old state capitol state historic site

I don't do a lot of Lincoln stuff but the old capitol is pretty cool. I like it better than the new capitol. Take a tour I think you'll like it.

This was a highlight for us. This is a well preserved building and an example of how important government thinks it is.

Only saw this from the outside, but I'm told they do give tours at times. Nice busy area downtown with lots of pubs.

Touring this is free and on your own. There is not a lot to see, it is a fairly small Capitol (that's why they moved). Half hour can cover it pretty well.

I had parked in the underground deck nearby to visit the Lincoln museum and ended up coming out by this building so I decided to go in. A tour had just started so the gentleman at the door let me join it. The woman doing the tour was very knowledgeable and it was more thorough then I expected. It was neat to see where Lincoln served back before he became president. Seeing the portrait of George Washington in the Senate chamber was my favorite part and we even got to sit down in the chairs. The rotunda was also very neat as well. Glad I stopped in!!!

The Old State Capitol is a must see if you are a history buff. It is free and they have guided tours or you can roam around on your own. They have excellent guides ~ Chuck is my personal favorite, but all are good at sharing the history in every room of the building.

The old State Capitol is well worth a visit. It is loaded with history from the days of Abraham Lincoln. He made his famous House Divided speech here. His body was brought here from Washington DC before he was laid to rest. Your trip to Springfield is not complete unless you visit the old State Capitol.

I've walked by this building quite a few times, but never went in. It is a gem. Much more interesting then the Lincoln House. You see where Lincoln legislated and gave his "House Divided" speech. I did pot know that he ran his 1860 campaign from the old Governor's office which is also located here. Finally this is where folks began to notice there was a retired Army officer named Grant whose expertise might come in handy during the War with the south. Great place.

Very good volunteers give guided tours. The Old State House is very well reconstructed and gives a good indication of how it was at the time of the Civil War.

There's not much to say about the Old State Capitol except that it hardly seems possible that Illinois' entire state government once fit within its confined walls! It's free, too, and well maintained, and makes it a worthwhile stop walking back from the Lincoln Library.

I loved looking around and the volunteers were very nice and helpful! Not too busy, so I had plenty of time at each exhibit without feeling rushed.

Mrs & I had no plans to see the old capitol but just happened to be walking by it so went in. Very much enjoyed the experience. There were not any tours that we were made aware of but the agents walking around were happy to answer questions.

Very moving and loved the opportunity to see where so much history had taken place. Loved the knowledge that this is where Abe Lincoln was so involved in the history of Illinois and America.

We got lots of history from a sweet lady dressed in character. Plenty of people to help with questions and give background information. Learned a lot. Everything here can be seen in about 20 minutes. FREE!!

I was sort of amazed at how small the state capitol used to be. Maybe Illinois wouldn't be in such terrible financial condition if it were still that small. We didn't take a tour we just walked through and took pictures. Maybe it was just us being tired at the end of a long day but I really didn't get the feel of the atmosphere that they were trying to present. Too many rooms were roped off in ways that you couldn't appreciate what was going on inside.They had a cash box requesting donations at the front but I don't carry cash so I had to feel like a heel as I pretended like I didn't see it.