Searching for Lincoln
By MARGARET BRENNAN Local HistorianOn Feb. 12, 1809 a baby boy was born in a one room log cabin on the Sinking Spring farm near Hodgenville, Ky., to a 33 year old farmer/carpenter, Thomas Lincoln and his 25-year-old wife, Nancy Hanks. That boy, Abraham Lincoln, named after his grandfather, would become perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most written about. president in our history.
Lincoln's actions in those long ago bloody days of the 1860s have a direct impact on our lives today, on how we call ourselves West Virginians, on how we stand in the Union Column of the Civil War, on how we even have these "united states." So I decided in the summer of 2008 to hit the road, and go on my own search for the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, to walk the earth where he spent his formative years, to pay tribute to the man who meant so much to our state, but that was easier said than done.
Three states claim Abraham Lincoln and his legacy, and the lure of tourist dollars is not lost on them. Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois have put together programs, displays, Lincoln Trails and other assorted aids to lure the heritage tourist. So much the better.
The places connected with our 16th president are fairly spread out, so I decided to begin at the end, at the grave, at his home of Springfield, Ill. I contacted their Chamber of Commerce, collected materials and looked around for some books to read.
The Ohio County Public Library has about 25, including the ''Land of Lincoln'' by Andrew Ferguson, a little gem.
Several people suggested a biography by David H. Donald and another by Stephen B. Oates. Of course, Carl Sandburg is always in vogue.
In plotting my route, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to visit Katherine Jourdan in Indianapolis, a good break in the trip. Katherine worked at West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling from about 1984 to 1996. Gerry Reilly, who succeeded her as director until January of 2006, was able to join us for the day. Gerry now oversees the Lanier Mansion in Madison, Ind., and he reminded me that Indiana troops spent time at Camp Carlile on Wheeling Island.
Indiana actually began its celebration of Lincoln's birthday on Mother's Day, May 11, 2008, paying tribute to Nancy Hanks. The Indiana Historical Society had just mounted an exhibit, ''The Faces of Lincoln,'' at their History Center and we were able to view photographs and lithographs from the period. Leaving Indianapolis, I drove the three and one half hours to Springfield. The vista of corn and soybeans stretching as far as the eye could see against a deep blue sky was breathtaking. I also realized I was now in Obama country. The juxtaposition of the "then and now" would continue throughout the trip.
I arrived in Springfield on a Sunday and it was one deserted downtown. I found out that on weekends and after five on weekdays it just empties out. The West Virginia museum group had visited Springfield and guided me to the Clarion State House Inn, right across from the present capitol. After checking in, I felt the need to go to the Lincoln grave at Oak Ridge Cemetery. This burying ground was dedicated in 1860 and Abraham and Mary Todd had often picnicked there in earlier years.
A lot of interesting stories are connected with Lincoln's final resting place. The Springfield city fathers had tried to influence Mary to bury her husband on land especially purchased and more centrally located. They knew Lincoln's tomb would be a draw. But Mrs. Lincoln stood her ground and said if it couldn't be Oak Ridge, she would have the body taken back to Washington. That settled it.
The present site is the third resting place of the president. He and his son Willie had first been placed in a receiving vault, still standing, then a second dedicated in 1874. It really is a magnificent monument, although when I was there the sidewalks and exterior were being restored and the great bust of Lincoln was under a tarp, somewhat disappointing. It took many years while Lincoln's friends raised the money to build the now 117 foot tomb. The inside is covered with marble and contains eight bronze replicas of important Lincoln statues.
The burial space itself has a hushed quality, with a simple red marble stone which reads ''Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865." The body is buried 30 inches behind the stone, east to west, with the head facing west. It is in a reinforced concrete vault, 10 feet under ground with two tons of concrete poured on top. Lincoln's son Robert directed the reburial and ensured there will never be a repeat of the 1876 attempt to steal the body.
On the back wall, encircled with flags, are Edwin Stanton's words, ''Now he belongs to the ages.'' On the opposite wall are the vaults with Mary Todd Lincoln who died in 1882 at 64 years; Eddie who died in Springfield in 1850 at age 4 of tuberculosis; Willie who died in Washington in 1862 at age 12 of typhoid; and Tad who died in Chicago in 1871 at age 18 of pleurisy. Robert, the eldest son, died in 1923 at age 80 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb underwent a major upgrade in 1899-1901. Lincoln had originally been buried above ground and when the casket was opened before the reburial, several of his friends and one child viewed the body. They said he was easily recognizable.
Oak Ridge Cemetery is a unique place, the largest cemetery in Illinois and the second most visited in the nation after Arlington. It contains other interesting people such as the great United Mine Workers labor leader John L. Lewis; Nicholas Vachel Lindsay who wrote the poem that inspired our statehouse statue, ''Lincoln Walks at Midnight;" and William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner and biographer.
The next day, Monday, I spent in Springfield soaking up all things Lincoln and was told to go to the Presidential Museum early, as it would get crowded, I was very impressed with the 2005 building. Parking right across the street, the museum was easy to access and tour. The starting point, a great play, is dominated by the White House facade and five life sized statues of the Lincoln family as they looked on the day they left Springfield in 1861. Everyone has their picture taken with the family, so of course I did too.
There was a lot to choose from but because of time, I focused on the two life journeys, one from Lincoln's birth to manhood and the other the White House years. The most evocative moment was turning a corner and facing a larger than life slave auction block. Now I could more vividly imagine the reality of slave auctions in Wheeling.
The journey of the White House years is very well done with life size renditions of Lincoln's cabinet room, Willie's death bed, the Ford Theater box and his coffin at the old State Capital.
There is also throughout the display 'real' Lincoln memorabilia such as one of his rare school book pages and some of his law books. The famous top hat and Gettysburg Address were not out that week, a little disappointing.
After I left the museum, but not before attacking the marvelous gift shop, I decided to walk the streets of Springfield. Lincoln places are everywhere. I ate ice cream beside the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln argued hundreds of cases and where his body lay in state.
Nearby was the Lincoln-Herdon law office building, where one could walk the very floors, somewhat creaky On down the street was an imposing church which I entered almost as an afterthought and found it was the First Presbyterian Church where Mrs. Lincoln's funeral was held in 1882.
The family worshiped in an older building since demolished but their pew is still preserved. Lincoln's religious views are often a topic of discussion. He was not a proponent of organized religion but his life and speeches were infused with a religious grounding. This is just one part of the mystery of Lincoln, for as law partner Herndon said, he never poured out his soul on any subject and was the ''most secretive, reticent, shut-mouthed man that ever existed.'' For all his public life, the real Lincoln is still elusive. Perhaps that explains those 15,000 plus books.
Across the street from the church is the Lincoln family home. There were time tickets for the tour, but I felt a little "herded." This was really a spirit place. You could almost see Lincoln lounging on the sitting room floor playing with the children and yellow lab Fido or writing speeches at his desk. There was Mary's rocker and the room where Eddie died, all very evocative.
The next morning before I left Springfield I visited the rebuilt Great Western Railroad Depot where Lincoln departed for Washington, delivering a poignant farewell address. Then I sought out the Edwards house, the oldest standing home in Springfield, which Lincoln often visited. They have the famous courting couch that Abraham and Mary used before their quiet marriage in 1842.
Now it was off to New Salem, 20 miles northwest, where Lincoln had lived from age 22-28, when he moved to Springfield. The entrance to this historic site features a striking statue of a young Abraham on his horse reading a book, created by the sculptress Anna H. Hungtington who did the deer at Oglebay.
This site is a reconstructed village with a lot of land so I cut my visit short but did seek out the cooper shop, the only original cabin from Lincoln's time. He grew to manhood here, ran for his first political office, lost a business but paid back all his creditors, became a surveyor and postmaster, and honed his speaking skills. Lincoln also, it is said, fell in love with the daughter of the tavern owner, Ann Rutledge, whose early death threw him in a tailspin. Ann's grave is outside New Salem at Petersburg and a little tricky to find but an important site to visit.
Then I traveled to Vandalia, Ill., on Interstate 55, 70 miles southeast of Springfield. The name may be familiar because it is the western terminus of the National Road and boasts one of the 12 Madonna of the Trail statues. A small town still of 6,975 people, it is where Lincoln studied law, was admitted to the bar and served in the state Legislature. The Old State Capitol building is a treasure. The wooden floors he walked, the room where he took the bar, the legislative chamber, all are here. Yet, Lincoln lobbied to get the Capitol moved to Springfield and he relocated there in 1837, began the practice of law and in 1842, married Mary Todd.
Leaving Vandalia, I headed south on state route 51 to hit Interstate 64 east and visit Lincoln's boyhood home at Lincoln City, Indiana. The president lived there from age 7 to 21when the family moved to Illinois. In 1816, the Lincolns left Kentucky because of conflicting land titles and crossed into Indiana which had rich soil, a stable land system and no slaves. But the family entered a ''wild region'' and life was hard. Here Lincoln picked up the axe and worked back breaking hours with his father. In 1818, Nancy Hanks, born in what is now Mineral County, W.Va., died of the milk sickness at age 35 and left Abraham, age 9 and his sister Sarah, age 11. The next year Thomas Lincoln returned to Kentucky, remarried and brought Sarah Bush Johnson and her three children to his frontier home. She outlived her famous stepson.
The visitor's center at the 200-acre site is impressive and to walk the path to the Lincoln cabin is quite moving. But even more so is standing at the nearby grave of Nancy Hanks. Her plot remained unmarked until Peter Studebaker of Studebaker cars had a $50 gravestone placed there in 1879. Abraham's sister Sarah was buried across the road. She had died in childbirth at age 21 in 1828 and her grave was in the cemetery at the Pigeon Creek Baptist Church, where the Lincolns worshipped. Abraham and his sister were extremely close and he would often visit this spot. I didn't linger because the place was teeming with mosquitoes, perhaps historic ancestors the ones from Lincoln's day.
Heading home, I visited Gerry Reilly in Madison and stopped at the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati. Yet there was unfinished business in my backward Lincoln journey. So this year I hope to head out to Kentucky and the site of the Abraham's birth and first seven years. I would also like to stand at the grave of Thomas and Sarah but that's back up in Illinois. Searching for Lincoln's spirit places can expend some serious gasoline. But if ever there was a time to go ''looking for Lincoln,'' to walk the earth he knew, to touch the places he touched, to meet this man and to make him your own, 2009 is the year.
