with two high-tech shows that are about both Lincoln and the presidential library across the street, three exhibits that take visitors on a journey from Lincoln's frontier background to his days in the White House and the aftermath of his assassination. One of the key exhibits is the Emancipation Proclamation Illusion Corridor. Down the corridor, ghost-like faces appear between columns, shouting advice to the president to showcase how controversial the Emancipation Proclamation was. Finally, Lincoln can be seen at the end of the hallway, first debating and then signing the critical document.</p><p>On display throughout the museum are such items as his stovepipe hat, Mary Lincoln's music box, and uniforms of Civil War soldiers from both the Union and Confederacy. There is also a rotating exhibit and a film where Lincoln answers questions based on quotes from his speeches and writings. At the center of the building is the Plaza, an open space where all the areas of the museum may be accessed from. In the Plaza, visitors see replicas of the log cabin Lincoln spent his childhood in, the White House South Portico, and statues of the Lincoln family.</p><p> The Lincoln Presidential Library is home to the world's largest collection of texts and artifacts relating to Lincoln, covering his personal life and career in politics. Along with thousands of books written on the president, the library also has many of his letters, speeches, and writings. The magnificent collection also includes a copy of the Gettysburg Address, one of only five that has been known to exist. In addition, the library houses books, relics, and other important items pertaining to the history of Illinois, as well as a vast amount of genealogical records.</p><p>The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum impactfully and artistically tells the story of one of America's most influential and beloved presidents. Every year, thousands of people visit the museum to learn about the man who called Springfield his home. This is a site that is not only important for preserving the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, but for preserving the history of Illinois. It is no wonder that this captivating presidential library and museum is consistently ranked as one of the top museums in the country. </p>

<p>The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois has a campus consisting of three buildings: the museum, the presidential library, located across the street from the museum, and the old Union Station building, which houses a visitor center and some exhibits. In addition to housing documents pertaining to the sixteenth president, his family, and administration, the Illinois State Historical Library collection also resides there. The Library and Museum is not affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration as other presidential libraries are, instead, it operates as an independent state agency. Located in the heart of Illinois’s state capital, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is one of the most visited presidential libraries in the country. </p>

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

<div>Though interrupted (somewhat) by the Civil War, Springfield witnessed a commercial building boom throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. Commercial structures and the railway dominated eight square blocks of downtown Springfield. Few structures of that period remain, so the Fischer-Lathum block stands as a reminder of the commercial building boom that occurred in Springfield in the 1850s thanks to the rail line that connected Springfield to Chicago. <br><br>Initially built as two separate structures, two connections within the buildings converted the Fisher and Latham buildings into one structure. Construction of both buildings began in 1856, and its brick exterior notes the town's response to the many fires that had destroyed structures earlier -- a trend that occurred in many cities during the era.&nbsp;<br></div><div><br></div><div>The larger Latham Block represents typical mid-19th Century commercial design including symmetrical windows with cast iron hoods. The Fisher Building originally enjoyed a similar design, but a renovation in 1900 followed the more ornate Classical Revival style. Thus the Fischer building has limestone trim, exterior decor, and a two-story bay window. Several businesses occupied the building complex but, in general, service industries such as restaurants, theaters, and saloons resided on the first floor while offices and apartments filled both buildings' second and third floors.&nbsp;</div>

Constructed prior to the Civil War, these two commercial buildings are now connected internally. Records suggest that the building was completed in 1856, making this block one of the oldest in the city. These two buildings would have been one of the largest commercial buildings at the time of their completion and located near the railway during a period of Springfield's growth. The brick structures note a civic, and national, architectural response to fires that had previously damaged wooded structures. The automobile's arrival in the twentieth century fostered change in Springfield, as some businesses left the commercial center. 

Fisher Building-Latham Block

The Old State Capitol was constructed in 1840, a year after Springfield became the capitol of Illinois, which was&nbsp;due in large part to the campaigning efforts of Lincoln and his friends. &nbsp;It cost $240,000 to build, a rather large sum at the time, and was a considerably huge capitol building for that time period. &nbsp;It was within the House Chamber that Lincoln made his "House Divided" speech,&nbsp;and was also where he lay in state&nbsp;was before his body&nbsp;was&nbsp;taken to Oak Ridge Cemetery. &nbsp;In 1868, the State Capitol was moved to the building it resides in today and the Old State Capitol was sold to Sangamon County to be used as a courthouse. &nbsp;The Old State Capitol continues to make history into the 21st century, as the front steps of the building are the spot where President Barack Obama announcing his candidacy for the presidency in 2007.<br><br>Today the Old State Capitol is a public museum and the home of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. &nbsp;It is&nbsp;registered as a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. &nbsp;It has been restored and furnished to look as it did in the 1850s, which was&nbsp;when the building was in its political prime. &nbsp;Interpreters lead thirty-minute tours of the building, guiding visitors through the government offices, legislative chambers, and courtroom. &nbsp;People coming the the Old State Capitol can see the offices where Lincoln's presidential campaign headquarters were and a to scale statue of Stephen Douglas, Lincoln's political rival. &nbsp;Over one hundred and fifty years of Illinois political history is on display&nbsp;within these walls, laid for visitors to see.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Old State Capitol in Springfield was once the seat of government for the entire state of Illinois.  Now it is a National Historic Landmark, and an enormous tribute to two political giants of the mid-nineteenth century; Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.  The historic building is centered right in downtown Springfield and is only a few blocks away from both the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Lincoln Home Historic Site.  The site is for architecture buffs as well history ones, since the building is a classic example of the Greek Revival Style.    

Old State Capitol

<div>The house, built in 1839, was the home to prominent Springfield businessman Virgil Hickox (1806-80). Hickox also lived a highly influential political life, including serving as the Illinois Democratic Party chair and managing the successful 1858 Senate campaign of his close friend, Stephen Douglas against Abraham Lincoln.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Hickox arrived in Springfield in the early 1830s after growing up in New York, along with his brothers, &nbsp;Horace and Addison. He made his money as the owner of a general merchandise store, the Hickox Mill, a lawyer, banker, and railway investor. In fact, from 1851-71, he proved integral in organizing and managing the Chicago &amp; Alton Railroad,&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Though he operated functionally as a Democrat, many ascribe his beliefs to that of a modern-day Libertarian. He professed that the U.S. should not own property outside of military purposes, and advocated for the abolishment of the federal post office. He also wrote that men and women should adhere to the Biblical principle that men and women should work six days, but rest on the seventh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, though he helped Douglas, he also worked closely with Abraham Lincoln. Numerous documents exist that note of Lincoln's respect for Hickox, and several books are written about Lincoln include references to Hickox's relationship with the Civil War president.</div><div><br></div><div>The home underwent many alterations and renovations, both when he lived there and after his death in 1880 when the family left the premises. In 1895, the house served the Sangamon Club, the city's first, private men's business and dining club. During Prohibition, a speakeasy operated in the house, which transitioned to Norb Andy Tabarin pub -- many politicians frequented the establishment through the late twentieth century,&nbsp;</div>

Constructed in 1839 for the family of Springfield businessman Virgil Hickox, this historic house later became the location of a speakeasy. Hickox helped bring the railway to Springfield and chaired the Illinois Democratic Committee for twenty years, including aiding in the successful 1858 senate campaign of fellow railway investor, Stephen A. Douglas. After serving as an underground speakeasy, the former home later served as a legal tavern where politicians regularly gathered to discuss state politics. 

Virgil Hickox House 

<p>Progressive-Era Congressman James M. Graham (D) served in the United States House of Representatives from 1909-1915,&nbsp; serving in the Administrations of Presidents Taft and Wilson. He chaired, or was directly&nbsp;involved with, key investigations while in Congress. Meanwhile, in Springfield, he lived in the now-historical house from 1896 to 1945.</p><p>His&nbsp;most noteworthy role involved his position as a minority member of a Congressional committee charged with investigating the manner in which the Department of the Interior handled&nbsp;public resources, which became known as the 1909-1910 Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy. The Republican majority committee vindicated Interior Secretary Ballinger, but Graham filed a 33,000 word minority report and subsequent speech on the floor of the House. In contrast to the Republican findings, Graham&nbsp;argued that Ballinger, without authority, turned valuable public resources&nbsp; to private interests.&nbsp;</p><p>Many Progressives of the day (including Republicans) lauded Grahams speech, including Collier's Weekly and other publications that wrote editorials supporting&nbsp;Graham's views.In fact, Gifford Pinchot later wrote in his book,&nbsp;<i>Breaking New Ground,&nbsp;</i>that Graham was, "the best member of the committee."&nbsp;</p><p>The incident resulted in many dismissals and resignations, ultimately splitting the Republican Party, led by a division between Taft and Teddy Roosevelt, who&nbsp;created the Bull Moose Party. The split helped Woodrow Wilson gain the presidency in 1912 allowing Graham to serve as part of the majority party.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br></p><p>Graham also played a significant role in what would be the&nbsp;first federal judge impeachment.&nbsp; of a federal judge and chaired numerous inquiries into the practices of the U.S. Indian Bureau. Graham sought to improve the lives of Native Americans which led him to look into the corruption and land fraud scandal attached to the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, As a result,&nbsp;&nbsp;Indian Commissioner Robert Valentine was dismissed and the Bureau was overhauled.As a form of gratitude, one Native American tribe deemed Graham, "Chief Stand-Up-Straight."</p>

Congressman James M. Graham resided in this two-story Italianate house from 1896 until his death in 1945. Graham served in the House from 1909 to 1915 during the Taft and Wilson Administrations. He played an integral part in several Congressional investigations. including the Pinchot–Ballinger controversy and an investigation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which led to the resignation of its Commissioner, Robert G. Valentine.

Congressman James M. Graham House

The abundance of history books focused on Abraham Lincoln fill America's libraries and bookstores. However, before becoming one of the nation's most written about Presidents, he spent his time as a lawyer and politician in Springfield, Illinois.&nbsp; <br><br>At the age of 28, in 1837, Lincoln moved from New Salem to Springfield to start his law career. He married Mary Todd in 1842, and the two of them moved into the now-historical home in 1844. Outside of Lincoln's time as Congressman (1847 - 1849) and the 16th President of the U.S (1861 - 1865), it was the couple's only home (and the only one Lincoln ever owned).&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><div>Lincoln's early years in the house were marked by his time as a lawyer, where he walked to his Springfield law office that he shared with "Billy" Herndon. While there, Mary gave birth to three of their four sons, one of whom (Eddie) died there.&nbsp; As well, Lincoln -- who had been elected to the Illinois Legislature in 1834, 1836, 1838, 1840, and 1844 -- increasingly became involved in national politics.&nbsp; In addition to serving as a U.S. Representative from 1847-49, he pursued and then dropped out of a run for the US Senate in 1854 so that the Republican Party would be guaranteed a win, and then ran again for Senate in 1858 -- a race marked by the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. During that time, the house itself underwent many renovations and expansions, including the addition of a second floor.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The family remained in the house until Lincoln became the Republican Presidential Candidate during the 1860 election, which eventually led to the U.S. Civil War.&nbsp; He, nor his family, ever returned to the home after leaving for Washington.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>L, Tilton, president of the Great Western Railroad; George H. Harlow, one of the founders of the Union League; and 0, H. Oldroyd, who assembled the collection of Lincoln mementos lived in the residents after Lincoln's departure. However, in 1887, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the building to the State of Illinois on the condition that it be made available to the public at no cost.&nbsp;</div><br>Illinois has kept that promise, and the house is now a state historic site and&nbsp;museum that has welcomed millions of visitors over the years. Trained guides lead twenty-minute&nbsp;tours throughout the home, teaching visitors&nbsp;about the Lincoln family's daily life during their time in Springfield. The home, along with the small, perfectly preserved neighborhood surrounding, is like a walk back into the 1850s. Visitors to the home might&nbsp;expect to see&nbsp;Lincoln riding down the street on Bob, his horse, after a day of practicing law.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield preserves the home where Abraham Lincoln lived with his wife and four children lived from 1844 to 1861-the year when Lincoln family moved to the White House. The historic site includes numerous exhibits and sponsors events throughout the year. Thanks to preservationists and support from the state and federal government, many of the original homes surrounding the Lincoln home have also been preserved and maintained to match their mid-19th century appearance. s a result, visitors to this historic site can gain a sense of what life was like for Springfield residents prior to the Civil War as if time stood still. The complex includes a visitor's center as well as a gift shop. 

Lincoln Home National Historic Site 

<div>The first American poet to speak at Oxford, Springfield native Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, born November 10, 1879, grew to prominence within the poetry world. He was also an early proponent of ending racism, notably after seeing the effects of the expansive 1908 race riot in Springfield.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>After an unremarkable grade-school performance, Vachel's academics improved substantially in high school. As such, he appeared on track to follow in his father's footsteps in becoming a doctor. However, &nbsp;it was evident his strengths lied in philosophy and literature rather than medicine. Thus, &nbsp;he transferred first to the Chicago Art Institute (1901-1903), followed by a move to William Chase's New York School of Art, where the primary instructor, Robert Henri, suggested to his student that he was more a poet than a painter -- a career was born.</div><div><br></div><div>From 1906 to 1908, he traveled to many parts of the Eastern U.S. (and one trip to Europe) working small jobs and attempting to sell his poetry, primarily relying on tramp steamers (whose primary purpose involved moving cargo). Those travels are published in A Handy Guide for Beggars (1916). In fact, much of his career -- even during the height of his success -- Vachel had a propensity to travel, often by foot or other non-glamours means.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Vachel arrived in Springfield -- Abraham Lincoln's hometown -- just before the August 1908 race riot, only months prior to what would have been Lincoln's 100th birthday. The events moved Vachel to give a series of ten lectures on race at the local YMCA, "hoping to persuade his fellow citizens to make their city a model of beauty, order, and understanding," according to the Vachel Lindsay Association. Lindsay followed that by self-publishing his poetry volume, The Tramp's Excuse and Other Poems, which including many pieces inspired by the race riots. In fact, he went on to publish many pieces that both spoke of racism and celebrated the actions of African Americans.</div><div><br></div><div>While his father was a doctor, Vachel's mother was a religious and civic leader, which may have influenced him. Indeed, he delivered temperance and tolerance lectures and promoted civic beauty in and around Springfield through roughly 1912, and then he followed that by self-publishing <i>The Gospel of Beauty.&nbsp;</i></div><div><br></div><div>Never one to remain in one place for long, he left Springfield and headed west, ending up in California. While in Los Angeles, he authored one of his more famous poems, "General William Booth Enters into Heaven." Later, in Oakland, &nbsp;the construction of the Panama Canal inspired him to write "The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus." He then returned to his hometown where he published <i>General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems</i> (1913), followed by The <i>Congo and Other Poems</i> (1914) and <i>The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems </i>(1917). In between the latter two, he published the first American study of film as an art form,<i> The Art of the Moving Picture</i> (1915).</div><div><br></div><div>His career by 1915 had provided him substantial notoriety and offered him a chance for a successful tour of England and he became the first American poet invited to speak at Oxford. He published numerous, successful poetry collections by the early 1920s. However, his mother's death, followed by his own need for sinus surgery in the 1920s pushed him to accept a teaching position at Hiram College where he had initially attended as a pre-med student. But, as is often the case, he could not resist the urge to travel. Thus he accepted a position that ostensibly made him the poet-in-residence in Spokane, Washington where he also married and fathered two children, as well as published more volumes.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1929, Vachel and his family returned to the house where he was born in Springfield.&nbsp; Sadly, that return home proved to be the start of Vachel's sad last chapter. With the onset of the Great Depression, Vachel was forced to travel away from his family, spending life on trains and giving poetry performances from town to town. Buy 1931, his physical health declined, and he grew disheartened. &nbsp;Hence, on December 5, 1931, he consumed a bottle of lye and died in the bedroom one floor above where he had been born. His tombstone consists of his name and one word: Poet.<br></div>

The first American poet to speak at Oxford, Vachel Lindsay not only composed numerous volumes of poetry but was an outspoken opponent of racial injustice and an advocate for civic beauty. Lindsay's 1918 poem "The Jazz Birds," praised the efforts of African Americans during WWI.  Though he had a successful career and enjoyed family life and his two children, the privations of being a poet and thoughtful observer of humanity during the Great Depression, along with his failing health, pushed Lindsay towards depression. The poet committed suicide in his home where he lived with his wife and children. 

Vachel Lindsay House

<span>In 1837, a young&nbsp; Abraham Lincoln, lawyer&nbsp;and Representative from Sangamon County to the Illinois General Assembly,&nbsp; introduced&nbsp;a bill calling for the move of the State Capital from Vandelia, IL to Springfield, IL (his home). Lincoln's bill successfully passed -- the state government&nbsp;began operating from Springfield in 1839. However, although the cornerstone for a new governor's&nbsp;residence&nbsp;was laid immediately after the bill passage in 1837, completion of the new, sixteen-room&nbsp;building did not occur&nbsp;until 1855 when Joel Matteson held office.&nbsp;<br></span><span><br>Despite its lengthy construction&nbsp;process, and the numerous renovations that proved necessary to maintain and update the building, the Executive Mansion is one of Illinois'&nbsp;oldest historic and one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor's mansions in the&nbsp;country</span><span>.&nbsp;<br><br>Lincoln first debated Stephan A. Douglas, his rival in the bid for U.S. President&nbsp;in 1860, at the Executive&nbsp;Mansion where he&nbsp;</span>made his famous "House Divided" speech.&nbsp;Lincoln had also attended legislative sessions in the building, argued cases as a lawyer&nbsp;before the Supreme Court (also located in the building) and and maintained an office in the building after his election&nbsp;&nbsp;to the Presidency in 1860. Lastly, his body rested in the building during&nbsp;May 3-4, 1865, prior to&nbsp;his burial at nearby Oak Ridge.&nbsp;<br><br>Other dignitaries graced the residence such as President Ulysses S. Grant; President Rutherford B. Hayes; General William Sherman; President William McKinley; President Herbert Hoover; and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As well, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Annie Oakley visited the building. <br><br><div>Original laws appropriated funds to repair the mansion every two years, but major repairs have often proved.necessary. In 1889, Governor Joseph Fifer approved $13,500 to remodel the Executive Mansion and redesign it in accordance with the Victorian style, In 1917, another renovation included a transition from Victorian style to an Italianate style, the cost ($50,000) of which was split between the State and&nbsp;Governor Lowden and his wife&nbsp;<br><br>A fire in 1961 led to a movement to replace the mansion with something more modern. However, historical preservationists along with many&nbsp;former governors helped save the building, which led to its restoration and protection as an historic site. More renovations occurred during the 1970s and, just recently, private funding believed to amount nearly $15 million dollars was raised to provide the mansion with its biggest renovation and restoration to date.<br><br>The governor's residence is limited to a seven-room apartment upstairs while the downstairs exists as a historical site, retaining its nineteenth-century look. One recent governor, Rob&nbsp; Blagojevich refused to live there, instead choosing to work remotely from the Chicago area. However, he, along with four other governors, have been convicted of federal crimes and/or found to have cheated the state.<br><br><ul><li>Len Small, 26th governor, was found to have defrauded the state of a million dollars.</li><li>Otto Kerner, Jr., 33rd Governor (1961 to 1968) was convicted on 17 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison.</li><li>Dan Walker, 36th Governor of Illinois (1973 to 1977), pleaded guilty in 1987 to bank fraud and perjury (all occurring after he left office). He was sentenced to seven years in prison.</li><li>George Ryan, 39th Governor of Illinois (1999 to 2003), &nbsp;was found guilty of fraud and racketeering charges. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.</li><li>Rod Blagojevich, 40th Governor of Illinois (2003 to 2009), was found guilty of 18 counts of corruption, including attempting to sell or trade an appointment to fill newly elected President Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.&nbsp;<br><br></li></ul>Though Illinois politics has also enjoyed many stories deemed corrupt. the residence remains intact within the Capital City that owes its existence, and fame, to its most famous resident, Abraham Lincoln.&nbsp;<br></div>

Springfield, IL became the state capital in 1839, two years after a young Abraham Lincoln proposed a bill that moved the government to the city from Vandelia, Il. Though it took nearly twenty years to construct the building, it was home to one of the Lincoln-Douglass debates, was visited by numerous Presidents and is one of three historic governor's mansions to have run, continuously since the mid-nineteenth century. Of course, along the way, more than a handful of Illinois Governor's have committed crimes and served time in prison -- not all history is good. 

Executive Mansion

<p>Susan Lawrence Dana was a socialite and a supporter of women's suffrage. In 1900, Susan and her first husband of sixteen years, Edwin Dana, were in their mid-thirties and were living with her parents at 729 S. 4th St; the Danas had no surviving children. Susan's cousin, Flora Lawrence and a servant also resided in the house. Susan was the only surviving child of her parents, Rheuna Lawrence (age 63, a banker) and Mary Lawrence (59). On the 1900 census, the 301 Lawrence Ave. address (currently assigned to the Dana-Thomas House) was listed after the Lawrence home and was occupied by renters, the family of insurance agent George Stabdell (38); perhaps the rental was a cottage on the property of the mansion. In September 1900, Susan became a widow when Edwin Dana died in an accident at a mine he owned in Oregon. Susan's father died in 1901 followed by her mother in 1905.</p><p>Susan inherited a large fortune plus her family's Italianate style mansion, which was on the site of the current house (Lawrence Ave. and 4th St,). She decided to build a new home to entertain guests. The new house was constructed from 1902 to 1904 around the mansion, which was eventually torn town during the process. A library was added in 1906. It consists of 35 rooms and 3 levels. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was given an unlimited budget by Susan for the new house. The mansion is one of Wright's Prairie School style homes and is considered to be the best-preserved early example. The sprawling house included dozens of pieces of furniture and stained-glass windows specially designed by Wright.</p><p>In the 1910 census, a widowed "Susie" Lawrence (age 46) lived off her own income and headed the household on Lawrence Ave. Susie's unmarried cousin, Flora (56) also lived in the house, along with three African-American servants: Ada Bostick (36, cook), Bessie Nelson (22, maid), and Willis D. Hoskins (38, coachman). Susan secretly married Joergen Dahl, a Danish singer who was half her age, in 1912; he passed away in 1913 after a brief illness. Susan married one final time in 1915 to a childhood friend, Charles Gehrmann, but the marriage was soon plagued with problems and the pair separated; they officially divorced in 1930. Susan lived in the house until 1928, when she moved to a small cottage on the grounds; this was the year her cousin, Flora died. Susan became reclusive and suffered from dementia by the 1940s. She was institutionalized in 1942 and her belongings and home were sold to pay off debts. She passed away in 1946.</p><p>Charles C. Thomas, a successful medical publisher, bought the house in 1944 and lived there until he died in 1969; his wife remained there until she passed away in 1975. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency bought the home in 1981 and restored it between 1987-1990. The house was closed to the public temporarily in November 2008 as a cost-cutting measure at state historic sites ordered by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. It underwent another restoration in 2011 and is open regularly for tours.</p>

<p>The Dana-Thomas house is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Springfield, Illinois. It was built between 1902-1904 (an attached library was completed in 1906) and is the best preserved and most complete of Wright's early Prairie Style homes. The house is named after heiress Susan Lawrence Dana and Charles Thomas, who was the second owner. It contains the largest collection of Wright-designed glass artwork and furniture. Today, it is operated by the Dana-Thomas Foundation and owned by the State of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is also a National Landmark (1976) and a State of Illinois Landmark.</p>

Dana-Thomas House

<div>In contrast to Victorian-Era thinking that hindered the development of comfortable apartment living, the Bell Miller Apartments were designed with a Middle-Class mindset. Built at a time when Americans embraced urban-life like never before, several apartment buildings arose in Springfield's Aristocracy Hill neighborhood from roughly 1910 through the start of the Great Depression. Bell Miller rooms included many luxuries and comforts that accommodated Middle-Class values and their desires for comfortable living,&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Victorian-Era consideration of privacy and moral virtue precluded middle-class residents from ostensibly living with strangers under one roof and sharing walls. As a result, most apartments at the late 19th century catered to low-income residents, transients and others deemed outside the realm of the middle class.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>However, Bill Miller Apartments featured privacy and amenities specifically designed to attract middle-class professionals, including enjoying classical decoration. Apartments before the Bell Miller development shared exterior designs similar to commercial buildings and possessed few, if any, indoor decor or amenities.&nbsp; In contrast, the Ben Miller rooms included central steam heat, telephone accessibility,&nbsp; electric and gas lighting, indoor plumbing, fireplaces, crystal chandeliers and ornate crown moldings.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As such, the Ben Miller apartments denote a shift in attitudes by Americans, notably as the nation moved into the 20th century and increasingly urbanized.&nbsp; Convenience, access to phones and electricity and growing city entertainment and shopping options made city life more appealing. Indeed, by 1920, nearly 50% of Americans lived in urban regions whereas only 25% had done so during the 1870s. Thus, a need for apartments arose, but apartments also had to meet the standards of the Middle Class. Therefore Bell Miller and other luxury apartments turned increasingly attractive to Americans.&nbsp;</div>

This historic apartment building was completed in 1909 and its architectural significance as one of the first "luxury" apartment buildings led to its being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the late nineteenth century, Victorian Era values guided the Middle Class, making apartment living unappealing; privacy and virtues made home ownership a necessity (for most). As such, apartments were built with few amenities and were populated mostly by the lower class and transients. Bell Miller represented a shift during the twentieth century when America increasingly urbanized and accepted apartment living, but only because apartments reacted by becoming more luxurious. The building is now home to the Inn at 835.

Bell Miller Apartments

<p>The builder of the H.P. Boult House is not known, but the home is remarkably well preserved inside and out. The house has been deemed one of the best preserved examples of simplified Queen Anne style architecture in Springfield. The house was on Lot 6 and the north half of Lot 7 in Feitsham's and Dixon's Addition to the City of Springfield. There was a two-story wood frame stable with one-story attached wing along the rear lot line, according to the 1896 Sanborn fire insurance map of Springfield. The buildings on the lot looked unchanged on a 1917 map except that the one-story wing was no longer present on the stable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The H.P. Boult House is unusual in that only two families had occupied it by the time it was studied for listing in the National Register. H.P. Boult had the home built from 1888 to 1889. Mr. Boult was a miller and his wife was named Mary. Unfortunately, he barely spent two years in the house before he passed away in 1890. Mary Boult sold the house to Thomas Watts in 1891. The Boult family was not found within the census records for 1880. The widowed "Mrs. H.P. Boult" resided in Galesburg, Illinois by 1907.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Watts family continued to live in the home for six generations until it was purchased in 1981 by Robert Hayner. In 1900, Thomas Watts and his wife, Janey H. (age 39) shared the house on South Second Street with their five surviving children: Thomas B. (17), "Margrett" E. (14), Allis W. (12), Janey (10) and Kedrick R. (6). Mr. Watts was a 48-year-old stock raiser and had been married for twenty years. All of the Watts family members had been born in Illinois and all but the youngest child attended school. A local newspaper mentioned in February 1915 that Thomas Watts, Sr. was very ill due to a recent fall; Mr. Watts was hospitalized in October 1916. He passed away by 1920.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1920, the widowed Janey "Watts" was the head of the household at the H.P. Boult House; the 59-year-old was not employed. Two of her daughters were unmarried and lived in the house with their mother: Margaret E. (34, a bookkeeper for the electric railroad) and Jane (30, a bookkeeper at a lodge). A widowed son, Thomas B. (36, a bookkeeper at a bank) also resided in the home. Two grandchildren, Helen L. Watts (10) and Ben B. Watts (8) - likely children of Thomas B. - completed the household.</p><p><br /></p><p>The house appears to have been divided into two residences by 1940, with renters at the 1123 address and the Watt family at 1123 -1/2. Jane Watts (45) owned the house, which was valued at $5,000, and worked as a file clerk for an insurance company. Two of Jane's nieces lived with her: Helen Louise (30, a librarian at the city library) and Margaret E. (25, a government relief case worker). A boarder, Irene Helmle (48) was a bookkeeper for a heating company. The renters' household was headed by a widow, Gertrude L. Norton (65). Gertrude's daughters, Mildred G. (42, a public school teacher) and Helen G. (40, a stenographer for an abstract company) lived with their mother.</p>

The H.P. Boult House is a Victorian home built in 1889 at 1123 South Second Street in the Queen Anne style with Eastlake elements. The two-story wood frame building sits on a brick foundation; the original paint color was a dark yellow. A tower and pointed dormers are distinguishing features, as are the carved panels projecting across the facade and the carved front porch pediment. A curved cherry wooden staircase is near the front entrance and a fireplace in a room in the front of the house features painted slate decoration. The H.P. Boult House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architectural significance. The home is a private residence in the Vinegar Hill neighborhood.

Springfield Illinois Walking Tour

Price/Wheeler House

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information