edwards place historic home

This house has so much history within it. Luckily my dad and I were able to latch onto a larger group and formed a small tour of the house. Our tour guide was very informative and knew much about Edwards Place and Lincoln. We got to see up close actual furniture Lincoln and Mary Todd sat on during their time of courting. We had to detach from the tour early, but it was a neat experience overall. If you have the time while visiting Springfield it offers a nice touch to the "Lincoln Experience".

This place is wonderful! It's not the first place that people think of when they think of Lincoln, so I imagine that it's sometimes ignored. That is such a shame...it was just as wonderful, if not more, than some of the more common places. The staff of the arts center is highly accommodating, and the director gave us a tour basically "on the spot". We loved the house, all the explanations of the things in the house, the ongoing restoration efforts, and even discussion of the reports of paranormal activity in one of the bedrooms. The house is truly an ongoing labor of love, and it is was a treat to see the process of restoration. Although everything was free, I plan to contact the center (they're closed for the July 4th holiday) about making a donation. At the end of the tour, we took part in the "Lemonade with the Lincolns" activity on the front porch. Actors in the role of Abe Lincoln and Mrs. Edwards (Mary Todd Lincoln's sister) talked with us about events and issues of the day. There was a family already with "Mr. Lincoln", with several young children, who the actors world very hard to keep engaged and involved in the conversation. My 18 year old son was with us (under a little bit of protest), and completely enjoyed the experience. The actor that portrayed Lincoln was wonderful. He spoke authoritatively to all the questions asked, and even (after we discussed Lincoln's fondness for Shakespeare) performed a bit of Hamlet. More than anything on the trip to Springfield, this gave us a very REAL sense of the man, Lincoln, and what the world must have looked like to those who knew him. The house is wonderful, "lemonade with Lincoln" is wonderful....seriously...you should do this!

This old mansion is laden with rich history concerning Abraham Lincoln. In this mansion, young Abe courted Mary Todd. They even have the very same furniture that Abe sat in while he did it. Mary Todd's family regarded Abe with disdain, and did not approve of Abe coming around to court Mary, figuring him for an unrefined backwoods "hick" who would never amount to anything important. Of course, he proved them all completely wrong when he became the 16th President! From the South porch, he delivered his Farewell Address to Springfield, just before he went on to Washington, D.C, and to history. The place could use some maintenance and renovation, so be sure to leave a donation; they depend on them to maintain the place. If you come to Springfield to explore Abe Lincoln's history, this home is absolutely on your MUST-SEE list! Easy, convenient parking on the west side of the mansion.off 4th Street.

As we toured the Edwards home, our guide gave us a very informational tour. The Edwards home had been owned by Mary Lincoln's sister and brother-in-law and his family. The Edwards' were very "upper-crust" compared to Abraham at the time he and Mary started courting. After our tour we enjoyed lemonade and cookies with a gentleman who portrays Abraham Lincoln. He is fantastic!!!