A History of the Denvolition and Recon-
"struction of the Illinois Old fifiate
Capitol. Rededicated 1968.
history of the
DemoHtion and Reconstruction
of the Ilhnois Old State Capitol.
Rededicaled during Illinois Sesquicentennial Year 1968
,<s\UUy
Illinois State Journal |^ Illinois State Register
si'KiN(;i ir.i.i). !i.i.i\ois
[L'JNOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY
Foreword
Reprint Of An Editorial Published In Our
Old Capitol Rededication Edition Dec. 3 , 1968
TODAY IS the climax of the Illinois Sesquicen-
tennial Year.
It takes place in the most fitting location and circum-
stances and will be an event of national significance.
The dedication of the Old State Capitol is a uniquely
appropriate capstone to this yearlong observance of the
150th anniversary of Illinois' admission to the Federal
Union. It was on this date. December 3. 1818, that Presi-
dent James Monroe signed the act of admission.
As symbolic as the date is the setting for its re-
membrance. For the dedication of the Old Capitol recalls
not only for the people of Illinois, but for Americans
everywhere the inspiration of Abraham Lincoln and the
life he gave for his country.
His "House Divided " address, delivered in this
building, will rank forever as one of the great speeches
of history. History records, too, that it was here as a
young state representative that Lincoln began the
career that was to have its own climax in his election to
the presidency.
It was here that he returned in death, his body to lie
in state for the last time in the surroundings he knew and
loved so well. The mystic spirit of Abraham Lincoln
seemed to linger in the Old Courthouse, as most Spring-
field people knew it and we believe this will still be true in
the restored Old Capitol. Visitors for years to come will
still somehow sense that in this place greatness once
walked.
But the dedication today is not only the honoring of
a great past. It is a bridge and rededication to the future.
Illinois through its progress has paid its own special
tribute to Lincoln.
Illinois after 150 years of statehood still looks
eagerly to the future. Broader and brighter vistas lie
before us.
Still a giant in agriculture, Illinois has become one
of the most productive of the industrial states and leads
all others in the manufacture of steel. The development of
the Great Lakes Seaway has made of Chicago one of the
world's largest ports.
Perhaps, most important of all, a sequence of year
long publications, television and radio programs, com-
petitions and other events have reminded Illinoisians
and their neighbors across America that this is indeed
a magnificent place in which to live.
With today's programs Illinoisians close the books
on 150 years of progress, and rededicate themselves to
the challenge of preserving and enriching this great
heritage for generations to come.
NOTE . . .
All Material Appearing In This Brochure Was Produced By The
Editorial Staffs Of The Illinois State Journal & Illinois State Register
H
"Stairways of ihe type Lincoln climbed to House chambers
have been recreated in restored Old Capitol. "
Two Presidents
Once Walked
Capitol Halls
The Old State Capitol soon will echo to the sounds
of a throny of new visitors, but long ago its halls and
chambers heard Ihe footsteps of history.
In the two-story Greek Revival structure, famous
Illinois governors, legislators and judges served their own
and the people's interests; and President Lincoln and
Cirant rose from humble duties to assume eventually the
leadership of our country.
February 24. 1837 was a cold day for the state
legislature that had gathered in Vandalia to study a
$10, 000. ()()() internal Improvements bill and a measure
to relocate the state capital.
The long Nine, a group of Whigs from Sangamon
County who averaged six feet in height, had been active
the night before securing the necessary votes to have the
capital moved to Springfield. Led by Abraham Lincoln,
the nine Whigs cornered key objectors and explained
that Sangamon support for railroads slated for their
towns might disappear suddenly unless Springfield got
the capital.
The House passed the measure by 46 to 37. and later
a combined session of the House and Senate made the
move official. Charges of "bargain and corruption" were
made, but it was all over and Springfield residents put on
a jubilee.
During the next two decades, the young Whig legis-
lator Abraham Lincoln would become intimately con-
nected with the history of the Statehouse he had secured
for the town of Springfield.
He was placed on a committee to probe the "ex-
cessive" costs of the ( apitol. which upon completion in
1853 totalled $260,000. Lincoln served his last term as a
Representative from Sangamon in the new Capitol in
the winter of 1840-41.
On Nov. 4, 1842 Lincoln had slightly less official
business in the Statehouse. Recorded on the clerk's
book that day was this marriage entr> :
2788 — Abraham Lincoln to Mary > odd — Charles
Dresser. M.Ci. (Minister of Ciod).
After a term as a national Representative in Wash-
ington. Lincoln returned lo Springtleld in 1848. To
support his ever-growing family. I incoln returned to
the capital to practice law. He tried more than 200 cases
in the Supreme Court chambers, prepared cases in the
law Library and borrowed books from the State Library.
in 1854 Lincoln re-entered politics by speaking out
in the Hall of Representatives against the Kansas-
Nebraska Act as its author Stephen Douglas watched
from the clerks platform.
Four years later at a Republican Convention in
the Statehouse. I incoln was chosen to run against
Douglas for the U.S. Senate, in accepting. Lincoln de-
livered one of his most famous speeches. He said:
(Continued Inside Back Cover)
Last Trial
The last Circuit Court trial in the Old State Capitol ended
July 22, 1965 when Judge William Chamberlain, right, directed
the jury to return a verdict in favor of Buffalo farmer Wayne
Theobald whose cow fell on his hired hand, Harry R. Davis.
Chamberlain ruled Davis had failed to show negligence on
Theobald's part. With the end of the trial came the end of many
acoustical and storage problems which had plagued the court's
history in the Old Capitol.
County Purchased
Old Capitol
For Only $200,000
Sangamon County government occupied the Old
State Capitol for 90 years, from January 1876 when the
state otTicers moved out and the county officials moved
in until August. 1966. when the county moved into its
present building. The county paid $2()().()0() for the Old
Capitol in 1869 and rented it to the state until the new
capitol was completed.
The former courthouse at the southeast corner of
6th and Washington Streets was torn down and the
ground subdivided into business lots. The old structure
had served approximately .^0 years.
The Old Capitol met the county's needs for about 20
years but in 1 897 it became apparent more space and
fireproof storage facilities were needed. A committee
recommended in September 1 898 that the county re-
model and fireproof the Old Capitol rather than building
a new building. Funds were obtained through a $100,000
bond issue and Springfield architects Samuel Hanes and
S. A. Bullard were hired to supervise the work.
Hanes recommended a third story be added by
lifting the entire building and inserting a new first fioor.
The roof and cupola had become fire hazards. The archi-
tects recommended they be replaced with metal and tile
structures.
The partition walls and floors were removed before
the building was raised leaving only the outer walls and
the two bearing walls running north to south through the
building at the ends of the porticos. Part of the west
bearing wall was removed to make a wider courtroom
where the House of Representatives once had been.
Contrary to popular belief, the old courtroom was
not the same room used by the House although it was
in the same area as the House had been. Not even the
woodwork or gallery from the Old Capitol was used in
the courtroom.The area was wider from east to west
and shorter from north to south.
The building was raised by placing steel I-beams
under the structure. It was lifted 1 1 feet in 12 days using
screw jacks at the rate of a quarter of a turn at each signal
from the foreman.
A new first story of Indiana blue Bedford limestone
was inserted. The rebuilt interior was completely dif-
ferent than the old interior, greatly complicating the
recent restoration project. Ciround level entrances were
added at the east and west, the moat was filled and an all-
metal higher cupola was built. The raising of the building
cost $27,500. The new roof and dome cost $12,000. The
total cost of the remodeling was about $17.5.000.
Part of the upper story of the building was used as
Grand Army of the Republic Hall until later years when
it was converted into offices for the assessors and the
Veterans Assistance Commission, an election office
and a deliquent tax office. The Circuit Court room gallery
took up some of the space. Other areas were used for
storage. An old newspaper account also indicates a
dormitory once was there.
But the storage problem was not over. The Spring-
field Plan Commission later made a study of the addi-
tional space needed by the county and concluded 50
per cent more space was needed.
Important records had to be stored in an unfinished
basement and other areas of the building where space
allowed. The growing importance of records having to
do with property titles and births for example, illustrates
the importance of the need for more space.
.Another Circuit Court room was needed and the
juvenile department needed offices. The acoustics,
particularly in the Circuit Court, were defeating.
While the county was talking about the need for
more space, the state was talking about the desirability
of converting the Old C apitol into a shrine.
The General Assembly in 1945 under Gov. Dwight
H. Green appropriated $600,000 for acquisition of the
courthouse from the county and $668,000 for restoring
it, including elimination of the first fioor.
The program collapsed, however, when Sangamon
County voters turned down a bond issue proposal for
$1.5 million to pay for a new courthouse.
The issue was revised in the 1959 Cjeneral Assembly
after the County Board of Supervisors agreed to sell
the building for $975,000. But the House Appropriations
C ommittee killed the bill for the purchase.
The county in 1961 was threatening to demolish
the courthouse and sell the land to provide money to
build a new courthouse when the state's bill to purchase
the structure finally passed the legislature and was
signed. The bill was sponsored by Sen. George Drach
and was pushed through the House by Reps, (ieorge
Coutrakon, Allen T. Lucas and Ci. William Horsley.
who for many years portrayed Lincoln in "Abe Lincoln
in Illinois."
Gov. Otto Kerner signed the bill Aug. 14, 1961.
The appropriation included $975,000 for the purchase
and $40,000 for engineering studies for the restoration.
The title was transferred June 29, 1962. Gov.
Kerner met with Robert Watson, the chairman of the
county Board of Supervisors; John Hendricks, chairman
of the board's special courthouse committee; State's
Atty. Raymond Terrell and County Clerk Joseph
Thoman to transfer the deed, deliver the check and to
receive the first rent check. The county rented the Old
Capitol from the state until the new County Building
was completed. The rent was paid from the interest
earned by investing the $975,000 purchase money.
The last court session in the Old Capitol was held
Aug. 7. 1965,seniorCircuit Judge Clem Smith presiding.
Veteran members of the bar who spoke during the 20-
minute ceremony included S. Phil Hutchison, Edward
Pree Sr., Hugh Graham, Montgomery Winning. Logan
Giffin. Judge DeWitt S. Crow and Appellate Judge
James Craven. Brightly colored balloons left over from
an election campaign were scattered about the county
and family divisions of the court.
iiiwAr^tJyft.
Crushed To Earth
Dismantling the building was the first phase in the
enormous project of reconstructing the Old State
Capitol.
The plan of the local architectural firm of Ferry
and Henderson, presented to the State of Illinois in
1964, called for removing the exterior walls from the
Old Capitol site and reassembling them there later.
This permitted the integration of modern utility systems
and the addition of the subsurface garage and library,
while still preserving the historic stonework.
According to Earl W. Henderson Jr., partner in the
firm in charge of the project, their solution was influenced
by several factors. The building's first floor, added
in 1899 to add interior space, had to be removed.
Lowering the building, as it was raised, by means of
jacks, would have been expensive and would have
prevented the addition of the underground facilities.
Another alternative for restoring the building to
its original appearance was to cover the base of the
building with 1 1 feet of earth, but it also failed to provide
for the necessary integration of utilities and the under-
ground additions.
Modern utilities like plumbing, heating, air condi-
tioning and electrical systems will, of course, be an
addition to the original building Lincoln knew. The first
Capitol had stoves to keep the rooms warm in winter
and doorkeepers who were instructed to regulate tem-
peratures by lowering and raising windows.
With hundreds of thousands of tourists coming
through the shrine, especially in the summer, Henderson
noted, the building must have comfortable conditions
which the modern systems will provide.
The parking facilities, too, will accommodate tour-
ists expected to tour the shrine. Without the extra spaces
conveniently located under the building, the downtown
streets of Springfield might soon become choked with
out-of-town automobiles.
When the building actually was disassembled, only
the two stories between the added first story and the
roof were to be salvaged, according to August Wisnosky,
field architect on the project. The cupola had been added
. . . It Rose Again
after the building was raised and replaced the original.
Dismantling contractors were told to tear up the roof
and remove the cupola, but to handle the stonework
down to the first story with great care. Each stone was
looped with a web belt, lifted by a giant crane and
placed on a flatbed truck. The stones ranged in weight
from 500 pounds to seven tons.
Wisnosky said each stone was carefully coded and
marked, according to its position in the wall, with a
prefix, denoting placement, and a number. Of the 3,300
stones which were moved, he said, not one was lost.
After the dismantling of the old building, the next
step was the excavation and dewatering of the site.
Workmen dug down 44 feet into the earth to remove
sand pits and ground water, leaving the middle of the
square looking like an open mine.
Following the preparation of the grounds, the sub-
surface facilities were added. Above them a concrete
skeleton with a roof was constructed, ready to take on
the historic stonework.
According to architect Wisnosky, the reassembling
contractor was literally given a "kit" telling him "how
to put a Capitol together by number." Keyed drawings
indicated exactly where each stone was to be placed.
Some of the stones were cracked and badly chipped
or weathered. Where a stone was structurally unsound,
it was replaced with a new one from Mankato, Minn.,
similar to the original in texture and color. But some
cracked stones - those to be replaced as non-supportive
face stones - were simply glued together and put back.
With the stones reassembled on the Capitol site,
the large task of adding the interior could begin. The
"skin" of the Lincoln shrine was ready; now only the
"bones" had to be replaced.
Architects
Sviccessfiilly
Met Big
Challenge
Old Capitol architects Wallace Henderson, left, and Donald
Ferry found themselves immersed in a research project that
involved sifting through huge quantities of material ranging
from entries in ledgers and bills for materials, to personal
letters and minutes of committee meetings— anything which
contained references to the Old Capitol Building.
August P. Wisnosky was the field project architect
for the Old State Capitol Building. His task was
to coordinate nine prime contractors and hundreds
of people.
Men With Vision Made
Capitol Plan A Reality
A "living, teaching, experience-filled building," and
not a "dirty old museum." or a "big old stone quarry."
If there was one thing most everyone connected with
the restoration of the Old State Capitol were agreed
upon, it was this.
It appears the architects achieved this goal, but the
supreme test will be when the first tourists go through
the Capitol. If thc\ emerge feeling as though they have
experienced something they will never forget, the project
will be totally successful.
"We have attempted to create the surprises and
events of space that turn people on." one of the archi-
tects said.
The effect was not an easy one to achieve.
Had the original architect's plans been available
the challenge wouldn't have been quite so great. But
Ihev had been destroyed in a fire in the 1930's.
So before Donald Ferry and Earl Wallace Henderson
Jr. could even begin to solve the problem of making the
building and unforgettable experience, they had to figure
out what the building was like in 1858 when Lincoln
made his "House Divided" Speech.
Why 1858? For two reasons. One was the speech
which got Abraham Lincoln started on his road to great-
ness, and the other because most of the significant
structural changes in the building had been made by then.
So instead" of taking the modern architectural ap-
proach o\' finding a new solution to a new problem, the
architects had to discover old solutions to old problems.
They had to become l^th century architects.
They, who proudly called themselves contemporary
atichitects. had to step back more than 100 years and
think in terms of Jacks and bricks instead of precast
concrete beams which span 100 feet.
"We got ourselves so conditioned to thinking in
lyth century terms." confessed Ferry, "that we had a
hard time breaking out of it to solve problems with
modern solutions which could have been solved that
way."
It was a combination of immersing themselves into
the past century and exhaustive piecemeal research that
got them through.
Four of the firm's staff members functioned as the
research team. Huge quantities of material ranging from
personal letters to advertisements to ledger entries were
sorted through.
'it was very much like solving a jigsaw puzzle,"
Henderson explained. "Each fragment was insignificant
by itself hut, related to other fragments, could help us
piece together the whole fabric of John F. Rague's (the
original architect i design.
In 1964, after a year and one-half of research. Ferry
and Henderson reported to the state that a reconstruction
of the Old Capitol Building was feasible.
Since the building program had been expanded to
include the State Historical Library and the under-
ground parking facility, they recommended that what
remained of the original building be carefully dismantled
and reassembled.
"We thought we'd get fired on the spot." Henderson
admitted.
But this solution, which would permit integration of
modern utility systems and the preservation of the past,
was accepted, and the firm was directed to begin final
working drawings for the project.
"The building was like a satellite," project architect
August Wisnosky explained. "There was only so much
space and so much equipment to be accommodated in
the limited confines of the structure."
But it was even worse than a satellite. If this building
was going to be truly inspirational, air-conditioning
equipment, and electrical lights could hardly show \
So the air-conditioning equipment, electrical ap-
paratus, ventilation, counting systems, burglar alarms,
and closed circuit tv equipment had to be hidden.
Cireat hiding places were found. Some equipment
is in the furniture, some in decorative molding, and some
in ornamentations. As great as the ideas were, ideally,
the visitors won't even think about it. They will hopefully
see it as it was — but in a way that is a pleasurable
experience.
The same effect will hopefully come out of the in-
clusion of the library and underground parking. "People
shouldn't be overwhelmed with the fact that this is an
imdergound parking facility." Henderson said. "From
the first moment they enter the structure, people should
not even think that it is an unusual situation."
The hardest obstacle to overcome in this respect
was how to take people smoothly from an underground
parking facility (usually quite utilitarian) to a historical
library (which would hopefully be an inspiring, aestheti-
cally appealing facility).
The answer was a cathedral. Specifically, by using
the hyperbolic paraboloids (which are really inverted
pyramids) a cathedral-like atmosphere was created in
the parking area.
1 he challenges indeed were there. The answer
stands in the middle of the square -successful from the
outside— and even more so from the inside.
"It's a living, teaching, experience-filled building."
Each Stone Removed ....
. . . Like A Precious Gem
When the old State Capitol was being dismantled
by the National Wrecking Co. of Chicago in 1966, each
stone was taken down carefully as though it was a pre-
cious gem, card coded and stored at the Illinois State
Fairgrounds until the building was ready for recon-
struction.
The coding system for the original stones, devised
by the architects for the project, proved to be the most
valuable asset in relaying the stones to the building,
according to Phil Evans and Wymond Mason, masonry
contractors in charge of the reinstallation of the original
stones of the building. Mason and Evans were given the
job as sub-contractors of the Franklin-Cress Construc-
tion Co. of Springfield, who had the general contract for
erection of structural work and placement of new stone
to the first floor level and relaying the original stone
from there on up.
'"If the stones had not been coded as expertly as they
were, relaying them would have been practically im-
possible," said Mason. The coding system numbered
each stone and told exactly where it came from and
where it was to be relaid.
A few problems presented themselves when some
of the coding symbols on the stones were obliterated by
weather elements at the fairgrounds. But with the help
of a huge coding chart and sketches made by the archi-
tects of the locations of the stones at the fairgrounds,
each stone could be identified before an attempt was
made to haul them out of storage.
According to Evans and Mason, several problems
arose during their big relay project. Among the most
important concerned the cutting of some of the stones
from a two foot thickness to a 10 inch thickness since the
walls of the building were slimmed down in the
reconstruction.
A special cutting mill was set up in an area north of
the fairgrounds by William Blottie, president of the Capi-
tol Stone and Material Supply Co., a new firm in Spring-
field. Blottie, using a special steel wire saw, cut each
stone to the desired thickness. At first it was thought
the stones could be cut by diamond blade saws. But
the stones are loaded with flint making them soft in
some places and extremely hard in other places.
The surface stone is soft and crumbles easily, but
the center is almost as hard as granite. The diamond
blades proved to be too expensive because they wore out
quickly, so the special wire saw was deemed more
practical.
A coordination problem was probably the most
critical. Getting the stones from the fairgrounds to the
cutting mill and back to the old Capitol when needed
was a tremendous task. It was important not to have
workmen idle, but sometimes the right stones just were
not at the Capitol at the right time. None of the stones
could be substituted for each other since no two were
exactly alike. The few stones chipped in transportation
or through accidents were actually "glued" back to-
gether, because there were no stones to replace them.
The right stone had to be put in the right place, and if a
particular stone was not at hand, work stopped until it
arrived and was laid.
Operating space at the site also was crucial. With
the heavy traffic around the square, crane operators
found it difficult to maneuver. And, of course, equip-
ment storage space was always limited.
At the same time the stones were going back up,
the Evans Construction Company was excavating for
the parking garage. This meant that the big old stones,
weighing from 900 to 1,200 pounds each had to be
swung by a crane over the excavation up to the building.
If the first swing wasn't successful, usually the second
try got the stone up there.
New stone to replace the original stones destroyed
in the "moat" area when the building was raised to add a
floor in 1901, came from Mankato, Minn. This was the
only place in the United States where stone similar in
texture and color to the originals could be found. This
new stone was acid treated and dyed to conform with
the old stones.
"A unique problem confronting us in this project,"
said Evans, "was trying to estimate the cost." Since the
restoration of an old building had never been done in
this area before, the masonry firm had nothing to fall'
back on in estimating such a job. Eight million pounds of
material including bricks were used, but both Evans and
Mason agreed that fewer problems occurred than were
anticipated.
"Most of the pieces fit just like a puzzle. Finding the
right pieces for the right places was not especially diffi-
cult thanks to much of the hard work of the architects,"
Mason commented. They had made a photo of the build-
ing blown up to a gigantic size which showed markings
where the stones were taken away and where they had to
be put back.
"We had problems," said Mason, "but they all were
solved without too much trouble and without much
delay."
House Chambers
nttrmitn
I11M»»1
One of the first pieces of furnishings moved into the recon-
structed State Capitol was the speaker's desk in the House
Chambers. The floor had been sanded and polished but no
more furniture will be moved in until nearly all the construction
work has been completed.
Every Room Looks Just Like
It Did When Lincoln Saw It
A visit to the Old State Capitol is a trip back into
time. The rooms — from a hasement-level storage apart-
ment to the matmitlcent House of Representatives -
appear Just as they did in 1858, the year Lincoln de-
livered his famous "House Divided" speech.
The interior of the building was restored uith some
difficulty and much perseverance by Springfield archi-
tects Don Ferry and Karl W. Henderson. A t1re in the
193()'s destroyed drawings of the building's interior and
few photos were made of it before its turn-of-the-century
remodeling. The architects, in conjuction with Slate
Historian ( lyde Walton and his staff, were faced with
the immense task of assembling all pertinent research
materials and. from these, preparing drawings for a his-
torically accurate State Capitol,
The architects and their researchers scanned the
hen-scratching of 12()-year-old bills. They pored over
the elegant longhand of official documents. They ex-
amined minute details of reporters" drawings of the day —
the i9th century substitute for news photos. And after
years of what Henderson calls "architectural sleuthing,"
a room by room description of the historical landmark
was composed.
The entrances to the building are on the north and
south. Three double doors on each of these sides open
into the rotunda area which e,\tends 32 feet from north
to south. In the center of this area is a well from the first
floor to the top of the inside of the cupola. At the top of
this well is a "rose" about six feet in diameter, visible
from the first fioor.
Two flights of stairs ascend from the north and south
to a platform above, 10 feet up, and then branch east
and west to the second fioor. The upper fiight is short —
about five or six steps — while the lower fiight is two or
three times longer.
The rotunda area was a popular gathering place at
the Old Capitol, used for social events, revival meetings
and public speeches. The speaker stood on the platform
and addressed his crowd assembled in the area below
and also on the second floor around the railing.
The rooms on either side of the rotunda on the first
fioor include the state treasurer's office in the southeast
corner. It is an airy room with four tall windows and a
16-foot ceiling. Henderson explained that the Old
Capitol's classical architecture is also "functional archi-
tecture." Planners designed tall windows to aik)w free
circulation of air and entry of light into the rooms. He
also commented that most of the specifications called
for white paint rather than dark or colored paint. The
reason again is a logical one. White paint is reflective
and makes the whole room lighter.
Henderson also pointed out architectural tricks with
slots in the windows and the molding. Hidden in these
areas are air conditioning vents and lights — both in-
congruous with the rest of the 1858 setting and cleverly
installed out of sight.
North of the state treasurer's office are the Law
1 ibrary and a clerk's office, and in the southeast corner
of the first fioor is the Supreme C ourt Room. The state
auditor's office is in the southwest corner. North of it is
the State Library and the Secretary of State's office.
All of the first fioor rooms are architecturally much the
same with the tall, shuttered windows and the 16-foot
ceilings designed for maximum ventilation in pre-air
conditioned days.
On the second floor are the more elaborate and
historically significant rooms — the Senate, the governor's
office and the House of Representatives.
The Senate is in the northeast corner. A double
door in the west wall opens into this ornate room, 40
by 50 feet in dimension. The speaker stood opposite the
door and looked upon the senators, arranged in a semi-
circle before him.
Behind the seats of the senators are the tall fiuted
columns and a balcony for spectators. Twenty feet above
is a coffered ceiling with classical molding at the juncture
of wall and ceiling.
To the south of the Senate are committee rooms and
in the southeast corner is the governor's ofilce which
Lincoln used as his office following his election to the
presidency in 1860.
The office is similar to the first fioor rooms — high
ceilinged and unelaborate. In a book, "Lincoln On The
Eve Of "61 ", the author wrote that this "room of the
governor of the state of Illinois cannot be said to in-
dicate the vast territorial extent of that commonwealth."
He described the room as "inadequate for Mr. Lincoln's
visitors" and wrote that " 1 2 would be uncomfortable
standing."
If the governor's office was described as "in-
adequate." a different strain of adjectives must be applied
to the impressive House of Representatives occupying
the entire west side of the second fioor. This stately
room resounds with history, echoing above the speaker's
platform where Lincoln delivered the "House Divided "'
speech and around the lofty classical columns.
The House is a huge rectangle, 82 by 40 feet in
dimension with a ceiling 20 feel high. The double doors
on the east side are opposite the speaker's podium on the
west. The representatives were, of course, seated facing
the speaker.
Behind the representatives' chairs is an 11 -column
colonnade in a half-ellipse and a balcony large enough
to accommodate about 200 people. Above the speaker
at the apex of the half-dome coffered ceiling is a rising
Sim. radiating to the circimiference.
Kortimately for the architects, several sketches and
photos of the historicalK important House were avail-
able. Hollowing Lincoln's election to the presidency in
I860, staff artists of news publications were sent to
Springfield to illustrate the Illinois environment of the
president.
"Skilled Artistry"
A skilled workman from the plaster contracting firm of Rhodes
& Rodier Co. completes the ornate decoration on a support
column in the Old Capitol. Officials for the plastering firm said
copying the elaborate detail required recapturing a lost art.—
Woodwork And Plaster
Made To Match Original
Plastering the columns and ceilings and placing
ornaments and decorations in authentic fashion through-
out the Old State Capitol was one of the most artistic
tasks involved in reconstructing the Lincoln shrine.
Expert plasterers employed by Rhodes and Rodier,
the Springfield tlrm awarded the subcontract for this
task, used their own ingenuity to solve the complicated
problems involved in recreating the interior of the build-
ing as it was built originally.
Rhodes and Rodier were contracted to lath and
plaster all interior walls and plant all ornaments and
decorations made according to architects" specifications
as they appeared during Lincoln's time.
The tirst step in this project was to find a modeling
and casting shop for the ornaments. Rhodes & Rodier
gave this work to the Chicago Decorator Supply Co.
The Chicago company took the plans designed by the
architects, made models of the ornaments, cast them,
and sent samples back for the architects" approval.
The most important ornamental items were the
capitals (caps) for the Corinthian and Ionic columns
inside the building which run fairly true to form dating
from ancient Cireek times. Books describing these
ancient columns, their design, and how to plant them
were not difficult to find.
The Corinthian columns with their bell-shaped
caps enveloped with acanthus leaves are found in the
House of Representatives and the Senate in the Old
Capitol. The caps were cast in two sections, planted on
top of the columns, and the joints tooled in with plaster
by expert workmanship. There is not a trace of where
the sections join.
The difficult part in the construction of these
columns was not the ornaments, but the flutes, metal
rods covered with plaster which run from top to bottom
on the columns. The flutes provide for the jointed
appearance of the columns. Since the columns are
narrower at the top than at the bottom, the fiutes had
to be made accordingly. They were made by workmen
as they were needed.
The flutes were planted one b\ one on the columns
with hair fiber and molding, and joined by paster. This
work was time consuming and it required "artists'" to
plant and join the flutes to make the columns appear
as though they were born classic and beautiful.
The Ionic columns with their spiral scroll-like caps,
seen in the first floor State Library and lobby, were
fluted and mounted in much the same way as the
Corinthian columns. .Ml these columns were hand-made
inch by inch by contemporary workmen using ancient
ideas.
Before any plastering could be done, the lathers
had to install their metal wiremesh type material in all
parts of the building requiring plaster. The rotunda pre-
sented a big problem. It was difficult to bend the rods
in order to get the curved design of the rotimda. The
lathing of the rotunda is actually tied by wire to the
rafters of the ceiling of the capitol. When looking at it
from the top. the rotunda appears to be suspended. Of
course, the lathers had to always keep one jump ahead
of the plasterers, which meant solving problems quickly
and moving on.
The coffered ceilings of the House and Senate also
were a challenge to the plasterers. The ceiling of the
House is a three-point ellipse, and the coffers, or re-
cessed panels, had to be so designed to form the elliptical
curve, and to match up perfectly with the side walls.
The ceiling of the Senate was even more difficult
since half of it is an elliptical curve meeting the other
half which is a straight radius ceiling or regular barrel
ceiling. Different radii had to be taken for each half of
the ceiling and the designs laid out on the floor before
work on the ceiling could begin.
The rotunda also has a coffered ceiling which pre-
sented the problems of getting the plaster up there, and
working in a narrow space. Most of the plaster material
was pumped up through hoses and pipes by a special
machine.
Another problem arose with the ceiling in the first
floor State Library, the Secretary of State"s office to
the right of the library, and the State Auditor"s office
to the left. The architects" drawings called for approx-
imately three-inch recessed circles on the cross beams
of the ceilings. Since it was difficult for the plasterers
to get the exact dimensions from the perfect circles, the
lathers" superintendent ordered about 12 dozen cake
pans which met the exact specifications, and put these
into the holes. Now these cake pans are seen adorning
the ceilings. "Some of our most difficult problems are
solved by just a little imagination,"" said Richard Rodier,
superintendent of the lathers.
The process used by the plasterers was what is
called a "run in place method."" Different molds had
to be made for each design needed.
The molds, designed and constructed by Rodier
experts as each job came up, were made of tin. snipped
to the exact design required, and backed by wood. The
molds are pushed across the surface (running a mold!
and the pattern is etched into soft plaster.
Dentils form much of the ornamental work on the
moldings throughout the building. I3entils are small
rectangular blocks running in a series and projecting
like teeth from the molding. They are found, as are the
columns, in Corinthian and Ionic architectural orders.
The dentils did not cause a big problem, except for
the fact that many of the air conditioning ducts are
concealed between these dentils. Plasterers had to be
careful to measure exactly so as not to cover up the
ducts.
Air conditioning ducts arc also hidden behind many
other moldings in the building, and the plasterers had
to do an expert job so the ducts would not be seen as
well as not covered. Plastering around hidden light
fixtures also presented problems at times.
William Alderfer, State Historian, checks one of the big round
clocks to be hung in the legislative chambers.
Furnishings
Took Months
Of Searching
Warehouses in New Orleans have been searched
and antique shops throughout the nation have been
visited to assemble the hundreds of authentic items that
will be the furnishings of the Old Capitol.
James Hickey of the Illinois Historical Library
staff, reports that the furnishings are just about complete.
He believes more chairs will be needed and more books
to fill the bookshelves in the offices. Spittoons will
have to be made, because the authentic article from the
mid 1 9th Century no longer can be found.
However, all of the important items have been
purchased and gathered in Springfield warehouses. A
Dutch manufacturer has made a chandelier for the
Senate Chambers which duplicates the original. A cloth
manufacturer has woven the ingrained carpet which
will be laid in the chamber of the House of Represen-
tatives and the Senate.
Desks and chairs which duplicate those used by
the 1 9th Century legislators have been made by modern
cabinetmakers and are awaiting installation.
Hickey estimates there are some 500 authentic
antiques to be placed in the building and hundreds of
other small items such as lamps, which also were used
in Abraham Lincoln's day.
Some $300,000 was raised by the Abraham Lincoln
Association with which to buy furnishings. However,
purchases have been made at low enough prices to leave
a balance to pay for other things to be done in the Old
Capitol. These may include preparation of programs
to explain the historic site's significance.
Hickey expects the moving of the furniture and the
placing of it to take about two months. The carpet
when it is laid must be handsewn. It comes in strips
which must be sewed together.
Hickey has been surprised at the ease with which
some pieces were discovered. New Orleans warehouses
were found to be a gold mine of antique furniture, such
as large secretaries. The large furniture used in offices
would have only a moderate appeal for persons buying
antique furniture for their homes, according to the
historian.
Hickey also was surprised by the items which had to
be especially made, because they are no longer manu-
factured. Black stovepipe, familiar to many generations,
no longer is manufactured, he said. Modern stovepipe
is blue in color and corrugated. An iron manufacturer
in Wheeling, W. Va., filled a special order for the needed
stovepipe.
Collection of the many items needed to furnish the
building also was a matter of luck. Hickey reports he
and another member of the library stiiff found in a New
Orleans antique shop a water cooler exactly like the
cooler which appears in an 1860 sketch of the governor's
reception room.
Lowell Anderson, curator, checks a few furnishing items
to be displayed in Old Capitol.
An old style lamp, above, and decorative eagles, below, are
checked by Alderfer and Anderson.
Hyperbolic Paraboloid
Design
Construction near completion, hyperbolic paraboloids stand
guard in the underground parking ramp of the Old Illinois
State Capitol as workmen put finishing touches on the high-
light of Illinois' Sesquicentennial Year finery. The ramp will
house hundreds of cars employed by tourists and other in-
terested persons in visiting the historic structure, the dedica-
tion of which will climax the celebration of the state's 150th
birthday. In addition to the parking area, the Old Capitol
undercround unit will house a historic library.
New Concept In Parking Garages
Underground parking garages are not by tradition
structures of beauty. Usually they are. as architect E.
Wallace Henderson has said, 'nothing more than grease,
oil and automobile."
However, the entire concept of the Old Capitol's
reconstruction is far from traditional. And in keeping
with this, the 470-car garage is more reminiscent of a
cathedral than a covered parking lot.
In fact, the ideas used in this garage may "change
the entire concept of underground parking," again
quoting Henderson.
The lower of the two levels doesn't do much to
arouse ones aesthetic wonder. However, the atmosphere
on the upper level is airy and almost church-like.
The credit goes to the hyperbolic paraboloid design
of the ceiling.
Although it's a mouthful to pronounce, hyperbolic
paraboloids are not difficult to imderstand.
"Inverted umhrelia" is the term used by Jack
Casson, consulting engineer with the Walter E. Hanson
Co., to describe the ceiling structures. There are 90
such "umbrellas" or hyperbolic paraboloids in the
garage roof.
Henderson explained each is a square of concrete
30 feet on a side that appears, when one looks upward
in the garage, to have been pulled down in the center
by a column. The results are eye-pleasing arches.
It is this arch formation that makes the difference,
Casson explained. As in most garages, the second level
of the Old Capitol garage is about seven to eight feet
high. "You get the feeling of being closed in, even
though the space is adequate," he said.
However, the upper level is seven and a half feet
high to the base of each arch — the arch itself then rises
another five feet or so, Casson explained.
The umbrellas were made from forms designed by
Ed Kane, project manager. Four quarter sections were
rolled into position, bolted together and jacked up to
the proper height. When reinforced concrete dried in
the resulting umbrella design, the forms were merely
taken apart in quarters and rolled to the next site.
This architectural concept has never before been
used in underground construction. Why the bold experi-
ment on this project?
As much as anything else, it was a necessity.
According to engineer Casson, there were three major
requirements for this garage. It had to be:
— aesthetically pleasing;
— sturdv enough to support dirt and large trees;
— as low cost as possible.
Eye appeal was a primary consideration because
entrance to the state historical library is from the
upper parking level. Henderson explained the library
is not a lending but rather a research library.
Consequently, the architects did not want to design
the entrance from the garage in such a manner that it
would immediately attract everyone's attention. How-
ever, the library is the most important center of written
state history. And as such it should have a pleasing
exterior.
So "pleasant, but not inviting" was the atmosphere
architects sought to create in what is virtually the outer
lobby to the library.
Architects thus tried to design the entrance to the
library in keeping with the respect due the collection
of writings. Meanwhile, outdoor landscaping was
creating additional problems.
Photos and sketches of the original Capitol showed
"many, many large, full-si/ed trees," explained Casson.
Eull-si/ed trees need from six to seven feet of soil in
which to grow .
Since soil weighs in the vicinity of 120 pounds a
cubic foot, the roof of the garage would have had to be
two and a half feet thick to support enough soil to grow
all the trees.
Also, engineers considered it important to utilize
support of a bed of shale some 25 feet below the Capitol
itself. With a thinner roof the garage could be two
levels and rest on the shale — an excellent base, Casson
explained.
But with a ceiling over two feet thick, there would
not be enough height for two full levels. This would
result in the additional expense of driving supports
for the entire structure down farther.
And the thicker, thus also lower, the ceiling, the
steeper the entrance and exit ramps would have to be,
Casson said.
The solution was almost obvious — a new type of
design would have to be used. How did the eventual
hyperbolic paraboloids solve the problems? Casson said,
"By solving one problem we eliminated others. " By
virtue of its "inverted umbrella" shape, the parabolas
allow for tree planting. The trees will simply grow in
the deepest part of the umbrella.
Because the dirt wont have to be six or seven feet
deep over the entire ceiling, the ceiling could be made
thinner. It is, in fact, only six inches thick. A thinner
ceiling, in turn, resulted in enough space for two levels
in the garage and softer sloping ramps.
The new design even resulted in lowering costs of
the garage. Casson was hesitant to estimate how much
was saved by the new design, since as he said, "we
didn't even start to figure the cost of a flat roof because
we knew it was impractical." Although he also did not
speak in specific figures. Henderson estimated "this
type of construction saved hundreds of thousands of
dollars."
And so the problem of design was solved — almost.
Again it was the landscaping that raised a question.
How would drainage from the center of the parabolas
be provided?
Casson explained that in this situation as much
water must be drained as possible since water adds to
the weight of the dirt.
The solution was a drain built into the center of
each column — into the center of each umbrella, in other
words. This iron casting runs through the center of the
column to the layer of shale. There it connects with
pipes and trenches which drain the parking levels.
This lowest level of pipes runs the drainage to sump
pumps located in the corners of the garage. This sump
collects drainage from around, under, inside and above
the garage and pumps it up to the sewers.
But once these major problems concerned with
building the garage were solved, questions about ventila-
tion, heating and lighting were raised.
According to Henderson, ventilation is one of the
most important considerations in a garage. This was
echi)ed by Casson, who emphasized the necessity of
considering the siifety factory because of carbon mon-
oxide present.
Air is collected from the fioor and run through ducts
which can be controlled by dampers, explained Casson.
This air is directed to the corners of the garage where
the simip pumps arc located and where huge fans will
blow the stale air up to the street.
Recreate
Grounds In
Style Of
The 1860's
"Old State Capitol In 1858'
Visitors to the Old State Capitol area may rightly
feel that they have stepped from the present into the
1860's as every effort has been made to recreate the
Springfield square as it existed on May 4, 1865 — the
day Lincoln was buried.
Technical advisor for the landscaping of the grounds
was Dave Spencer of Spencer and Spencer Nursery.
In the fall of 1966, Spencer began extensive research
to determine the layout of the area in Lincoln's day.
His search for pictures, plans and verbal descrip-
tions finally yielded ten, glossy photographs taken on
the day of the funeral. Luckily, the photographer shot
the scene from many different angles on the ^ound and
from buildings so that an accurate description of the
grounds could be determined.
Spencer calls the original plan "old fashioned" but
"interesting." Trees and shrubs are planted in a long,
striplike fashion and in perfect symmetry in accord with
the style of the times.
Many of the types of plants were identified and,
with a few exceptions, are the same types used in the
restoration. One exception to the historical plan is
the substitution of a hybrid variety of Elm for the
original American Elm, so susceptible to numerous
diseases.
Of the more than 600 plants used to landscape the
grounds 45 are shade trees; 17 are flowering trees;
491 shrubs; and 73 are evergreens. In addition, 7500
ground cover plants have been used, and a 6,000 square
foot lawn has been planted. After historical accuracy,
the main consideration in choosing the plants was
hardiness.
Only one departure from the original design has
been premeditated, and that is the planting of a good
lawn. The original lawn was a ragged affair, cared for
only with sickles.
The entire square is surrounded by an outer side-
walk. Inside this is a six-foot high iron fence. A strolling
path of white gravel runs inside the fence, allowing
visitors to walk leisurely through the gardens. Running
perpendicular to the fence, from the center of each side
of the square is a 10-foot white rock carriage path. These
entrances lead to a circular carriage path that surrounds
the Capitol itself
The fact that the Old State Capitol grounds are
directly above an enormous parking garage makes the
project unique. Other gardens have been planted above
parking facilities but never with so little dirt fill and in
so intemperate a climate.
The floor of the garden consists of 30-foot square
sections that start at a depth of 5 feet in the center
and taper to 18 inches at the edge. This extremely
shallow fill makes planting difficult.
One precaution taken by the landscaper was to
plant large trees only where the fill is deepest.
The garage roof also presented a drainage problem.
Each 30-foot basin is equipped with a drain in the center
to carry off excess water. A clogged drain can be
corrected from below.
Another unusual problem is presented by the heat
that will be generated in the garage. In the course of
a winter the temperature may be -10 degrees outside
and 50 degrees under ground. How this radical tem-
perature difference will affect the plants no one knows.
The success or failure of the area depends greatly
on the maintenance it receives, according to Spencer.
The forementioned problems and the fact that the area
is in an urban area with car fumes and stale air makes
careful maintenance vital.
Spencer has suggested that a permanent crew of
two men be assigned to the area. The men will spray,
water, trim and feed the plants.
Contractor for the area was Higginbotham Land-
scape Company, which bid considerably under the
$40,000 estimated cost.
Otto Kerner
Major Force In
Restoring Old Capitol
A fellow who lives and works in Chicago had as
much to do with the restoration of the Old State Capitol
as any person involved in the mammoth project.
His name: Otto Kerner. federal appellate judge
with headquarters in his native Chicago.
But for nearly 7'/i years, from January 1961 until
May of this year, he was governor of Illinois and active
citizen of Springfield.
During his tenure in the capital city. Kerner took
a vigorous interest in community iiffairs. and his efforts
in many local ventures have won him the respect and
admiration of Springfieldians who still consider him
oneof their own.
The effort he made toward reconstruction of the
Old Capitol will probably go down in Illinois history
as his finest cultural achievement, for it was he who
provided the impetus for the monumental historical
project.
Perhaps the thing most genuinely bearing the Kerner
mark is the Illinois State Historical Library beneath
the Old Capitol. It was his idea to move the library
out of its cramped headquarters in the Centennial
Building and place it in more spacious quarters under the
Old Capitol.
"It was my thought that the Old Capitol would
become the historical gem of the state," Kerner says,
"so it seemed logical to put our historical library in the
same building."
He points out that the present library simply lacks
facilities and cannot provide such things as proper
humidity control for historical documents, some of them
extremely old and in flimsy condition.
"With the new library a part of the Old Capitol,
we should attract more tourists - both domestic and
foreign - which will result in more study of Lincoln
history," Kerner contends. "The top Lincoln scholars
from all over the world will in increasing numbers come
to Springfield to work, and it should mean the body of
knowledge about Lincoln will continue to grow and
grow."
Kerner said he first became aware of the state's
opportunity to purchase the Old Capitol durinu his
first campaign for governor in 1960 when the building
at the time served as Sangamon County's courthouse.
After he became governor, he at first was hesitant
to ask the state legislature to buy the building because
of the financial crisis facing I llinois in 1 96 1 .
"But the county was talking about either selling the
building and building a new county courthouse, or tearing
it down and building in the same place," Kerner recalls.
"1 realized if we didn't act we might lose the second
most historical building west of the Alleghenies."
So, at Kerners urging, and with the help of the late
Sen. George Drach, R-Springfield, and others, the
General Assembly appropriated nearly a million dollars
to buy the building and property from the county.
Early in his first administration. Kerner went to
work to reactivate the almost defunct Abraham Lincoln
Association. After it was rejuvenated, the association
assumed the task of raising funds to help pay for the
project, which was eventually to become a $6 million
enterprise.
Earl W. (Wally) Henderson was hired by the state
to serve as architect for the reconstruction program,
and he began immediately an exhaustive study of old
documents to determine the exact nature of the building
as it appeared 1 00 years ago.
"Wally certainly did an outstanding job." Kerner
comments. "It was a tough assignment and he had to
search hard in order to find many of the documents
which described the appearance and contents of the
original building."
Kerner is also proud that he favored building an
underground garage, with the Illinois Building Authority
having the responsibility for issuing revenue bonds to
pay for the garage's construction.
"The important thing here." Kerner emphasizes,
"is that taxes wont be used tt) pay for the building's
maintenance. Money collected from the use of the
garage should take care of that."
Otto Kerner, because of his efforts in behalf of the
Old Capitol restoration project, will be remembered
as the governor whose administration provided the nation
with one of its most treasured historical sites.
He Got Involved —
And Loved It
Most things don't just happen; people make them
happen.
Some people have money, which gets things done.
Others have ideas. Still others have energy. Then
there is another class — those people have the ability
to motivate others to do good work and then coordinate
these forces.
Clyde Walton, former state historian, is in that latter
class. But he's also got the ideas and energy.
The Lincoln Home District wasn't suddenly zoned
historical, nor did the Old State Capitol suddenly go
down and up again in magnificent style. Someone
motivated and coordinated the people who got it done.
Hundreds of people can look at that Old Capitol
and be proud. There's Gov. Otto Kerner. the architects,
the legislature who approved the expenditure, the news
people who backed it editorially and scores more.
Clyde Walton is now in DeKalb. He is director of
libraries at Northern Illinois University but if DeKalb
will share him, and even if they won't, it's safe to say
that he hasn't entirely left Springfield.
As he talked about the Old Capitol project in a
downtown Springfield restaurant, Walton would start
talking about current problems in connection with it
— then would interrupt himself and abruptly state
that that was someone else's problem now. it happened
more than once.
But he's still wrestling with Old Capitol problems
even in DeKalb, no matter what he says, and Spring-
field newspapers still go to his home.
In the humblest way he stated that he gave his life
to that building. "It was the hardest thing 1 ever did
in my life . . . it's cemented with my blood," he said.
Then, he added, almost wistfully, "But 1 feel better
every time I look at it."
He admitted that he never intended to get so
involved. Maybe some things do "just happen."
Specifically what did he do? His actions are hard
ones to measure. He suggested what turned up to be
one of the architectural dilemma keys — that the Iowa
Territorial Capitol Building be investigated for its
similarities to the Illinois Capitol. It turned out that
Rague's (the architect for the Old Capitol) plans were
used for the Iowa building also.
He was in on the revitalization of the Abraham
Lincoln Association, the inclusion of the historical
library and the special electronic equipment, in addition
to a great deal of the research work.
Why he did it is the hardest to explain.
One of the reasons would be history and another —
Springfield.
Historically, he said, "It should have been done . . .
it should have been done a long time ago."
The restoration of the Old Capitol, to Walton, was
a "very tangible example of the city getting involved
in a forward-looking activity" . . . and he loved it. He
pensively recalled an article that appeared in a national
magazine on Springfield in the mid 1940's, and then
pointed out the huge strides the city had taken since then.
"We aren't just restoring an old building — that's
meaningless," he said. "1 hate an old building that does
not teach — emotionally and intellectually," he said.
Walton's conversation was filled with credits. He
wanted to give credit to everyone who was involved —
but always stopped himself for fear that he'd forget
somebody.
Springfield has benefited immeasurably from Clyde
Walton — who was here nine years. DeKalb will too,
although he admits that he hasn't got started there yet.
"It takes a couple of years to put your house in order,"
he explamed.
He's got dreams though, and when they're realities,
there will be more dreams.
(Continued from Page One)
" 'A house divided against itself cannot stand." 1
believe this government cannot endure permanently half
slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dis-
solved - 1 do not expect the house to fall -but 1 do expect
it will cease to be divided."
Lincoln lost the race for the Senate, but in I860 he
was nominated and elected President. Realizing that his
dusty law office was no fit place to receive visitors, the
president-elect accepted an offer from the governor to
use his office located at the southwest corner on the
second floor of the Capitol. There Lincoln received well
wishers, office seekers, political leaders and reporters
during the turbulent days before the Civil War.
The last time IJncoln was in the Capitol was in May
1865. The body of the martyred president lay on a cat-
afalque erected on the speaker's rostrum in the Hall of
Representatives. An estimated 75,000 mourners filed
by in a constant stream from 9 p.m. on May 3 until 10
a.m. May 4 when Lincoln's body was removed to the
sound of minute guns and a 250-voice choir.
Stephen Douglas, Lincoln's perennial opponent, also
endowed the Old Capitol with some of its most historic
moments. He was elected to the U.S. Senate three times
by state legislatures meeting there. The Little Giant,
known for his small stature and prodigious intellect, was
only 34 years old the first time.
After his defeat in 1 860 and the start of the Civil
War, Douglas was asked by Lincoln to rally Illinois to
the side of the Union. On April 25, 1861 Douglas de-
livered perhaps his finest speech before a joint session
of the Illinois legislature in the Springfield Statehouse.
History records that Douglas' "Save The Union" plea
was met with tremendous applause.
The salvation of that shaky Union was to lie to a
great extent in the hands of a young colonel of the 21st
Illinois Regiment — Ulysses S. Grant.
Grant had gone to the Capitol in Springfield after
the outbreak of the War to plead for a small commission
and active duty in the Union army. At first he was ig-
nored and assigned to work as a clerk in the Illinois
adjutant general's office, but finally the command of the
rebellious 21st Illinois volunteers was offered.
Grant received his commission in the statehouse
and, after spending two months laying plans, emerged
from the south door of the building to take charge of his
troops, march them to Meredosia and embark them for
the South.
Within eight years the statehouse clerk became
President.
Other Civil War generals had served in the Illinois
legislature while it was meeting in the Old Capitol.
Among them were John A. Logan, Richard Oglesby and
'John McClernand.
The Old State Capitol also sent men to the nation's
service following the Civil War.
John Hay, who acted as secretary to Lincoln during
the statehouse-run 1860 campaign, later became secre-
tary of state under Presidents McKinley and Theodore
Roosevelt. Hay's diplomatic achievements include the
Panama Canal agreement and the "open door" policy in
China.
Newton Bateman, organizer of the public school
system of Illinois, began his career in the Capitol as
superintendent of public instruction. Bateman's seven
biennial reports have been translated into five languages.
Other distinguished legislators whose careers cen-
tered on the Springfield Statehouse include Sidney
Breese, Layman Trumbull, William A. Richardson and
John Logan.
Illinois governors who served in the Capitol were:
Thomas Carlin, Thomas Ford, Augustus C. French, Joel
A. Matteson, William Bissell. John Wood, Richard
Yates, Richard J. Oglesby, John Palmer and John L.
Beveridge.
The history of the Old State Capitol involves events
as well as men.
Three Constitutional Conventions were held — in
1848, 1862 and 1870. The great preamble to the consti-
tution, written by Judge Samuel Lockwood in 1847,
was adopted and rewritten into the document in Spring-
field in 1870.
That Constitution begins with Lockwood's words:
"We, the people of the State of Illinois — grateful to
Almighty CJod for the civil, political and religious liberty
which he hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking
to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and
transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations
... do ordain and establish this constitution for the State
of Illinois."
Lockwood's words which speak of a "civil, political
and religious liberty" looked in the 180O's to the Old
State Capitol for fulfillment. Today that Capitol and its
history is a pledge to us as well.
UNIVERSITY OF ILUNOIS-URBANA
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