Springfield, Illinois

The deserted streets, the empty lots between buildings, the ramshackle impression of some houses and then the greyness of the sky - it all doesn´t help to try to see the best in things. Frank Lloyd Wright´s Dana-Thomas House is an architectural highlight. The architectural highlight, because the modern skyscraper, highlighted in one of the guides, turned out to be a concrete statement of the 70s. Overall circumstances made it difficult for Springfield to show us its lovable and livable side.

But of all the Springfields in the US, this Springfield has a good chance of winning the which-Springfield-is-the-closest-to-Simpsons-Springfield-contest. The nuclear power plant and Moe´s Tavern are missing. But other than that, it get´s close as far as I can tell.

I´m sure that, once the sun is out and people come out of their hiding to lively up the streets, the place has more good sides than anything. The list of attractions is long and some of them sound like real pleasers for the Americana connoisseur. The above mentioned Dana-Thomas House, the Ace Sign Co. Sign Museum, the Cozy Dog Drive-In, the Lauterbach Giant, Mahan´s Route 66 Filling Station and of course everything Lincoln (home, library, museum, tomb, ledger, depot, family pew, memorial garden, law office and New Salem).

The new state capitol in background

There were occasional cars driving around, but other than that

there were no people to be seen. None, nowhere.

The local YMCA with a futuristic building

Motel with not a lot of guests

In this town a lot is about Lincoln

Ye olde State Capitol on the left

USA Galleries