Lincoln Tomb

Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois, is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America.

History of Lincoln Tomb

Abraham Lincoln, born 12 April 1809, was the country’s first Republican president. He is famous for leading the Union during the American Civil War and for his Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 which resulted in the abolition of slavery.

His term as president ran from March 1861 until 14 April 1865, when he died after being shot at Ford Theatre.

Abraham Lincoln is buried at Lincoln Tomb, along with his wife Mary, and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. It was constructed in around 1860, with the vault being at the base of a hill north of the Tomb.

Due to design and construction errors, the tomb was extensively rebuilt in 1900-1901 and then again in 1930-31. Thieves attempted to steal Lincoln’s body in 1876, which caused security concerns. As a result, Lincoln’s remains were moved to their final resting place, below the floor of the burial chamber, after the first renovation.

The second reconstruction also included a complete redesign of the tomb’s interior, which included creating the inside corridors, installing the marble and bronze ornamentation, and adding small statues.

The Lincoln Tomb was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. On the same site is the public receiving vault, where final funeral services were held for the president in 1865.

Lincoln Tomb Today

Visitors to Lincoln Tomb can enter the 117-foot brick and granite structure. The interior rooms of the Tomb are finished in highly polished marble trimmed with bronze.

The south entrance opens into a rotunda, where hallways lead to the burial chamber. The rotunda and corridor area, which is accessible to the public, contain reduced-scale versions of important Lincoln statues as well as plaques with excerpts from Lincoln’s farewell address to Springfield, the Gettysburg Address, and his Second Inaugural Address.

Getting to Lincoln Tomb

From the centre of Springfield, Illinois, the tomb is reachable in around 10 minutes by car, via S 4th St and S 2nd St. The site is also reachable in around an hour by foot via S 4th St, or by bike via the same route in around 20 minutes.

There are also a number of public transport options such as a connecting bus service from Capitol & 4th through to 6th & Eastman, which takes around an hour and runs every 30 minutes.