Near the geographical center of the state, Springfield, the capital of Illinois, is surrounded by rich farmland underlaid with veins of coal, which were, at one time, intensively mined. The city has the grace of a Southern capital; the economic stability of an educational, professional, and service-oriented center; and the fame of having been Abraham Lincoln's home for a quarter of a century.

Illinois had already become a state when Elisha Kelly came to the area from North Carolina. Impressed by fertile land and plentiful game, he later returned and settled here with his father and four brothers. A small community formed around the Kelly cabin. When Sangamon County was created in 1821, Springfield was selected as the seat and named for a nearby spring located on Kelly land. On February 25, 1837, as a result of a campaign led by Lincoln, Springfield—then a town of 1,500—was proclaimed the state capital. In April of that year, Lincoln moved to Springfield from New Salem. He practiced law, married, and raised his family in the new capital. On February 11, 1861, Lincoln made his famous farewell address when he left to become president. In May of 1865, Lincoln's body was returned to Springfield to be buried in the city's Oak Ridge Cemetery.