By Wayne Wesolowski
THIS TRAIN
IS BOUND FOR GLORY! THE STORY OF THE LINCOLN FUNERAL is the focus of the
Benedictine University traveling Lincoln Funeral Train Exhibit.
For the past eight years Dr. Wesolowski has been the director of Benedictine
University's Lincoln Train Project which has documented the final journey
of Mr. Lincoln from Washington to Springfield Illinois. The President's
private car used for his funeral hearse finally burned in a grass fire in
Columbia Heights, MN in 1911. The Benedictine University traveling exhibit
of President Lincoln's funeral train was completed in February 1995 includes
a detailed model of the funeral train .
Following Lincoln's assassination, the President was mourned with open coffin
funerals in Washington DC, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York
City, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago and finally
Springfield, Illinois. Twenty days passed from his ill-fated visit to Ford's
Theater to his interment in his home state of Illinois. The train carrying
his body was seen by millions as it moved slowly through over 180 small
cities and towns along its route.
The private coach, "United States" featured bunting and silver tassels for
the funeral. Its complex sixteen- wheel trucks were most unusual. An exquisite
hearse was used in Springfield to carry the President to this final resting
place. Covered in silver and black trim, and pulled by six black horses,
the hearse cost more than $6000 in 1865. It was loaned to Springfield by
the mayor and people of St. Louis just for the funeral. The exhibit follows
the president's journey over 1700 miles through twelve major cities with
open coffin funerals for the nearly seven million people who personally
came to the Lincoln's funeral.
Since its unveiling in February 1995 the Benedictine Lincoln Train exhibit
has been on display at Benedictine University, the National Model Railroad
Association train show at Harlem North High School, Rockford IL, McLean
County Historical Society, Bloomington IL, The Lincoln Home Site and Old
State Capitol in Springfield IL, the Lincoln Museum Ft. Wayne, IN, the Cantigny
Museum Wheaton IL, DeKalb High School in DeKalb, IL, the Rosehill Cemetery
Civil War Museum in Chicago, IL, The Cameron-Harris Mansion, Harrisburg
PA, the National Model Railroad Association, Buffalo NY, the Linden-Madison
Township Historical Society, Linden, IN, The Historic Pullman Foundation,
Chicago, IL, the Matteson, Illinois Historical Society, RailAmerica, the
National Railroad Museum, Green Bay Wisconsin, the Lyceum, Alexandria VA
and Steam Town National Historic site, Scranton PA
Funding
for the project was completed with over $100,000 for the Robert R. McCormick
(Chicago Tribune) Foundation, the Union Pacific Foundation, Bethlehem, PA.,
the Burlington-Northern Foundation and many others. The Lincoln Train Project,
completed to coincide with 130th anniversary of the death of Lincoln, joins
the extensive 80,000 piece Lincoln collection that was donated by Benedictine
University, Lisle, Illinois to the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
