Springfield

Springfield is the capital of Illinois, United States, on a plain near the Sangamon River in the center of the state. Abraham Lincoln lived and worked in the city as a lawyer and politician for most of his adult life, until he left for the White House.

Settlers built cabins along Spring Creek in the 1820s, and the town became the seat of Sangamon County. Lincoln and the other lawmakers of the county, nicknamed the Long Nine for their height, won the move of the state capital from Vandalia, and Springfield became the capital in 1839. Lincoln moved to the city in 1837, practiced law with William Herndon and gave his House Divided speech in the Old State Capitol. Route 66 later passed through the city on its way from Chicago to St. Louis.

The horseshoe sandwich, an open-faced sandwich of toast, meat and french fries under cheese sauce, was created at the Leland Hotel in the city in the 1920s. The Cozy Dog Drive-In on Route 66 claims to have served the first corn dog on a stick. Corn and soybeans from the farms of central Illinois are traded and processed in Springfield.

The Lincoln Home, the only house he ever owned, is a national historic site among restored streets of the 1850s. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum shows his life with documents and lifelike scenes. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Dana-Thomas House for Susan Lawrence Dana with art glass windows and its original furniture. The poet Vachel Lindsay was born in Springfield, and his family home is a state historic site.