In the early 60’s Don visited the Ford Theater Museum in Washington, DC, and saw a bronze casting of Lincoln’s clasped hands. He has been looking for them ever since. He hopes to find them at the Springfield Museum.
This museum was built only a couple years ago and is state of the art. It was a beautiful building inside and out with great exhibits throughout.
Directly across the street from the museum, sat the Lincoln Library and Research Center, part of the same complex.
At the museum, one enters a large circular “Plaza” area. There are entrances to the various movies and displays. As usual photographs were prohibited except in the Plaza area. All was not lost as there are a few things to photograph here.
There was, of course, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln…
…and a full-sized cabin, representing the cabin that was home to a young Abe Lincoln.
In front of the cabin was a life-sized Abe as a youth with his favorite book, Aesop’s Fables.
Inside was a fully furnished cabin with young Abe reading by the fire, his dog snoozing at his feet.
It was at this point that I received a tap on the shoulder and a security guard telling me that I couldn’t take pictures. Not again! I had not realized that walking inside the cabin was being inside an exhibit. Several more steps and I would have been able to see the “No Photos” sign. Oh, well, I got this one.
There were many of these life-sized and very real looking figures of Lincoln, his family members and other figures important to the Lincoln history. They reminded me of wax figures, but I don’t know what they were made of. But they were very realistic.
In the center of the Plaza was the First Family.
The Lincoln’s had four children. One died quite young and so is not in this picture. The other two younger boys here also passed away from disease, one while they were in the White House.
Mary Lincoln lost three of her four children and then her husband. She suffered from severe depression and after Lincoln’s death her oldest son had to have her declared insane.
During the time of Lincoln’s Presidency, there was much conflict and criticism of Lincoln’s stand on slavery. The attacks on him were relentless and brutal. Many thousands of young men were lost in the Civil War and that took a great toll on the President. In many ways it was a sad life for this family.
After we left the Museum, we went out to Lincoln’s Tomb in the local cemetery.
The Lincoln Tomb is an imposing structure and you can see it even before you enter the cemetery. This is a special resting place for our most beloved President.
Several large bronze statues are on the outside of the tomb.
Out in front of the tomb structure is a large bronze of Lincoln’s face.
Many people have reached up and touched his nose, wearing it smooth and shiny.
Stepping inside, you are faced with the iconic bronze statue of the seated Lincoln. Then you follow a marble-lined hallway past several more small bronze statues and finally arrive at the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln and his family.
It is a rather moving experience to see the honor given to this President in his death.
No luck on the hands.
Next stop, Kentucky….. Maybe??
No comments:
Post a Comment