Old State Capitol State Historic Site
The 1839 capitol’s recreated legislative rooms frame Lincoln’s House Divided speech, legal career, and the rough mechanics of antebellum Illinois government.
Artwork inspired by Lorado Taft
Illinois dismantled this Greek Revival capitol in the 1960s and reconstructed it stone by stone at a higher elevation, so authenticity here is partly architectural argument. Inside, restored chambers and offices explain the political setting where Lincoln served, tried cases, delivered the House Divided speech, and lay in state after assassination.
Use the building to study legislative procedure and public access, not only Lincoln. Desks, galleries, committee spaces, heating, and acoustics reveal how politics actually worked. The surrounding pedestrian plaza erased the earlier street context, while nearby law offices and the modern statehouse help visitors compare three different ways Springfield presents civic authority.
- Built
- 1837–1840
- Reconstructed
- 1960s
- Lincoln moment
- House Divided speech
Quick guide
- Name what is original
- Ask staff which stone, furnishing, finish, and room arrangement survive or were reconstructed.
- Sit with procedure
- Use the House and Senate chambers to imagine debate, spectators, sound, and the limits of nineteenth-century participation.
How to make Old State Capitol State Historic Site count
- Name what is original
- Ask staff which stone, furnishing, finish, and room arrangement survive or were reconstructed.
- Sit with procedure
- Use the House and Senate chambers to imagine debate, spectators, sound, and the limits of nineteenth-century participation.
- Look beyond Lincoln
- Find evidence of legislators, clerks, attorneys, petitioners, and excluded residents who made state politics.
- Compare capitols
- Walk toward the current statehouse to see how scale and symbolism changed after 1876.
Good to know
Open Tuesday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday–Monday from 1–5 p.m. Use metered street spaces or nearby paid downtown garages. The underground garage beneath the plaza is separately operated and event demand varies.
Notice these
- Recreated House chamber
- House Divided setting
- Greek Revival exterior