Edwards Place Historic Home

The parlors were used only for company. They were furnished with the best and most expensive wallpaper, carpeting, and furniture. Having a double parlor was a status symbol in mid-19th century America; this is a lot of real estate to furnish and devote only to entertaining, especially in a town like Springfield. Analysis of surface treatments indicates that these rooms were always decorated the same, indicating that they were used as a double parlor. A set of folding doors used to separate the two rooms, but those have long since disappeared and the doorway expanded.

​

This was one of the social centers of mid-19th century Springfield, where all the prominent people of the day, such as Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John Stuart, Stephen Logan, and David Davis gathered. Similar to today, the high social season was when the state legislature was in session. Politicians would flock to Springfield, and prominent families with space to entertain would take turns hosting parties - often every night of the week, sometimes two or three per night. These were large affairs, with hundreds of people being invited and people stuffed in shoulder to shoulder. Guests would arrive around 8 PM and stay until past midnight. Abraham Lincoln was frequently a guest at these parties, and the Edwards' were guests at the Lincolns' parties. Stories say that Lincoln would often be found in one corner of the room, entertaining the men with his stories and talk of politics, while the women would be on the other side, tapping their feet and wanting their dates returned to them.