The
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices are within the only remaining building
in which Abraham Lincoln maintained a law office. The site consists
of the surviving portion of a three-story brick commercial block
constructed in 1840-41. Exterior details reflect the then-popular
Greek Revival architectural style. Though designed as a commercial
structure, portions of the building were rented for offices and
other purposes. Lincoln practiced law in the building from 1843
to about 1852. During his 1847-1849 tenure as a United States Congressman,
partner William H. Herndon (1818-1891) maintained the practice.
In 1978 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places as a part of the Central Springfield Historic District.
The
“restored” building’s first floor visitor center
consists of an exhibit gallery and audiovisual theater, along with
a room interpreted as an 1840s post office facility. On the second
floor are rooms representing those used by the federal court, and
on the third floor a "common room" and three lawyers’
offices. Two of the offices were used by Lincoln and his partners,
prominent local attorneys Herndon and Stephen T. Logan (1800-1880).
The recreated offices are notable for the plainness and disorder
that were remembered by Lincoln associates.
After viewing an orientation video, visitors receive a twenty-minute
guided tour of the historic rooms. On Wednesdays during the summer
months, a costumed interpreter portrays Lincoln’s law clerk.
Exhibits in the visitor center provide information on Lincoln’s
legal career and life on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The building
is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. The Tinsley Dry Goods Store gift shop
is contiguous to the Lincoln-Herndon building. |