coln, headquarters of the Illinois National Guard, the Illinois State Military Museum is dedicated to the state’s military heritage, from pre-statehood days to today. While you’re there, take a close look at the target board used by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to test-fire the new Spencer rifle. Added in late 2007 is a realistic WWII scene depicting Illinois’ 132nd Infantry in combat on Guadalcanal in 1942. Also displayed is the artificial leg worn by Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana of Alamo infamy. Displayed outside are restored Vietnam War-era AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 “Huey” helicopters and an M60A-3 tank. Illinois State Military Museum, Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd., 217-761- 3910, www.il.ngb.army.mil/museum. Open 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

Illinois State Museum

The 200th birthday party continues for Abraham Lincoln with the exhibit From Humble Beginnings: Lincoln’s Illinois, 1830-1861, which runs till Jan. 10, 2010. Lincoln’s Illinois traces the changes in agriculture, industry and transportation that transformed Illinois from a frontier region to a powerful state through the eyes of our 16th president and citizens of the time. Continuing is Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments, compressing 500 million years of transformation into an exciting natural-history exhibition that you can explore in an afternoon, has amazed and delighted visitors of all ages since its unveiling in 2005. A gift shop offers educational toys, books, and handcrafted items made by Illinois artisans. See our full article on the Illinois State Museum elsewhere in this Visitor Guide.

Illinois State Museum, Spring and Edward Streets, 217-782-7387, www.museum.state.il.us.. Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Admission is free.

Museum of Funeral Customs Funeral customs dating back to ancient Egypt are featured in this most unusual museum, which combines historical artifacts with videos and guided tours. In addition to changing shows, the museum has permanent exhibits on embalming and preparation, the establishment of the funeral profession, funeral rites and mourning. Some rooms replicate historic vignettes, such as a 1870sera home funeral service and a 1920s preparation room. Not a drab experience in any way, the museum illuminates an oftenhidden part of many cultures and hosts a va riety

of events throughout the year. Open only to group tours, and only by appointment.

Museum of Funeral Customs, 1440 Monument Ave., 217-525-2000, www.funeralmuseum.org. The Pearson Museum

Located in the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, this teaching museum covers various aspects of healing, including pharmaceutical, surgical, dental and alternative medicine. Treatments through the centuries come to life in permanent and changing exhibits. Named for long-practicing Springfield physician Emmett Pearson, the museum features a dental exhibit, a complete homeopathic dispensary and an entire 1900 drugstore from Canton, Ill., with its many apothecary jars and vials. School groups and practicing physicians often visit the museum to hear lectures.

Pearson Museum, 801 N. Rutledge St., 217-545-4261. Open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tue. Tours by appointment. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

www.siumed.edu/medhum/pearson.

Shea’s Gas Station Museum

When Bill Shea returned home from World War II, he started working at his neighborhood filling station. When the owner died, Shea bought the station and relocated it 850 feet north, where he continued to sell gasoline until 1982. The Gas Station Museum is the result of Shea’s not throwing much away during those 60 years. Located on a part of City Route 66, the collection consists of thousands of oil cans, fuel pumps, a 1952 Airstream travel trailer and a restored 1984 Ward school bus, a museum in its own right.

In 2000 Shea moved another station office from Middletown, Ill., and restored it to its 1920s splendor. Perhaps in anticipation of a visit from Clark Kent, the station has acquired two old-time wooden telephone booths. Shea’s museum is a popular site on the national Route 66 tour. Shea’s Gas Station Museum, 2075 Peoria Rd., 217-522-0475

Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site

“Prairie troubadour” Vachel Lindsay captured the attention of audiences around the world during early 1900s. He was born on Nov. 10, 1879, and died on Dec. 5, 1931, and both events took place in the Lindsay family home, located at 603 S. Fifth St., across the street from the Illinois Executive Mansion.

Lindsay’s father, Thomas, was a physician; his mother, Catherine, was an artist and so-