What’s up everybody?
Well we have reached the final leg of our Lincoln Historic Site tour. I find it fitting that the end of our journey takes us to the final resting place for Lincoln. Our trip was a lot simpler than that of Lincolns. The train , dub “The Lincoln Special”, left Washington D.C. on April 21 1865 on its way to his home town of Springfield, Illinois about a 1654 mile trek. The train was scheduled to stop in 180 cites in 7 states. At each stop, they would place Lincolns coffin into a horse drawn hearse. Followed by a procession of mourners, the hearse would travel to a public building and the coffin would be place for viewing. Thousands would pay their respects to the fallen President. A newspaper reported that some people had wait for more than 5 hours just to pass by Lincolns coffin. This to me shows just how loved he was as a President.
The final stop of his long and tedious journey was the Lincoln Tomb, which was still under construction at the time. Lincolns remains as well as Williams, Lincolns third son who died of typhoid fever in 1862, were placed in a temporary tomb while the the main structure was being completed. It was actually Thomas Lincoln, Abe’s four child, that would be the first to be laid to rest in the tomb. Followed shortly by his father and two older brothers. Mary Todd would also by place to rest there after her passing in 1882. Robert, Lincolns oldest and last remaining son, would not be buried there. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery as requested by his wife.
The Lincoln Tomb is located in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. It had never occurred to me that the tomb would actually be in a cemetery. For some reason that possibility never crossed my mind. I guess I pictured it out in a field, or something like that, stand all serene and regal. It was definitely a surprise to me, an interesting and unexpected surprise. The tomb was designed by Larkin Mead. Construction began in 1868 and was dedicated in 1874. Since then it has gone through two reconstruction, due to poor craftsmanship.
The tomb itself is constructed from brick with a sheath of Quincy granite. The base is 72 ft squared. Two sets of double staircases, on the North and South sides, lead up to the upper terrace. There a massive 117 ft tall obelisk juts towards the sky. On the four corner of the obelisk sits four large pedestals. Each containing bronze statues that represent the four military branch of the Civil War: Infantry, Artillery, Calvary, and Navy. Statues of Lincoln can be found on the front and back of the building. It is a truly impressive structure to behold.
At ground level there is a bronze bust of Lincoln. It was modeled after the marble bust of Lincoln found in Washington D.C. created by Gutzon Borglum. It is said that if you rub the nose it will bring you good luck. Now poor Mister Lincolns nose is all polished and shiny from the millions of visitors. You know what the say “When in Rome do as the Romans do”, so like all the other fools we step up and rubbed his nose. Hey! a little luck can’t hurt. Right?
We entered into the south door, which opens into a small rotunda with a statue of Lincoln that resembles that of the Lincoln Memorial. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have never been in a tomb or mausoleum before. It is eerily silent inside with a slight creepiness about it. Even the two greeters had a weirdness about them. Sorry guys, I mean no offense. Off of the rotunda a set of hallways lead you to burial chamber. On the South side of the chamber lies the resting place of the Lincoln Family, Mary Todd and 3 of the sons. On the North side of the chamber sits a massive granite cenotaph. You don’t know what a cenotaph is? Well neither did I, so I looked it up. According to my dictionary app, it is a tomblike monument to someone buried elsewhere. Originally Lincolns remains were place in a marble sarcophagus, but a failed robbery of his body changed that. Upon the request of Robert, they placed Lincoln 10 ft below the chamber floor and placed the cenotaph above him. The cenotaph is surrounded by flags. The flags on the left represent the states that Lincolns ancestors lived: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. On the right the flag of the President of the U.S and the flags of the states that Lincoln lived: Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. In the center is Old Glory with the inscription above it that reads “Now He Belongs To The Ages”.
We have finally come to the end of our Lincoln journey. It was a very interesting and inspiring trip for us. Before we went to Springfield, I thought that I knew quite a bit about Lincoln. This trip definitely proved that there was still a lot to learn about him. Lincoln has become an American Icon and that might be part of the problem. We tend to focus on the great things that he did while he was the President and forget the things that made him great. From humblest of beginnings would rise one of the greatest American Presidents. There is a lot we can learn from his example and I hope we take them to heart.
That is all for now. Until next time. Thanks for stopping by.
Josh
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