Lincoln’s New Salem Village
New Salem is about eighteen miles north of Springfield and sits on a ridge line along the nearby banks of the Sangamon River under the canopy of a serine forest. Here is where a 21 year old Abraham Lincoln would find his footing in life and find work as a land surveyor, the postmaster general, and the part owner of a dry goods store. Explore the 1830s recreated village of log homes and workshops that sit on their original foundations. Discover Lincoln’s dry goods store and see his original surveying tools, even look into a mirror Lincoln saw his own reflection in. Hear about Lincoln’s young adult life, his law studies and his first run for political office that would shape his future one day as president. This tour is intensive Lincoln and sets the stage for the Springfield history of Lincoln.


Dates – Anytime I’m available
Time – 3 hour tour, mornings are best
Cost – $125, up to 6 people
Begins – Hotel pickup/dropoff
Payment – Cash, CC at tour time
Includes – transportation, tour guide, water, site is free
This tour is by arrangement only due to other tour schedules.
Call, text, or email to check availability
217-502-8687
garret@springfieldwalks.com

The 1908 Race Riot
The 1908 Race Riot – In August of 1908 Springfield was besieged by a three day race riot that left two neighborhoods burned, destroyed and smoldering for days. Over forty homes and businesses were destroyed, black citizens were forced to hide or flee town for their safety, and two black men were hung in the streets, perhaps a third. Other black men were found shot dead. On this 3-hour tour we’ll stop at each of the 8 historical markers where significant events took place, we’ll stop at the Badlands archaeological site of several “colored” owned homes that were burned and where the heaviest rioting took place. You’ll also view a number of historical photos of the riot in the aftermath. Learn the socio-economic and political genesis of the riot and how it unfolded and how it was ultimately put down. We’ll discuss the rioters, their confessions and how they got away with murder by sympathetic judges and juries and disappearing witnesses. And we’ll talk about the ongoing hardships black families faced post riot trying to put their lives back together. As time allows we can also visit the graves of the two martyred black men. However, as tragic as this riot was it did serve as the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. This tour is the only option for a complete history of the infamous riot.



Dates – Anytime I’m available
Time – Flexible, 2 – hour tour
Cost – $80, up to 6 people
Begins – Hotel pickup/dropoff
Payment – Cash, CC at tour time
This tour is by arrangement only due to other tour schedules
Call, text, or email to check availability
217-502-8687
garret@springfieldwalks.com
This tour contains graphic historical interpretation and photographs and may not be suitable for everyone. It is the intention of this tour to give accurate historical interpretation without political agenda or mincing words.
This is the only tour that offer the full experience. You’ll visit all of the sites where relative actions took place.
L’est we forget.
Oak Ridge Cemetery – This a 2-hour tour of the 2nd largest cemetery in Illinois and one of the most visited cemeteries in the nation brimming with history. Oak Ridge Cemetery is a classic example of a Victorian cemetery. Learn about Victorian burial customs, tombstone symbolism, and epitaphs of the dead. Visit the graves of Mary’s sisters, Lincoln’s law partners, and others woven into the fabric of the Lincoln history. There’s also the graves and histories of ten Civil War generals, thousands of soldiers, six Illinois governors, the civil rights history of the old colored section, and the plot of the friendless, and we’ll end the tour talking about one very naughty bishop!

Date: Anytime I’m available
Time: 2-hours
Cost: $80, up to 6 people
Begins: Hotel pick-up
This tour is by arrangement only due to other tour schedules
Call 217-5028687 or email garret@springfieldwalks.com to discuss availability and tour arrangements


