Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site

What it is

What survives is part of the Tinsley Block, a brick office building put up in 1840 and 1841 by developer Seth M. Tinsley. He built it to rent space to lawyers and other professionals drawn to Springfield after it became the state capital. Now restored, the office is a state historic site run by the state's Historic Preservation Agency. It also counts as a contributing building in the Central Springfield Historic District.

A bit of history

The legislature voted in late 1839 to shift the capital from Vandalia to Springfield, and a new limestone state house, today's Old State Capitol, went up on the lot just north. That made the Tinsley Block prime office space. In 1843 Lincoln and his law partner Stephen T. Logan moved into an office on the third floor. The Illinois Supreme Court, where they often argued cases, met across the street in the capitol, and the federal district court rented rooms one floor below them.

Logan and Lincoln split in 1844. Lincoln stayed on and brought in William H. Herndon, a younger attorney, as junior partner, and the two practiced from this office until around 1852, the last stretch of their years in the Tinsley Block.

Visiting tips

Allow about an hour. The building is listed as wheelchair accessible; check the state's historic site page for tour times. The Old State Capitol is about 0.1 mile away, and the Central Springfield Historic District surrounds it, so plan on walking rather than driving between sites.