"Don't tou find, judging from
his picture, that his eyes are full of tears and that his lips are sad with a
secret sorrow?”
-“Lincoln’s Melancholy” by
Joshua Shenk
Years
ago, on my first trip to Graceland, I had occasion to visit the ladies room. As
I entered a stall I noticed writing scrawled on the interior of the door. A
message, in lipstick read,” Dear Elvis, I love you and miss you.” Th"De message
seemed heartfelt but I was amused by the idea that if Elvis returned he would
visit the ladies room.
With
the premiere of Spielberg’s movie Lincoln, detailing the final months of his
life, I have begun to wonder which places would he visit if he were to return.
Which places, events and individuals did he hold so dear that he would want one
more look to remind him of what happened there? Would they be places of triumph
or tragedy? Poet Vache Lindsay, author of “Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight”
and Springfield, Illinois native, felt he would have paced the streets of
Springfield, Illinois in contemplation of a world that had not sufficiently
learned the universal lessons to be taught by the Civil War.
I am
far less certain of the paths he would tread but I am sure it would be among
the places I have listed. All of the sites mentioned are also open to the less
“spectral” traveler and make an ideal mini-vacation or cross country trip.
The
sites are chronological, when possible and by location. Bear in mind that you
will be traveling by mundane means, car, foot, etc., so you will need more time
than Lincoln would to adequately visit the locations. Check online for days of
operation, opening and closings times and admission costs.
Abraham
Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in 1809 on the
Sinking Springs Farm in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Thomas had recently purchased
the 348-acre plot of land for $200.00 and erected a one-room log cabin
approximately 16 X 18-ft. The Lincoln’s moved from the farm in 1811.
In
1909, a cornerstone was laid for a monument to be designed by John Russell
Pope. A neoclassical structure was completed in 1911 and five years later was
designated a National Park. Fifty-six steps, one for each year of his life,
lead to a marble Greek temple that houses a replica of the birth home on the
site of the original.
Lincoln
said that his earliest memories were of his second home, 30-acre Knob Creek
Farm, a few miles from Sinking Spring. www.nps.gov/abli
Indiana’s
Pigeon Creek Farm lays claim to being the place where Lincoln’s values were
shaped and where he grew into manhood. The Lincoln Memorial National Monument
offers a 15-minute orientation film, museum exhibits, cabin site, five panels
interpreting Lincoln’s life, a living history farm and the gravesite of his
mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Nancy died in 1818 and in 1819 Thomas married Sarah
Bush. She brought to the home a number of books and a love of learning that she
shared with Abraham,www.nps.gov/libo
At
the age of 22, Lincoln moved to New Salem Village in Illinois, now a state
historic site, and lived there for six years. The years from 1831-37 seem to
have served as a test period. He tried out a number of occupations including
clerk, postmaster (1835) surveyor (1833), soldier (1833), and lawyer (1836).
The fully furnished reconstructions interpret the Lincoln years through use of
authentically clad docents and special programs. www.lincolnsnewsalem.com
On
April 15, 1837, Lincoln moved 20-miles to Springfield, Illinois and established
a law partnership with John Stuart. He was elected to the Illinois General
Assembly and practiced law as a Circuit Court Judge. In 1839 he met Mary Todd
and the next year they become engaged. In 1841 Lincoln broke the engagement but
in 1842 they continued the engagement and on November 4, 1842 Mary became Mrs.
Lincoln. Nine months later Robert Todd Lincoln was born.
www.visit-springfieldillinois.com
From
1847-49 Lincoln served in the US House of Representatives and lived in DC but
it is his second stay in Washington that is most remembered. On November 6,
1860 Lincoln was elected President of the US and on December 20th South
Carolina seceded from the Union. Lincoln departed for Washington on February
11, 1861, never to return alive. The Springfield years are a turning point in
Lincoln’s life.
The
only extant building in which Lincoln practiced law is the restored Lincoln
Herndon Law Offices located on the 3rd-floor of Tinsley’s Store across from the
State Capitol. Stephen Logan was his partner from 43-44 and Herndon was his
partner until 1852. A small visitor center on the ground floor presents an
orientation program and contains exhibits. Some architectural elements survive
including the banister. http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/lincoln_herndon
The
only home that Lincoln ever owned was purchased for $1,200 in 1844. The house,
originally quite small, was expanded in 1856. When they moved to Washington
they rented the house, fully expecting to return and resume their lives there.
Arrive early for the tour so you can walk through the neighborhood and view the
outdoor exhibits. www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm
The
Greek revival Old State Capitol State Historic Site is an exact replica of the
state capitol building that Lincoln would have known. In my opinion this is an
extremely significant location in his story. At this site he honed his legal
skills, appeared before the State Supreme Court, established his campaign
headquarters and it is here that his body was returned to lie in state on May
3rd and 4th in 1865 prior to his internment. Most importantly, in
Representatives Hall he rose and delivered his eloquent “House Divided’ speech
in Representatives Hall. www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/old_capitol
The
Great Western or Lincoln Depot is the station from which Lincoln bid farewell
to his friends and neighbors as he left for Washington in February of 1861. The
speech is hauntingly beautiful and almost elegiac. Visitors can hear an audio
version in the depot. www.nps.gov/liho/great-western-depot.htm
“Trusting
in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let
us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I
hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
The
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in 2004 but its history
dates from the 19th-century. The facility holds the world’s largest collection
of Lincoln related materials. This superb, state-of-the-art, interactive museum
provides visitors of all ages with a complete Lincoln experience from his
childhood to the grave. Life-sized models of the Lincoln family greet visitors
and provide a great photo op. This is an outstanding venue and you should set
aside a minimum of two hours for a visit. www.alplm.org
Lincoln
Douglas Square in Alton, Illinois was the scene in October 1858 of the last of
seven debates between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on the campaign trail
for the Illinois’ US Senate seat. Debates lasted three hours and drew large
crowds. Many believe that it was this series of debates that brought Lincoln to
the attention of the masses. Lincoln did not win the seat but two years later
became the 16th President. The site is now denoted with life-sized bronze
sculptures of the two men in debate poses. www.visitalton.com
Initially
the White House was referred to as the President’s House and it is not until it
was painted white to cover the signs of British attempts to burn it in 1814
that it received the name though it was not official until 1901. Every
president with the exception of Washington, though he selected the site, has
lived there. Of all the former residents legend has it that Lincoln’s ghost is
observed the most often. He is said to appear on the second floor.
It
should be noted that the Green Room was the scene of several séances held by
Mary Lincoln to communicate with her deceased son Willie. Tours of the first
floor are offered but tours of the Lincoln Bedroom are not. From the exterior
it is seen as the second and third windows on the east end of the second floor
It should be noted that during Lincoln’s tenure the area that is now the
Lincoln Bedroom was his office. www.whitehouse.gov
The
1842 President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldier’s Home is located atop a hill a
few miles from the White House. The cottage served as a summer retreat from the
oppressive conditions of DC and the family first visited in 1862 and returned
for the summers of 1862 and 63. Here Lincoln wrote the largest portion of the
Emancipation Proclamation. www.lincolncottage.org
Lincoln
loved the theater and on April 14, 1865, with Lee’s surrender, it was a
lighthearted Mary and Abraham who ascended the stairs to the Presidential Box
in the balcony. John Wilkes Booth entered the box and shot Lincoln in the head
with a .44 Derringer. Tours of the interior of Ford Theater and self-guided
tours of the museum on the lower level are available. www.nps.gov/foth
The
President was carried across the street to Peterson House where he expired at
7:22 AM the next morning. Self-guided tours of the boarding house include the
parlor in which Mary Lincoln kept a vigil and the bedroom where Lincoln died.
www.fordstheatre.org/home/performances-events/tours/petersen-house
Lincoln’s
Tomb in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery is the burial site of Abraham, Mary,
Todd, Tad and Eddie Lincoln. This magnificent tomb was designed by Larkin Mead
and received Lincoln’s body in 1871. The granite edifice is 72-ft. wide and
117-ft. tall. The interior is stunning with statues depicting pivotal points in
Lincoln’s life. Lincoln is interred in a vault beneath the floor while the
family rests in crypts placed in the south wall. This is the second most
visited cemetery in the country. www.lincolntomb.org
Congress
sanctioned the Lincoln Monument Association in 1867 but it took 47-years for
construction to begin and an additional eight, May 30, 1922, for it to be
dedicated. The Greek Parthenon-style white marble monument faces The Capitol.
The 36 Doric columns represent the 36 states in April of 1865 while a frieze
above enumerates the 48 states in 1922. The sculpture of a seated Lincoln was
carved by Daniel Chester French and is 19-ft by 19-ft and his hands form the
sign language symbols for A and L. His two most famous speeches are carved into
the walls, “The Gettysburg Address” and the “Second Inaugural Address” along
with two Jules Guerin murals.
Etched
above Lincoln’s head are the words, “In this temple, as in the hearts of the
people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined
forever.”www.nps.gov/linc
If
Abraham Lincoln does indeed walk at midnight where would he walk? I think,
well, it does not really matter what I think. Travel his path and decide for
yourself.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2012
