For many years the grandest hotel in Lincoln's Springfield was the American House. When it opened in November 1838, an Ohio editor extolled the "Turkish splendor" of its interior, stating that the carpeting, papering, and furniture "weary the eye with magnificence." On winter evenings when Springfield was full of visitors attending the state legislature, the hotel housed popular Cotillion parties. A December 1840 guest recorded in her diary a scene from the "Ladies' Parlor" during a party:
"a number of the ladies carried bundles in their arms and were accompanied by maids. The bundles, which were a mystery to me, were deposited on the bed, where the mystery soon developed, for the bundles began to kick and squeal, as hungry babies will. The mothers, after performing their maternal duties, wrapped the infants up again and left them with many changes to nursemaids not to mix them up. The ladies were handsomely dressed, but not in the latest style. They wore handsome gowns of silk and satin, made with low necks and short sleeves."

Tradition holds that Lincoln escorted former president Martin Van Buren here in June 1842. Van Buren was a Democrat. Lincoln was a Whig. But Lincoln's renown for humor purportedly earned him an invitation to meet with Van Buren at the nearby village of Rochester. For one enjoyable evening, the future president is said to have entertained the former president with his wit and stories. The next day local citizens escorted Van Buren into the city. Here at the American House the former president received crowds of callers and enjoyed a party in his honor. Van Buren had been portrayed as something as a "dandy" by political opponents. Many in Springfield were surprised to find him "an open, frank, plainly dressed man."

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