Governor's Reception Room

Following Abraham Lincoln's 1860 presidential nomination, crowds of well-wishers and office-seekers poured into Springfield to see him. Neither his law office or home could accommodate them, so he arranged to receive them in the governor's reception room.

Here he also posed for artists and met visitors such as Francis Blair, Jr., Edward Bates, Simon Cameron, Thurlow Weed, and David Wilmot. The room featured a large chandelier such as the period-correct one shown. The chain in the corner is a replica of a gift to Lincoln; the original had been carved from a single piece of wood.

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