A sobering afternoon

One of the more sobering moments of our Middle States trip was the afternoon we spent at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.  You see, this is the final resting place of President Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary, and three of his sons:  Eddie, Willie, and Tad.  Their oldest son, Robert, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

I'll share a few pictures from our walk-through of the tomb, but if you want a good overview, this YouTube by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

We had spent the previous day at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and the morning at the Lincoln Home and Neighborhood in Springfield.  It was only fitting to visit his final resting place before ending our time in Springfield.

The walk from the parking area to the tomb entrance is lined with grassy fields.  There is a sculpture of Lincoln's head and it looks like his nose got sunburned!

You enter the building through a solid dark doorway.  An attendant is just inside to answer any questions and keep an eye on visitors.  Some people come in and treat it like a museum; there are a lot of sculptures and informational plaques which make it seem like that, but when you stop and think that this is a tomb - where a man and his family are forever at rest - it does keep you from treating it as a tourist site (even though, in a way, it is).  

Here are some of the pictures of the sculptures in the tomb.

Lincoln, the Ranger

Lincoln, the soldier

Lincoln, the Circuit Rider

Lincoln, in Chicago

Here are the engravings indicating Mrs. Lincoln and their sons are entombed.

And here is where Abraham Lincoln is buried, ten feet below.

And lastly, this is a copy of the sculpture that is part of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

We spent about 30 minutes at the Lincoln Tomb site before heading back to the hotel for the rest of the day.  

~ Cindy D.