Explore a historic romance
Lincoln Presidential Library offers tour of sites from the Lincolns’ courtship and marriage

[June 02, 2017]  SRINGFIELD – The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is offering special tours this summer that let visitors explore historic Springfield and learn about the unlikely romance between Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd.

The “Abe and Mary: Quite Contrary” walking tour takes visitors through downtown Springfield, past the spots where a rough young lawyer and a Southern belle fell for one another, where they broke up but reunited and married, and where they lived happily until leaving for Washington.

The free tour will be offered every Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in June, July and August. It covers 1.5 miles and takes about an hour. Guests should wear comfortable shoes, bring water and dress appropriately for the weather, which can be quite hot.

The tour begins at the presidential museum (212 N. Sixth Street), where you are encouraged – but not required – to visit the section about Lincoln’s life before the presidency. The tour ends at the First Presbyterian Church (Seventh Street and Capitol Avenue), but guests are welcome to accompany the guides back to the museum.

“Essentially, we take visitors back to the 1830s-1850s and show them parts of Springfield that helped define Abraham and Mary’s relationship,” said one of the guides, Trevor Thompson. “By the end of the tour, visitors can see how Springfield’s most famous couple were ‘quite contrary,’ yet quite similar in their aspirations.”

To make a free reservation for the tour, visit www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to telling the story of America’s 16th president through old-fashioned scholarship and modern technology.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history. The museum uses traditional exhibits, eye-catching special effects and innovative story-telling techniques to educate visitors.

It also has some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history, making the library one of the nation’s leading institutions for genealogy and history research.

[Shanta Thoele
Executive Secretary
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library]