A Dried Flower from Abraham Lincoln's Bier Found in Historical Society Attic in 2018.

A single delicate dried flower that lay on Abraham Lincoln's Bier Box[1] / Catafalque[2] has been discovered in the archives of a historical society in Will County (founded on January 12, 1836) in Lockport, Illinois. At first glance, it appears to be just another dried flower, a carefully preserved memory from a wedding, prom, or similar special occasion.

A Replica of President Abraham Lincoln's First Casket.

• The original would have been crafted from solid walnut wood.
• Lining in lead to preserve the body during the long funeral procession.
• Covered in expensive black cloth for a somber and respectful appearance.
• Decorated with silver handles and studs along all sides and the cover.

A Replica of Another President Abraham Lincoln's First Casket.

 

Sandy Vasko, President of the Will County Historical Society, discovered the single white rose in January 2018 while looking through some old boxes in the attic at the Will County Historical Museum and Research Center. 

Beautifully preserved in a modest display case with a glass lid, the rose was identified by a handwritten label on the back as having performed the solemn duty of adorning the slain President's coffin when it lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 1865. According to the label note, the rose was given to Lincoln's good friend General Isham Haynie of Illinois, who gifted it to Mrs. James Elwood of Joliet.

This Rose Picture is posted as a Visual Aid.

James Gavion Elwood (1839-1917) was a Civil War veteran, former Postmaster, and Mayor of Joilet and a prominent citizen. Boxes of his belongings were donated to the Will County Historical Society in the 1970s. The 13 boxes of the Elwood collection were stashed in the building, nine in closets, four in the attic, and remained there for decades before Vasko started going through them. The rose and its all-important label were in one of them.

A pressed flower bouquet from Abraham Lincoln's bier on display at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site in Washington D.C.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The discovery of this one precious dried white rose might as well be the holy grail for the Society. "For a museum director to find this kind of incredible artifact, it is so lucky," Vasko said. "When I was touching and handling it, it was like electricity. It was just so amazing."

There are very few pictures of the multiple funerals and public viewings of the coffin that were held along the long, slow, sad journey of Lincoln's body from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois. This was deliberate. Edwin McMasters Stanton, secretary to Lincoln, devastated by President Lincoln's assassination, was adamantly opposed to any hint of commercializing the horrific event. Grieving widow Mary Todd Lincoln agreed with him, and he ordered General Townsend, who was delegated to accompany the cortege, to prohibit all photographs. When he failed to do so in New York, Stanton was enraged and had every negative plate confiscated and destroyed.

The flowers themselves are sporadic. As far as we know, the only other ones are in the Ford's Theatre National Historic Site in Washington D.C., and it's not clear whether they came from the funeral in the East Room of the White House, the one in the Rotunda, or from when he lay in state the next day. This find is historically significant because it's such a rare survival, involved in an iconic tragedy in American history, and is in Illinois, President Lincoln's home state.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

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[1] Bier Box: [Pronunciation] A movable frame on which a coffin is placed before burial or is carried to the grave and remains in place during the funeral.

[2] Catafalque: [Pronunciation] A raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, used to support the deceased's casket during a Christian funeral or memorial service.

President Abraham Lincoln and his Horse Statue at the Lincoln Cottage in Washington D.C.

This statue of President Abraham Lincoln and his horse statue by sculptor Ivan Schwartz stands before the cottage where the Lincoln family could frequently be found in Washington, D.C.

Lincoln's Cottage, 140 Rock Creek Church Road, NW, Washington, D.C.

Two First Ladies Visit Hodgenville, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace National Historic Site.

At least two first ladies have visited Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, well-known Lincoln admirers, attended the cornerstone dedication for the Memorial Building on the centennial of Lincoln's birth. Eight thousand people watched President Roosevelt laid the cornerstone, then made a speech on February 12, 1909.

President William Howard Taft dedicated the completed building on November 9, 1911. The National Park was established in 1916.

Edith Roosevelt, Hodgenville, Kentucky, February 12, 1909

Laura Bush, Hodgenville, Kentucky, November 18, 2008.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Lincoln Family Bible.

Lincoln did not have much of a religious life of his own to speak of. His stepmother, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, would tell Lincoln’s biographer and law partner William Henry Herndon that “Abe had no particular religion” as a youth, and “didn’t think of that question at that time, if he ever did,” or at least “never talked about it.” It was not from ignorance. The young Lincoln “would hear sermons preached, come home, take the children out, get on a tree stump or log, and almost repeat it word for word,” and do it so convincingly that he could make “the other children, as well as the men, quit their work” to listen to him. But it was all pure mimicry. 

NOTE: "After the Little Pigeon Church (Pigeon Creek [Baptist] Church was founded on June 8, 1816, the year that Thomas Lincoln and his family moved from Kentucky and settled on Little Pigeon Creek in what was then Warwick County, Indiana Territory.) was built Abraham was given a job which required his attendance whenever the church was open. On June 12, 1823, Thomas Lincoln became one of the trustees of the church, along with Reuben Grigsby and William Barker. This put Thomas in a position to recommend someone to take care of the meetinghouse, keep it clean, and provide firewood and candles. Abraham who was fourteen years old at that time was employed as sexton[1]. How long Abraham served as sexton we do not know. His father continued as trustee for several years." —Lincoln's Youth, Indiana Years Seven to Twenty-one, 1816-1830, by Louis A. Warren.

I wouldn't call being a church custodian whose job required them to be present at church during services as "attending church." Abe, a church trustee's son, was employed for sexton services. There is no definitive proof of Abe participating as a parishioner.

Once Lincoln struck out on his own, he not only showed no interest in religion but an actual aversion to it. During his brief years as clerk and storekeeper in New Salem, Illinois, Lincoln preferred the reading of the most famous anti-religious skeptics of the day, Voltaire, Paine, etc., and wrote a short essay which was so scandalous in its contempt for religion that his neighbors morally compelled Mr. Lincoln to burn his essay book, on account of its infamy.

The Bible is an Oxford University Press edition of the King James Bible. Published in 1853, it has 1280 pages and measures approximately 6 inches long by 4 inches wide, and 1.75 inches thick, and is bound in burgundy red velvet with gilt edges. The back flyleaf of the Bible bears the seal of the Supreme Court of the United States along with a record of the 1861 inauguration. The Bible is not a rare edition. Lincoln owning this Bible makes it a priceless, one-of-a-kind Bible.

Abraham Lincoln reached Washington, D.C. for his inauguration in 1861. His belongings, including his Bible, had yet to arrive. William Thomas Carroll, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, fetched a Bible that he kept for official use. This became the Lincoln Bible. Although the Bible remained with Carroll for a time, the Lincolns acquired it at an unknown time. The Bible later remained with the Lincoln family up until 1928, at which point Mary Eunice Harlan, the widow of Robert Todd Lincoln, donated it to the Library of Congress. When the Bible was donated, it contained markers at the 31st chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy and the fourth chapter of the Book of Hosea. Barack Obama chose this Bible for his inaugurations in 2009 and 2013. The Bible was on display at the Library of Congress from February to May of 2009 in a celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The Bible was used to swear in Carla Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016. Donald Trump was sworn in on this Bible topped by, what he claimed, was his childhood Bible at his inauguration on January 20, 2017.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.

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[1] Sexton: Church custodian charged with keeping the church and parish buildings prepared for meetings, caring for church equipment, and performing related minor duties such as ringing the bell and digging graves.

Jus-Fun Amusements, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. (1981-2021)

Jus-Fun Amusements opened on May 1, 1981, with 14 Go-Karts. Four more Go-Karts were added along with 4 Batting Cages in 1983. 

In 1986 kiddie electric bumper boats and the trampoline games known as Hi-Ball was added to the park. In 1988 the kiddie bumper boats were removed and replaced with adult-sized bumper boats in a 50x60 foot pond. Another 20 new Go-Karts were also purchased.

An 18-hole miniature golf course replaced the bumper boats in 1993. A large ticket boot, game room, and repair shop were also added. In 2001 the Titanic was installed, a 33 foot high 2 lane slide with a steep angle allowing people to slide down really fast, but unfortunately, 4 years later, they couldn't obtain insurance for the slide. Water Wars, a water balloon launching game was added in 2007 and doubled the size of Water Wars in 2012.

Jus-Fun Amusements closed on October 12, 2021.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.