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| The Funeral Train |
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| Abraham Lincoln |
On April 21, 1865, the train carrying the body of
President Abraham Lincoln left Washington in-route to Springfield, Illinois
where the president was to be interred. Over 180 stops were made along the way
and over 3-million people paid their respects.
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| Crowds |
The
Lincoln Special, as the train was called, took 12 days to reach Illinois’
capitol city covering over 1,600 miles before reaching the end of its
journey.
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| Lincoln's Hat |
Next
year marks the 150th Anniversary of Lincoln’s death and the running
of the Funeral Train. To commemorate the event, a devoted group of Lincolnites
from Illinois are planning to re-enactment the train
trip, along with a re-enactment of his funeral in the city of Springfield.
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| Train Plans |
The
2015 Lincoln Funeral Train group plans to travel the original train route as part of this tribute tour, in replicas of the steam engine and the Lincoln
funeral car. Both are being built from scratch to look just as they did in
1865, complete with accurate car body, interior and exterior finishes and
trims, and furniture. (The original car was destroyed by fire in 1911.) |
| David Klole |
David
Kloke, a master mechanic and owner of Locomotive Works, LLC in Elgin, Illinois, has built an operating 19th century steam locomotive,
which will make the journey from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois.
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| Building Train |
Kloke
sees this as a labor of love and has been inspired by Lincoln since he was a
child. About 10 years ago, Kloke came up with the idea to reconstruct the
funeral route and the funeral train for the 150th Anniversary. Kloke
has built the train using his own money.
The
first official ride on the reconstructed steam engine, the Leviathan 63, will be
in Wellington, Ohio this weekend - April 18 -20, 2014. This fundraiser is the first of
several to secure donations for the completion of the Lincoln Funeral Car by
next April. If you can't ride the rails but would still like to help, donations may be made to The Historic Railroad Equipment
Association and are tax deductible. Visit http://www.the2015lincolnfuneraltrain.com/donate or mail contributions to:
The
Historic Railroad Equipment Association
1325
Spaulding Road
Elgin,
IL 60120
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| Funeral Train Arrives |
But
the re-enactment is not over once the train pulls into the station on May 2, 2015.
Far from it! From there, members of the 2015 Lincoln Funeral Coalition lincolnfuneraltrain.org will
began a re-enactment of the funeral procession held in that city. |
| Funeral Hearse |
It
was May 4, 1865 when Lincoln’s body was taken to Oak Ridge Cemetery and placed
in the reception vault to await the construction of his cemetery monument.
Next
year, there will be a 3-week event to commemorate the 150th
Anniversary of Lincoln’s final arrival back home in Springfield. Beginning on
April 14, the day Lincoln was shot while attending the play, “Our American
Cousin,” the program will once again be
performed, this time at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield. |
| The Lincoln Home |
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| Rees Carillon |
A
scholarly symposium will begin April 15 with talks being held at
the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the Executive Mansion, and the
University of Illinois at Springfield.
On
Wednesday, April 29, a special concert will be performed on the Thomas Rees
Memorial Carillon in Washington Park. And on Friday, May 1st, Civil War military
and civilian re-enactors will open their encampments to the pubic.
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| Lincoln's Funeral |
Then
on Saturday the 2nd the
funeral train will arrive in town. Once the replicated coffin is unloaded from
the train, a hearse procession will travel the same route to 6th and
Washington Streets for the opening ceremonies. The day will conclude with civil
war-era band concerts and a candlelight vigil to be held throughout the night
at Washington and 6th Streets.
The
historic procession to the cemetery will be held on Sunday, May 3
accompanied by re-enactors from around the country. The same eulogy, speeches
and salutes will be given once again in Oak Ridge Cemetery, along with the
original music played at the ceremony in 1865.
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| Lincoln's Interment |
If
you would like more information about the events, to take part, or donate,
visit the 2015 Lincoln Funeral Coalition’s web page at lincolnfuneraltrain.org
What fitting
tributes for the man who once said “And in
the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your
years.”
~ Joy
