A Tale of Two Houses

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Today we went back to Springfield to explore two very different houses.  One of the activities going on in Springfield this summer is Abe's Hat Hunt.

As you visit sites around the area, you look for a picture of Abe wearing a different color top hat and place the matching sticker in the book.  Once you have found all of the hats, there is some kind of prize.  So today we went off in search of some hats and that brought us to the first of our house tale. The Dana-Thomas House.  This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana.  This house is perhaps the best preserved and most complete of all early Wright "Prairie" houses.  It is always interesting to see one of his houses.  We visited "Falling Water" a couple of years ago and hope to see many more of his designs.  Unfortunately, we were unable to take any pictures inside, but we really enjoyed the tour.  The house is huge and very beautiful. It is filled with art glass and beautiful wood and stonework.

We next went to the Vachel Lindsay Home.  This house was built in 1848.  An early owner was C. M. Smith, whose wife, Ann was the sister of Mary Todd Lincoln.  In fact, Lincoln spent his last two days in Springfield here in this house.  This was the only home of Springfield native Vachel Lindsay, artist/poet.  He was born here in 1879 and died here in 1931.  I really did not know anything about him, but, the docent at the house was extremely informative and we had a wonderful tour and learned so much.

Travel writing desk.

Publications.

The bed he died in.

This mirror has seen many famous faces.  From the Lincolns,  the Lindsays, JFK, Carl Sandberg, two astronauts, singers, actors and us.