Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Lincoln's Town

Three hours drive from Chicago, and we were in Lincoln's adopted home town and his final resting place : Springfield, Illinois.

First stop was Lincoln's Tomb where the remains of Lincoln, his wife and two sons are buried. Unbelievable that Abraham Lincoln's remains have been moved at least 17 times thanks to the fear of Grave robbers holding his remains for ransom. Now Lincoln rests under an immense concrete structure securely. Was listening to the audio version of James L Swanson's book Manhunt : The twelve day hunt for Lincoln's killer while on the road. Then Secretary of War Edwin M Stanton made elaborate arrangements to ensure that John Wilkies Booth's body is buried in a secret location and ensure that his remains does not get in the hands of Anti-Lincoln / Anti-Union activists and end up becoming a 'holy relic'.

Right outside the Cemetary is a smallish but intriguing Museum of Funeral Customs; it had enough interesting details about the progresses in the funereal business to occupy half an hour of our time. The museum's by-line is Death is only the Beginning! Never really had given thought to what goes into the business of death, and how it would have evolved over the years. One section of the museum highlights a few of the people in this business who have lead to significant improvements. While they may not be house-hold names, I am sure they did earn respect from their colleagues during and after their lifetimes.

The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is an impressive monument to arguably the most inspirational American President ever. The museum is organized in such a way as to get the visitors intimate with the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Key incidents in Lincoln's life are related along with details on the impact of Slavery and Civil war. Next time, I am in Washington, DC., I definitely want to visit Fords Theater and Peterson House where Lincoln was shot and died respectively. Got quite a few books and memorabilia in the Gift shop after touring the Museum.

Too bad everything shuts down in Springfield by 5:00 PM; we would have welcomed the opportunity to spend more time at the Museum, and even the Lincoln home.

Drove down I-55 and arrived in St. Louis by late evening; got to see The Arch in bright sun-light.

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