John McGivern’s Main Streets

- This capital city is the reason Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln.

– Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos.

It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream, or a treat of a different kind.

Or slow down and relax.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing.

You just gotta see Greendale!

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the local flavor!

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin.

Learn more at InWisconsin.com.

- How to get more out of your Wisconsin Dells vacation?

Ride more rides, slide more slides, bite off more than you can chew.

Have more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

That's more like it.

Wisconsin Dells: The Water Park Capital of the World!

WisDells.com.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way.

O&H Danish Bakery, where kringle traditions begin.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely to many Main Streets.

We are committed to remaining true to the Heiser way: Do what's right for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We are happy to help.

- Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

'Cause these are our main streets Something 'bout a hometown speaks to me There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here On these main streets - John McGivern: I am in Springfield, which is a population of about 115,000 people, making it the largest city in central Illinois.

The state government is anchored here, and with a population of about 13 million people in the state of Illinois, it keeps this capital city busy.

Springfield is smack dab in the middle of the state, 75 miles south of Peoria, and 95 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri.

Emmy, I'm gonna guess there is a reason you wanted me to meet you in this beautiful little Victorian neighborhood.

– Emmy Fink: I know you're a sucker for all these homes.

– John: I am.

– Emmy: You'd wanna see this, but this is also Abe Lincoln's neighborhood.

– John: Okay.

- Now, this is where his political career all got started.

So his family moved to Macon County, Illinois back in 1830.

The very next year, he wanted to move out on his own to a little town nearby, New Salem.

Well, less than 10 years later, he came back here to Springfield.

He had a successful law practice, and he was about to start the eight years in the Illinois House of Representatives.

– John: Was Springfield the capital back then?

- No; The capital was actually in Vandalia.

Got moved to Springfield in 1839. Who do you think we have to thank for that?

- I'm gonna have to guess Abraham Lincoln.

- He's so smart, isn't he?

Yes!

You know, you don't just pick up the phone and say, "Hello, I'd like to move the capital, please."

It was a really big effort by Lincoln and his associates.

And do you know what they were nicknamed?

They were called the Long Nine.

– John: Is that right?

- Because they were all over six feet.

Back then, people weren't tall.

- Right, yeah.

Look, Emmy, the door says A. Lincoln.

– Emmy: We have made it to the right house.

- I bet.

- Does your house say J. McGivern?

– John: It's gonna.

- So Abe, Mary Todd, and their kids, they lived in this home from 1844 to 1861.

– John: Yeah.

– Emmy: Do you think he actually played chess?

– John: It's like they just left to go visit a neighbor or something.

They only lived here for 17 years.

- Well, they had a pretty big move to make.

Remember, in 1861, they moved to the White House.

- Oh, sure.

And I wonder how much of this went to the White House with them?

Or is this original to the house?

– Emmy: In the house, there's 50 original artifacts.

- Is that right?

- Isn't that cool?

- Now, after Lincoln's assassination, their son Robert sold the home back to the state of Illinois.

But he had one condition, that the home always remain open to the public.

Today, it's a national historic site, and the best part is it's free to visit.

– John: Oh, we love that.

– Emmy: That's right.

Free historical fun.

This monument here in Oak Ridge Cemetery honors all Springfield Union Army veterans.

Have you ever heard of the name Elmer Ellsworth?

Well, he was a Springfield resident, and he was also the first Union officer to die in the Civil War when he was killed removing a Confederate flag from a rooftop hotel in Virginia.

He also was a good friend of Abe Lincoln's.

Abe used to call him the greatest little man he had ever met.

But you know, Abe was 6'5", so we'd all look little.

– John: How's it going?

– Christina Shutt: I mean, it's pretty awesome.

I get to, like, hang out with the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own hand.

I mean, how much cooler can you get than that?

– John: It's a remarkable museum.

And quality-wise, like a Smithsonian here.

- Oh, gosh, thank you so much.

Well, we're so proud to, you know, represent Lincoln's legacy.

- Yeah.

And also just represent Illinois history.

– John: And experience-wise, what should people not miss?

- I would say "Ghosts of the Library" is probably my favorite part.

– John: Yeah.

– Christina: I think that's what most visitors' part is, because the thing is, it talks about why we preserve historical things.

- I don't even wanna know how they do it.

The magic is remarkable.

- So the log cabin is an actual log cabin.

It was pieced together from three other log cabins.

– John: "Ladies of the Time."

– Christina: The story that we're really telling is how these women, when they didn't have the right to vote yet, are trying to navigate social and political power.

– John: Remarkable.

- This is the Whispering Gallery, and it's made to show that Abraham Lincoln wasn't as beloved back then as he is today.

So this is Abraham Lincoln reading his Emancipation Proclamation for the first time to his cabinet, but they're not really sure how this should be done.

- Yeah.

- So yeah, in here you see the Civil War in four minutes.

We highlight photographs of the Civil War.

So just seeing the difference in-- - John: Poor guy.

– Christina: In how the war and the death of his son have really aged him.

- That's why I never wanna be president.

- And then we quickly go through the last sort of term of Lincoln's presidency.

– John: Which brings you right there then.

- Right to Ford's Theatre.

John Wilkes Booth sneaks into the back of the theater, and he shoots Lincoln point-blank at the back of his head.

- Tragic.

So well done.

- You know, I'm really passionate about helping people and their communities to know their history.

When you understand your history, you have roots.

It helps ground you in who you are as a people and as a community.

– John: You should have your own TV show, you know that?

– Christina: You're sweet.

– John: You should.

[laughs] - This is Abe Lincoln's tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Now, after his assassination in 1865, Lincoln's coffin made a three-week journey across the country before coming back here to Springfield.

And then, poor Abe.

Between reconstruction work on the tomb and attempted thefts, his coffin was moved 17 times and opened 5 times.

At that point, his son, Robert, finally insisted that his dad be buried 10 feet under concrete so he could finally rest in peace.

And I have to say, this is absolutely beautiful.

All right, his nose, it's shiny because it's good luck to rub his nose.

[light music] - You're on the board of directors at the African American History Museum.

– Kathryn Harris: Yes; it started as a foundation first.

– John: Okay.

– Kathryn: To capture the family stories of some of the oldest African American families in Springfield.

– John: Nice.

– Kathryn: And it just kind of morphed into the museum.

- And what we heard about you is that you have a huge collection of soul food cookbooks.

– Kathryn: That is correct.

– John: You have all that?

– Kathryn: I have all of that.

Most of them are at the museum.

– John: Oh, they are?

– Kathryn: However, I still have some here.

– John: You do?

- Which are not included in the exhibit because they're there and these are here.

- Were you raised on soul food?

- Of course.

- It's good food.

- It is.

And if you think of what, like, the greens and the beans, it's like, none of it's bad for you really.

- Oh, no.

- It's good for you.

Except for the butter.

- For the butter.

Except for the butter.

[John laughs] But it's not good if you don't have the butter.

– John: I heard that we're gonna experience a little spoon bread here in your kitchen.

- That is correct 'cause it's truly a Southern dish.

- It is.

– Kathryn: That's my favorite recipe in the whole thing.

– John: "Mom Sampson's."

- Okay, I have to boil the water.

- Okay.

- Cornmeal, one cup yellow corn.

– John: Yellow cornmeal.

Is there a balloon in here?

[kettle whistles] - Okay, so slowly add the cornmeal to the boiling water.

I put sugar in mine.

And then salt.

[mixer whirs] Oh, this says three tablespoons of butter.

But I use four.

[both laugh] And then I need milk.

Would you like to break an egg instead of break a leg?

Now wasn't that the simplest thing you ever saw?

– John: Completely.

– Kathryn: Okay, putting it in the oven.

- I didn't really need this apron.

- No, because you didn't-- - Do anything.

Is that what you were gonna say?

[Kathryn laughs] You better stop.

This is not TV food; this is real food.

[Kathryn laughs] That's yours.

- And then you have to have more butter.

– John: Yes, ma'am.

– Kathryn: It's hot, but I hope it's rich with flavor.

[bowls clinking] - To you.

Thank you so much.

I need a nap.

[Kathryn laughs] I am at the Old State Capitol building.

This is where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous "House Divided" speech, and announced his run for president in 1858.

Do you know what other American president announced his candidacy right here?

[playful music] - That president was Barack Obama.

On February 10, 2007, he kicked off his presidential run right here at the Old State Capitol.

He described Springfield as the crossroads of America.

Now this is a place of history.

- We're coming down the grand staircase of the state capitol of Illinois here in Springfield.

Remarkable; I wish this was my house, yeah.

– David Joens: The building began in 1868.

The Civil War is over.

Okay, before the Civil War, Illinois was a frontier state.

I mean, we were just, we were the boonies.

But the Civil War made us.

We had the winning president.

We had the winning general.

We gave 285,000 troops, so we wanted something that we reflected our greatness.

Here, the best artwork in the building is underneath the dome.

That's a bas relief.

It's the history of Illinois 'til 1858.

A couple of questions that we get here a lot is did Lincoln ever serve here?

Well, of course he did not.

That said, Barack Obama did.

So we have had a president who served, and he served eight years in this building.

- So Dave tells me the best shot of looking at the dome is standing right here in front of Illinois, welcoming the world in between her arms.

And there it is.

You know, it's the highest dome of any capitol in the entire country, so let's talk to the person who maintains the flag on top of this dome.

You're the one who takes care of the flag.

– Toni Mishler: Well, there's six of us.

- And you really take care of the building, don't you?

- We do; we do.

- Yeah.

But there is six of us that maintain the flag.

- How many steps?

- Roughly 692.

– John: Have a good time.

[Toni laughs] And the first time you did it?

– Toni: I went up with three coworkers, and I didn't know if I was gonna be able to do it.

– John: Really?

– Toni: I wouldn't exactly say I'm good with heights.

– John: Yeah.

– Toni: There's a free-floating staircase above this dome, and it will move.

As we were climbing to the top, my knees were knocking pretty hard.

– John: Were they?

– Toni: Yes, they were.

– John: What's that I hear?

– Toni: Correct, yeah.

Once you get to the top, you actually have a lot of drive because there is a purpose of why you go up there, you know?

– John: Oh, you do it in the winter too?

– Toni: We do it no matter what.

Rain, snow, sleet, hail, whatever; it don't matter.

If it needs changed, it needs changed.

And to be able to maintain the flag is an extreme honor.

There's almost 12 million in this state, and there's six of us that get this opportunity, you know?

– John: You're one of the six.

– Toni: We're one of the few.

- Besides Abe Lincoln, Route 66 had the second greatest cultural influence on Springfield.

I am at the Route 66 Experience here at Illinois State Fairgrounds, where you can experience the sights and the sounds and the signs of Route 66.

– Todd Bringuet: This is our work, yeah.

In fact, the A. Lincoln sign that you see over there, that was one that my great-grandfather had produced back in the day.

Beautiful, beautiful sign.

- So six generations, your family's been doing this.

- Yep, carriage decoration.

And that turned into signage, and turned into billboards, and family's continued to evolve with that.

We produce all types of signs.

In today's world, we've got a lot of vinyl materials, where here they're doing-- - John: Is this what they're doing?

– Todd: Emergency management vehicle.

We've done boats; we did airplane graphics.

We've had a couple caskets we've even wrapped before, to give you some idea.

So this is one of the original neon charts.

So there's actually two gases used in neon production.

Neon, when electrified, burns red, and argon, when electrified, burns blue.

So those are kind of, those are the two base elements that are making up a lot of what we call neon.

– Cory Boatman: Neon has been around for over a hundred years.

And it is a process of heating up glass tubing to the proper bending point.

Electricity is gonna be traveling through this tube, and it needs to travel freely and as little restriction as possible.

- And if you leave it in there too long, will it just break?

- Yes, sir.

Well, it'll just basically melt into goo.

- Into goo?

- Yep.

Oh, wow; that was a good one, wasn't it?

– Cory: We'll keep it.

– John: Okay.

Is the art different now?

– Cory: Safety protections have come into play.

The look, largely, very much so the same.

– John: I don't know; I think that looks good.

– Cory: That looks good.

– John: Yeah.

- So there's a-- - There's your E. There's your E. You wanna try, John?

- Sure.

And as you're holding it, you're gonna have your hands kind of centered in the, so your hands are gonna be kind of close to the fire.

– John: And you keep it turning, yes?

– Cory: Yep.

- Oh, here we go.

- Great.

Oh, look at that; wow.

- Yep, yep, good.

- Yeah, it's collapsing or something.

- Yep, it's just wanting to flop a little bit.

Yeah, now go ahead and heat that side and start to let your hands come up together, kind of the shape of the bend.

Very nice.

That's really good.

– John: I'm so hot.

– Cory: Yes, yes.

- I don't really want a job.

- Yeah, I don't either.

[both laugh] I was born into it; I didn't have a choice.

- It's your life.

– Cory: Yeah, neon will never be replaced.

– John: Yeah.

– Cory: It's just too brilliant, and it just puts out a beautiful glow.

– John: There's a lot to it, all of it by hand, yes?

– Cory: All of it by hand, yep.

It's a true art.

- Yeah.

This is Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop.

It's been here since 1924.

So they're famous for two things, homemade root beer and loose meat sandwiches.

It claims to have the first drive-through window in the country, so if you don't believe that I'm gonna get into that crew van and drive to the first drive-through window in the country and find out what a loose meat sandwich is, you've really never watched the show before, have you?

Loose meat!

- Yes, sir.

- What is it?

- So it's basically just a bunch of hamburger.

We smash it up, make it almost like a sloppy joe meat, but without the sauce.

– John: And you put it on a bun then?

– Server: Yep, we put it on a steamed bun with mustard, pickle, and onion.

And you can get it any way you like it.

Whether with cheese, without cheese.

- Sounds delicious.

- Yeah; the root beer here is homemade, so we get our sassafras syrups-- - Nobody's ever said sassafras to me ever.

- Nobody?

- Never!

- You know what?

It always tastes better in a frosty mug like that.

- Look at that!

- One Maid-Rite sandwich, and here is your root beer to go.

- Oh, good; this is exciting.

Thank you so much.

Can't wait!

- Have a good one.

- Bye-bye.

That's good!

- Now, if I told you that the Springfield High School mascot was a historical politician, you'd probably assume that it was Abe Lincoln, right?

Well, come on.

You know what they say about people who assume.

No, the high school mascot is Solon, a Greek statesman who helped to lay the foundation for Athenian democracy.

And I gotta say, this guy's 2,600 years old.

Doesn't he look amazing?

Come on, tell me your secret.

I know you're not supposed to talk, but come on.

Gimme something.

- Hey, I know that guy.

No, it's not Abe Lincoln.

That's Fritz.

It's good to see you.

Thanks for letting us back here.

– Fritz: I'm glad you came.

- Oh, thanks.

This is what you do.

– Fritz: I have done this full-time since 1980.

- Somebody hired you, cast you as Lincoln in a play or a...?

- It was for, no, a civic event in a little village in Hawaii called Kailua-Kona.

- Okay.

- I knew nothing about Lincoln, so I had, I was starting at ground zero, so to speak.

When the national bicentennial came along, I was asked to take a role as Lincoln.

I didn't think it was gonna last these many years.

47 years.

– John: This is what you do.

- I have done this full-time since 1980.

I was 28 when I started.

- Yeah.

- They tell us history is simply a philosophy.

- Breadth of knowledge, breadth of speeches, like, how much do you have to know to... [laughs] I love your face, Fritz.

That was the best, just saying.

- I could probably recite nonstop for a couple, three hours.

- You could?

- I probably could.

- Yeah, yeah.

– Fritz: But I've studied this man for so many years.

I know him probably better than any other human being alive.

– John: Wow.

– Fritz: Eventually, Springfield decided, "We ought to hire him," and so they finally did.

So it's been about 14 years now that we've been doing this citywide program.

Nobody yet has told me I look too old.

- They haven't?

- They've stopped telling me I look too young.

- Oh good, good.

So did you move here because this is really the place to be?

– Fritz: I wanted to get somewhere where there was Lincoln tourism, and so I checked out a number of the well-known Lincoln sites around the country.

I've raised my family here.

- Yeah.

I've lived here for, gosh, 42 years.

– John: So it's home?

– Fritz: It is home.

Now I'm kind of the town mascot.

[John and Fritz laugh] - Route 66 went right through Springfield until it was decommissioned in 1985.

I'm walking along a section that went right past the capitol.

Do you know what two cities were the beginning and the end point of Route 66?

[playful music] - I've gotta be honest.

Before this episode, my only Route 66 knowledge came from the movie Cars.

You know, Lightning McQueen?

Well, Route 66 is about 2,500 miles and it goes across the western half of the country from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Well, this brickwork, it was done in 1931.

But then guess what?

Some really bad timing.

Someone decided to divert the highway a little bit farther east through the city of Litchfield, which left this unused.

It makes sense why it's in perfect condition.

It's unreal!

- I'm so glad we're on Route 66, and an important place obviously.

– Emmy: Oh, did you see the sign outside?

– John: Exactly.

– Emmy: This place must have a story.

It has such a good sign.

– John: Yeah.

It's the original Corn Dog on a Stick.

– John: Corn Dog on a Stick.

- All right, Josh, tell me the story.

It was your grandpa Ed that really had this whole idea in college to start this.

– Josh Waldmire: He saw a corn dog being baked in an oven and it took a long time.

And he came up with an idea that there's surely gotta be a quicker way to do it.

– Emmy: Right.

- What we have here is the Cozy Dog rack that my grandfather came up with.

So he talked to his friend's father who owned a bakery and asked him if he could come up with a batter that might stick to a hot dog that could go into cooking oil.

– Emmy: Genius.

– Josh: Go down in the batter.

You wiggle 'em around, get 'em good and coated.

My grandfather actually forgot about the whole thing.

– Emmy: Oh, no way!

– Josh: Yes, and a couple years later, his friend's father called my grandfather Ed and was like, "Hey, I got something I want you to try."

– Emmy: Yeah.

– Josh: Trial and error, get the spices and the flavor and everything correct.

– Emmy: Right.

– Josh: And that's how the Cozy Dog was born.

And in about four to five minutes, they'll come out golden brown.

- I mean, your grandpa really decided, "It needs a stick.

We're gonna take this thing mobile."

- One of his sayings was, "Cozy Dogs are a lot of fun and you can eat 'em on the run."

They came up with the logo with the two hot dogs kind of in an embrace, holding each other lovingly, and so that's kind of how the name Cozy came up, 'cause they were just cozying up to each other.

- I love it.

All right, where's my corn dogs, Josh?

– Josh: Coming up right here.

Fresh right out of the fryer.

- Now wait, you forgot my fries.

- Emmy, I got you.

- All right.

That's perfect.

John is gonna love this.

- What is this?

- White cheese sauce that they make right here.

- Okay.

Ooh, cheese.

- Ooh.

Oh, it's a commitment.

- Go.

- Go.

- Mm, the cheese sauce!

- Can I double dip?

- Yes.

- I'm double dipping.

- That's so good.

– Producer: The shot of the dogs.

[John laughs] - That is the Illinois governor's mansion.

It was built in 1855, making it the third oldest governor's residence in the entire country.

It has 16 rooms, including a seven-room private apartment for the governor, his wife, and his kids.

Yeah, so 16 rooms, 7 rooms for the governor.

I've done the math.

I think there is room for a TV host and his crew exploring and experiencing Springfield.

Yeah.

Governor?

It's John McGivern!

And the crew!

Oh, he's so happy.

– Karen Conn: So we were approached by Springfield Clinic here in Springfield, Illinois to help save a Lincoln-era home that Isaac Lindsey owned.

So we felt it was important to preserve that building.

And so that's why we took on the monstrous job of moving it six blocks to its current location.

– Court Conn: So I look at these old buildings and I'm like, I just, there's something about it that just, it speaks to me loudly.

- I wish more people would demand preservation of their historic buildings.

If you don't preserve your past, you'll never appreciate your future.

- This building was full of antiques, and they all sold at auction.

- 1976.

- Yeah, on May the 16th.

- Yeah.

- So it was important for Court and I to take the mission of preserving these historic properties because a lot of 'em also had stories to tell, the history of predominant families.

– John: They all do.

– Karen: Those are the people that created Springfield.

That's why Springfield is what it is.

– John: Yeah.

– Karen: And so.

– Court: We just found things and we try to utilize 'em.

- You need to be applauded though for your preserving history.

So we're talking about the horseshoe sandwich.

– Karen: Yeah.

- Which I am old and I've never heard of this sandwich, just so you know.

So it's Springfield-centric?

– Court: 1928.

The sandwich is Springfield, and I don't see it anywhere else.

– John: Yeah, never heard of it.

- No.

– John: Never heard of it anywhere.

- No.

- It's gonna be two pieces of toast, two pieces of meat, topped with a bunch of fries, smothered in cheese.

- It sounds fine to me.

Just so you know.

And is there a horseshoe that goes out of that kitchen every day?

- Oh, absolutely.

- Oh, yeah, okay.

- Absolutely.

- We see quite a few every day.

- Hi, kitchen.

How are you?

– Court: Making cheese sauce here.

– John: Nice.

– Court: Two big pots of it for today.

- So are you gonna show us how to do a horseshoe?

- Yes, sir.

- Oh, good; so what are you making right there?

- These are the hamburgers for the horseshoes.

- Okay.

- Already have the bread coming out for you in a second.

– John: Two Texas toast.

That's beef on the Texas toast.

– Chef: Now we take it over here.

– John: That's creamy looking.

It's a lot of cheese.

- Yes, sir.

– Karen: That is a typical Springfieldian horseshoe.

– John: That's almost ridiculous.

Here we have it.

This is the horseshoe sandwich.

Obed and Isaac's horseshoe sandwich.

They said I have to.

I think I got everything on there.

Karen, do I have everything on there?

- Two thumbs up on that one.

- Here we go.

- I don't think I can finish it.

Delicious.

You guys were great.

[upbeat music] Emmy, I find it inspiring that Abraham Lincoln's legacy is such a part of the culture of Springfield today.

- Oh, and you feel it, don't you?

- Yeah, you do.

- Do you think you'll ever have that much of an impact on one place?

- Hopefully not, because I don't want them to have to move my coffin 17 times.

Emmy, when I'm gone, tell 'em, "Just leave him alone."

There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community Here we go.

- Dab it.

One, two, three.

Route sit-- Mm, it's hard to say.

- To the state of Illinois.

[phone rings] - Whose phone is that?

- Hello?

John's phone.

- I'm starting diminishing returns right now.

Here we go.

[Emmy laughs] That was good, for me.

– Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos.

It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream, or a treat of a different kind.

Or slow down and relax.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing.

You just gotta see Greendale!

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the local flavor!

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin.

Learn more at InWisconsin.com.

- How to get more out of your Wisconsin Dells vacation?

Ride more rides, slide more slides, bite off more than you can chew.

Have more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

That's more like it.

Wisconsin Dells: The Water Park Capital of the World!

WisDells.com.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way.

O&H Danish Bakery, where kringle traditions begin.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely to many Main Streets.

We are committed to remaining true to the Heiser way: Do what's right for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We are happy to help.

- Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Who do I have to talk to to get in here?