Lincoln:
Illinois’ motto is Land of Lincoln, so we headed next to where Abraham Lincoln lived before he became president (in central Illinois). At the beginning of our trip (way back in May), we visited Lincoln’s birthplace and boyhood home in Kentucky. We’ve also been to Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln was shot, and Petersen’s Boarding House, where he died the next morning. So it was fitting that we take this opportunity to visit places where Lincoln lived between his childhood and death.
Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Park re-creates the small village of New Salem where Lincoln lived in his 20s, working at multiple odd jobs, including co-owning a store, being a surveyor, and getting elected to the Illinois State Legislature. This is also where he read law books and began to practice law.