NPR

Abraham Lincoln's Legacy Looms Large In This Illinois City

A painting of President Abraham Lincoln at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. (Neeta Satam for Here & Now)

Springfield, the capital of Illinois, is a city devoted to maintaining the legacy of the nation’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

Residents are looking to the Illinois bicentennial celebration as a chance to showcase their appreciation for the president that saved the Union, says state historian Sam Wheeler of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the centerpiece of Springfield’s Lincoln sites.

“Abraham Lincoln is certainly the most significant Illinoisan we’ve had in the last‘s Jeremy Hobson. “And I will wager, he will be the most significant Illinoisan for at least the next 200 years.”

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