Springfield, Illinois

Our school district has wonderful day trips. We have been on four: Beer and Baseball; Amish in Arthur, IL; Mormons in Nauvoo, IL; Springfield, IL. We were warned ahead of time that Dave would not be able to see the entire Dana-Thomas house pictured above, but there would be no problem with the Lincoln Museum.

After our bus drive where Linda Koenig gave us background information on where we were going (She gave us a synopsis on the lives of Frank Lloyd Wright and Susan Lawrence Dana), we arrived at the Dana-Thomas House---the most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright home. Click here for photos--we weren't allowed to take any of the interior. It is magnificent--much larger than the other Frank Lloyd Wright houses we have been to. It has 5 "butterfly chandaliers" which are worth $1 million dollars EACH!

The visitor's center below was the carriage house. The steps going down to the gravel actually go to the train tracks. Susan Dana was quite the social butterfly and had many friends travel from Chicago to attend her parties.


Don't be fooled by the handicapped entrance into the visitor's center---this house was not handicap accessible by any means! Dave did get into the visitor's center and the gift shop, but when we began the tour. . .Dave was able to get this far and had to turn around---through this gate were about 5 steps with no handrailings. I can understand about the integrity of the house, but this was outside! It was also about this time, the docent discovered I had a camera and said I wasn't to have one AT ALL! I think she was in a bad mood because the house is being closed Nov. 30.
In her later years, Susan Dana moved across the railroad tracks to this smaller house and sold the mansion to Thomas Printing Company who owned it until the State of Illinois purchased it.


If you google "Dana-Thomas House", you'll mostly get blogs about the closing of the house. The state of Illinois will be closing it November 30th. I noticed there's even a Facebook group called, "Save the Dana-Thomas House"

After that tour, we came here, an old farm house called Chesapeake Bay Seafood Company, for a delicious buffet of seafood, catfish, meatloaf and pork.
The Lincolns welcomed us---they are dressed to go to the White House which is behind them--at the Lincoln Museum.



The man in the grey suit leaning on the pillar is John Wilkes Boothe. Behind the White House doors are wonderful exhibits (which I wasn't allowed to photograph) and several theaters with presentations that were similar to Epcot. Click here for more information and photos.
There is quite a bit to see in Springfield, IL---this was right across the street from the Lincoln exhibit. Have I mentioned that I love trains and train stations?


On our way home---at Clayton and Woods Mill, we saw this car. I understand "imitation is a form of flattery", but this is ONEUPMANship when it's in my own neighborhood!