Illinois was admitted to the union on December 3, 1818. For the first two years of Illinois's statehood, its capitol was located in Kaskaskia, a small town on the Mississippi River. Vandalia was home to three capitol buildings during its 19-year tenure as the second capital city. In 1837, a group of legislators, led by Abraham Lincoln and referred to as the Long Nine, campaigned to make Springfield the capital city. The Long Nine's goal was met in...