great western depot

We very much enjoyed our walk through this depot, lots of items left over from Spielberg's filming of Lincoln. Free admission with wristband/ticket from the Lincoln Museum.

The Great Western Deport is a great example of local citizens preserving our nations's heritage. Free tours are offered Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. This is the train depot where Lincoln gave his address to Springfield before heading to Washington D.C. to become the President. This Depot is not to be confused with other Lincoln memorials and museums such as the Presidential Library and Museum. This is a first rate example of local preservation by committed individuals and well worth the stop while in Lincoln's land.

It is a small but interesting depot to explore, free of charge, and graciously kept up by a local law firm. The few displays are first-rate and it is worth your while to visit. However, we did have difficulty in finding this depot, as it does not appear to be correctly situated on some of the free maps given out in the area. If you go by the actual address, you should find it easily enough.

This is the depot from which LIncoln departed Springfield to assume the office of the Presidency. There is a nice video on a continuous loop in what would have been the men's waiting room. There are only two rooms available for viewing, the top two floors are office space.This is not be confused with the depot where Lincoln's funeral train arrived (now the Amtrak station) nor the Union depot which currently has displays of custumes and props from the recent Speilberg movie "Lincoln:.

We had a lovely time touring the Lincoln Depot on our recent trip to Springfield. They had the exhibit “History to Hollywood” and had several displays comparing historical photos and facts to the actors, costumes, and set decoration in Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln”. I have to say, the similarities were remarkable! Being able to compare the real and the created side by side was a very neat experience. They had clips from the movie playing in each room, which added to the ambiance of the exhibit; I almost felt like I was there in the scene with them. All of the staff were very courteous and assisted us in navigating through the rooms. The depot itself has been kept as intact as possible, given 21st-century updates, but there are still touches from an earlier time (such as the glass window with “Nursing Station” for mothers and a bench from the waiting area) that lend verisimilitude. A lovely step back in time!

Currently there is an exhibit with some of the clothing from the movie Lincoln but not much of that. Couldn't find out anything about the depot itself and definitely not worth the $5 admission fee.

Where Lincoln said goodbye to Springfield. He also gave an impromptu speech. Brochures are available with that speech inside.

You won't need much time here, unless you stay to watch the video on Lincoln's trip to Washington. There are some interesting artifacts, including a telegraph to tap on. It is probably closer to an average rating, but it exceeded my rather low expectations, so I bumped it up to "very good."

I enjoy historic sites and this is one you must see while in Springfield. There is so much history in Springfield, and so many places to see. The Depot is worth the visit.