Today, as is often the case, the city has expanded to envelope the massive cemetery. Oak Ridge Cemetery was not the country's first choice of resting places for our 16th president. It was out of the way, away from "urban" Springfield, Illinois. But Mrs. Lincoln insisted. After a well-traveled funeral train toured Lincoln's body across many miles (along with the body of one of his sons), the horse-drawn hearse carried them to Oak Ridge. | |
Once ready, Lincoln's casket was placed into the sarcophagus in the official tomb. Soon, a gang of counterfeiters made an attempt to steal the body with plans to hold it for ransom.
And the intriguing story unfolds. Lincoln's casket (and his son's) was moved to the basement of the memorial, where the caretaker set it on pieces of wood and covered it with more wood. Everyone believed the president remained inside the visible sarcophagus upstairs. After more time, a society of concerned citizens buried the casket more securely in the basement. Finally, after deterioration claimed the tomb, a decision was made to rebuild the entire structure. A piece of the original tomb is on display inside the current one. | |
Driving into the cemetery, the tomb is obvious. Placed at the peak of the hill, the obelisk probes skyward, surrounded by statuary on all sides depicting battle scenes. These statues were forged from dozens of cannon, no longer tools of war, but now tools of healing. A statue of the president stands in the front, holding a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery in the United States. A relief plaque finishes out the front, holding a broken chain in its beak, signifying the breaking of the slave's shackles.
Inside the tomb, visitors face a smaller bronze version of the Lincoln Memorial. Hallways encircle the tomb, with even more statues which picture the president in various phases of his life, and in the center of this, of course, is the location of the presidents final resting place, along with his wife and three of his four sons (The fourth son is memorialized with a marker, but is buried elsewhere).
Our visit to the tomb, I was struck with the need to remember and reflect upon history. Things happened during the Civil that should never have occurred, and the president, as beloved as he is, undoubtedly made mistakes. His was a life of seriousness, marked with tragedy and depression. He held many positions, failed repeatedly, and kept going. We can and must learn from history and tragedy. We should learn about characters in our past, both distant and recent, and see how they responded to the events of the time. How much greater our own lives can be when we do!