Finding Lincoln At The United States Capitol

A little more than two months ago, a sparkling and impressive new Visitor Center opened at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Open to the public, the Visitor Center will offer various exhibitions pertaining to the history of the building and the people who have served as our elected officials through the centuries.

This being Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial year, the Capitol is joining in the celebrations. This past Monday, my wife and I toured the Visitor Center during my "Lincoln Weekend" I posted about earlier this week. I'm happy I did, because I had no idea that I was going to find wonderful Lincoln items there.

Various famous documents are displayed at the Visitor Center and one of the first I noticed was none other than the original 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery forever within our nation. President Lincoln's signature is present on the document, signed for once with his entire name instead of just "A. Lincoln" as if for extra emphasis. It is noted on the display placard that Lincoln's signature was NOT required by the Constitution, but he chose to sign it anyway. Unfortunately, Lincoln did not live to see the 13th Amendment become ratified and put into law on December 6, 1865.

A far less important, but still interesting, document on display shows a petition signed by Lincoln and his fellow residents requesting that a post office be established, at New Salem, Illinois, I believe.

I was very surprised to see that the catafalque which held Lincoln's casket in the Capitol Rotunda is also on display. The catafalque was first used for Lincoln's laying-in-state and has been used for every such ceremony since, with a couple of exceptions. It was last used for Presidents Ford and Reagan's laying-in-state. The material on the catafalque is not original, but closely resembles the original fabric. It is fragile and is displayed inside the wall of the Center, behind glass.

The last item associated with Lincoln in the Visitor Center is the very table he used during his Second Inaugural Address. It was stunning for me to see the table, as I had no idea it still existed. You can easily see the table, which was specially built for the occasion, in the photo taken during his Address on March 4, 1865. The table is displayed under glass and is immediately across from the catafalque. To think that one was made for a such a happy occasion while the other was made just 6 weeks later after a national calamity was emotional for me.

There are of course many more artifacts and bits of information in the Capitol Visitor Center which have nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln. Displays explain how our government (supposedly) works, the history of the Capitol, stories about famous senators and representatives, and so on. But since this blog is about Lincoln, I don't want to go into depth about the other displays.

Sorry I can't include photos of the items I've described here, but photography of any type is not permitted in the exhibition part of the Visitor Center.

I'll be posting more about my "Lincoln Weekend" in Washington in the coming days. Please come back for exhibit reviews and a review of a special performance about Lincoln held at the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.

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Two Days Worth Of Abe In "USA Today"

USA Today has featured articles about Honest Abe and the bicentennial of his birth in today's and yesterday's editions. I realize the paper is widely-read, but I thought I'd share with my readers in case anyone has missed them.

Today's USA Today has an article in its weekly travel section with suggestions for trips to Lincoln-related sites in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and of course Washington, D.C. The writer thoughtfully included some upcoming events in each location, along with a suggestion or two for sites which are infrequently visited by travelers. For example, the less-visited site suggested for Kentucky is Mary Todd Lincoln's childhood home in Lexington. She grew up in luxury while her husband of course spent most of his youth in abject poverty. While it's fitting and proper that these states and D.C. get a lot of attention, Lincoln's links to my own state of Ohio are often overlooked. I'll be posting about some of them in an upcoming post.

Yesterday's edition of the paper has a full-page article discussing noteworthy new books about Lincoln for both adults and children. The writer gives a great review for "A. Lincoln" by Ronald C. White, Jr." and for "They Have Killed Papa Dead" (yet another book about the assassination) by Anthony Pitch. There is also a section devoted to new Lincoln books for the kids. I was very happy to see the reporter mention "Lincoln And His Boys," a truly superb book which I reviewed in-depth here last August. The article in the paper shows one of the beautiful illustrations by P.J. Lynch from that book.

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Update: Pennsylvania Museum's Lincoln Flag From Ford's Theater

Back on April 7, 2008 I posted an article about a museum in Pennsylvania which owns one of the American flags which draped the presidential box at Ford's Theater the night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The original post describes the flag, how it came into the possession of the Pike County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society, and how the flag was authenticated. The flag not only draped the box, but it was used for a time to cradle Lincoln's head as he lay mortally wounded in the theater.

I received an email yesterday from a reader who pointed out that I left out some pertinent information about the flag. Although I mentioned in the original post how the flag was authenticated, I neglected to mention that it was authenticated by Mr. Joseph Garrera, who serves as the president of the Lincoln Society in New York, New York. He is also the director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown, PA. Apologies to Mr. Garrera, but the original news article I saw about the flag didn't mention his name.

This link contains an older story about how the flag was lent to the now-defunct Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It has more details about the flag itself as well.

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A Lincoln Weekend In Washington

I returned home last night from what can truly be called "A Lincoln Weekend" spent in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the 4-day weekend, a Christmas gift from my wife Pinar, was to take in the sites and sounds of the celebrations going on in Washington as the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth rapidly approaches. It was a memorable weekend for me, one of the best mini-vacations I've ever taken.

We began the weekend by visiting Mr. Lincoln's Memorial, my favorite spot on Earth. I've been to Washington countless times, but I always make it a point to see the Memorial in order to take in the sheer beauty of the temple. I read The Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address inscribed on its walls. And I always take more than a few minutes to stare at the imposing statue of Lincoln. The sight never ceases to move me in a way I cannot put into words.

This weekend, though, there was far more to be seen related to Lincoln. The next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum Of American History in order to experience the exhibit Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life. The exhibit itself is extraordinary and I will be posting an in-depth review within the next day or two. It is not to be missed.

We took in more about President Lincoln the next day at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in order to see the exhibit One Life: The Mask Of Lincoln. This exhibit features very rare images and prints of Lincoln depicting important events in his life. I'll be posting a separate review about this exhibit as well. It is also not to be missed

On Monday evening, we delighted in an absolutely superb performance at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. Our Lincoln featured a cast of 400 performers ranging from singers to musicians to dancers, combining to tell Abraham Lincoln's unique journey. The performance was simply stunning. I'll post a detailed review on this performance soon.

I had mentioned all of the goings on in Washington just briefly to my wife, who took it as an opportunity to give me such a beautiful weekend. My readers should know that she is not a history buff, so for her to do this for me was very special. Thank you, dear. It was a weekend I shall never forget.

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Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Signature Events

I've mentioned the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission more than a few times in the Abraham Lincoln Blog. The Commission, co-chaired by Harold Holzer and Ray LaHood, is the official organizer of the major celebrations honoring the 200th birthday of Mr. Lincoln. The Commission will be holding national events in Washington, D.C. on February 12th, 2009.

The day's events will kick off at 8:00 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial for a birthday tribute and wreath-laying ceremony. President Obama has been invited to make a few appropriate remarks. In addition, acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni will recite a new work for the occasion. Grammy-nominated singer Michael Feinstein will perform. The Gettysburg Address will be recited by retired Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Frank J. Williams, who also happens to be a member of the Commission.

Immediately after the ceremony, a commemorative breakfast, open to the public, will be held in heated tents next to the memorial. Mr. Feinstein will continue to perform for the breakfast attendees. The price per person of $125.00 will benefit the Commission and its continued programs.

At 1:30 that afternoon, a "National Teach-In" will occur. The leaders of the teach-in will be Mr. Holzer, Lincoln scholar Matthew Pinkser, and the author Doris Kearns Goodwin, who of course wrote the book "Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius Of Abraham Lincoln."

For detailed information about the ceremony, breakfast, and teach-in, it may be found here at the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission's website. I heard earlier today from a staffer at the Commission, asking me if I'd provide some publicity for the events. I'm happy to oblige. I would absolutely LOVE to attend the ceremony at the memorial and the breakfast, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to do so. I can imagine how moving the ceremonies will be.

Other events that day will take place in Hodgenville, Kentucky which of course is close to Lincoln's birthplace. And certainly events will be occurring in Springfield, Illinois. More on those next week.

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The Inaugural Hat and Lincoln

Last week's inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President Of The United States Of America was memorable in many ways. Of course Obama is our nation's first African-American president. The sea of people, approximately 1.4 million in all, made it one of the most heavily attended of presidential inaugurations. Chief Justice Roberts' error in reciting the Presidential Oath was another reason this inaugural will be remembered more than most. But for me, at least, I will remember President Obama's inaugural for one reason: The Inaugural Hat.

Aretha Franklin was chosen to sing "My Country Tis Of Thee" for the inaugural ceremony. When she first stepped out on the platform that sunny morning, I was in disbelief as I saw the hat that the "Queen of Soul" was wearing. I didn't know whether to laugh or to be stunned by the downright weirdness of it. Of course, I'm not a fashion critic or fashionista, so perhaps the hat is trend-setting. It's become a hot topic on talk shows, such as Ellen, and I've read that the designer has been besieged by callers wanting to know where they can find a similar hat. Perhaps so. But it was at the very least distracting, which maybe is a good thing considering how shockingly bad her vocal performance was that day.

So what does this have to do with Abraham Lincoln? In a word, nothing. Nothing, that is, until my good friend Christy shared a photo with me today. Seems that nothing is sacred to Photoshop aficionados. I hope Abe will forgive me. He had an excellent sense of humor, so I hope he's not TOO offended by the below photo. I think he wears it quite well. Enjoy!

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'The Greatest' and Abe

I admit that the famous boxer Muhammad Ali doesn't have many links to Abraham Lincoln (other than both were born in Kentucky), but I found this picture via the Associated Press and find it to be very moving.

"The Greatest" was given this bust of Lincoln at the first Bluegrass Inaugural Ball on January 19, 2009 in Washington. Ali is sadly silenced these days by Parkinson's disease (and no doubt too many fights), but he still is a symbol of power and grace for humanity. My statement might be controversial for some, but I am an unabashed fan of Ali and am old enough to have watched his matches.

Since this is my blog, I can post about a cool photo featuring two of my favorite people of all time.

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