Original Entrance to Lincoln's Burial Chamber
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Original Entrance to Lincoln's Burial Chamber
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
At Lincoln's Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois, people like to leave pennies on the grated gate and by the stained glass window at the rear of the memorial.
In Larken Mead's contest-winning design, the burial chamber access was from the outside at the back of the monument. President Lincoln's remains were above ground in a white marble sarcophagus with only a padlocked iron-grilled gate to obstruct access to the crypt.
Immediately after his internment, an attempt was made to steal Abe Lincoln's body in 1876. Outside access to the Tomb lacked the proper security for the President's remains. Shortly afterward, the tomb custodian and a group of trusted confidants moved Lincoln's body to a secret location in the damp basement of the Tomb, disguising it under a pile of wood. They were relieved to see the seals on the coffin were still intact. Unfortunately, the casket remained hidden for over a year; all the men in their 60s or close to it were not physically able to move the 400-500 pound casket again.
In 1878, a group of young men were hired to move the coffin. It was taken to the far end of the labyrinth and reburied in a shallow grave. Two days later, an anonymous threat was received in the mail, and the coffin was dug up to ensure Lincoln's body was still there.
In 1880 the tomb caretaker formed the Lincoln Guard of Honor. Their only job was the ensure Lincoln's remains stayed hidden by periodically moving the casket. Mary Lincoln passed in 1882, and at the time, Robert Lincoln asked that they be buried together. They remained encased in a brick vault in the basement until 1887 when Lincoln's coffin was again opened to verify he was still there.
In 1897, Robert Lincoln assumed the Pullman Palace Car Company presidency after George Pullman's death. Because of labor unrest, the Pullman family feared his body would be stolen and took extreme measures to secure it.
President Lincoln's remains were once again exhumed during the first reconstruction of the Tomb in 1901 since it was necessary to rebuild the monument's foundation. This time he was placed in a temporary vault. When it was time to reinter Lincoln in the memorial, Robert Lincoln paid $700 to secure his father's remains the same way the Pullman family had. A ten-foot deep grave was excavated, and the casket was placed inside a new wooden box which was then enclosed in steel bars, bolted together, and attached to an underground boulder before fully encasing it in concrete. The floor was replaced, and the empty white marble sarcophagus was placed over the location. Thirty-six years after Mr. Lincoln's death, he was finally at rest. His coffin had been moved seventeen times and opened five times to confirm his identity.
During the 1930s interior redesign of the Tomb, the sarcophagus was replaced with the massive stone marker seen today, and the gate was sealed off then.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
August 17th, 2022
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