My Photographs and Story about the Lincoln Funeral Reenactment on May 2, 2015, in Springfield, Illinois.

I attended the Lincoln Funeral reenactment in Springfield, Illinois, on May 2, 2015. The funeral reenactment began with the incredible replica of the funeral train hearse car with a replica of President Lincoln's coffin, and an exact replica of the original horse-drawn hearse.

The Staab Family Livery of Springfield, Illinois, in association with the lead builder and recreation craftsman Jack G. Feather, of the Tombstone Hearse Company in Tombstone, AZ. Feather had gathered historians and expert craftsmen to recreate this historic vehicle. It was the centerpiece of the 150th Anniversary commemoration of Abraham Lincoln’s entombment and celebration of his life and legacy.

Dr. Samuel Wheeler, the Director of Research and Collections for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation in Springfield and later the Illinois State Historian, gave me a VIP pass.

I was given this brass 1865-2015 Lincoln 150 Year Funeral Reenactment, Lapel Pin.

Arriving early, I gained entry to the staging area, which allowed me to take some photographs away from the gathering crowds.

To be historically accurate, all military participants will be in Union uniforms. Reenactors from the Confederate States may attend, but they were asked to come as Union soldiers or to portray civilians. Special permission was needed to describe any historical person. There must have been at least 10,000 people, both reenactors and civilians. 

I spoke with photographer Robert Taunt, a historical reenactor from La Crosse, Wisconsin, representing the Mathew Brady Photographic Studio. He used an authentic 1860s stereo camera and a modern 3-D camera on a tripod to document the funeral procession. I gave him my business card so he could send me some of the photos he took.

Robert Taunt shooting stereo photographs that produce stereoscopic view cards. Stereograph photography became extremely popular in the 1850s. Cameras and view cards were sold commercially in the thousands. Their popularity waned slightly in the 1880s, but commercial companies such as Underwood & Underwood repopularised them in the 1890s.

Abraham Lincoln Springfield Funeral Stereograph. This rare stereoview on an orange mount is identified as "Funeral of Lincoln at Springfield, Ill." The image shows the coffin being carried in a six-horse wagon, surrounded by a cordon of soldiers on May 2, 1865. Soldiers with rifles line the parade route, keeping spectators back. Flags are furled or flown at half-staff, while people stand on rooftops to get a better view of the procession. Lincoln was buried on May 3rd.

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A young boy volunteers as a street sweeper, following horses in the procession.

Copyright © 2015, Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

"The attendance at the 2015 Lincoln 150 Year Funeral Reenactment in Springfield, Illinois, wasn't officially documented. However, eyewitness accounts provide some insight into the crowd size. Dr. Neil Gale, a witness, estimated around 10,000 people attended, including reenactors and civilians. The event featured a replica funeral train, coffin, and horse-drawn hearse, drawing large crowds. Thousands of visitors, many dressed in period clothing, watched the procession, which retraced Lincoln's funeral route 150 years prior."                                                                (META.AI - May 2025)