Springfield: the city of Abraham Lincoln

Before becoming president, Abraham Lincoln lived and worked in Springfield for a quarter century: today the city in Illinois preserves his home, law office, and tomb.

The centre, around Lincoln's home and tomb, is easily explored on foot.

The House of Lincoln, the only residence ever owned by the future president, remains furnished as when he lived there with his family before moving to the White House.

Just steps away, the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln delivered his famous address 'a house divided against itself cannot stand', houses a historical museum today.

Moving forward, one visits Lincoln's Tomb, an imposing monument where the president, his wife, and three of their four sons rest.

As evening falls, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, with multimedia recreations of his life, closes the day among original artifacts and immersive displays.

According to a local tradition, rubbing the nose of the bronze Lincoln statue in front of his tomb brings luck—the metal, polished by millions of hands over decades, is now visibly lighter than the rest of the statue.

The 'House Divided' speech, delivered in 1858 during his Senate campaign, anticipated by years the tensions that would lead to the Civil War shortly afterward.