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Historic reunion at Lincoln Presidential Library
Medallions from Lincoln hearse to be displayed at Lincoln Presidential Library after 150 years

 

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[March 30, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – Two silver medallions from the hearse that carried Abraham Lincoln to his grave 150 years ago will be reunited at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum next month in a new exhibit about the president’s death and funeral.

The medallions, engraved with the city, date and “In Memoriam A.L.,” have not been together since shortly after Lincoln’s funeral and have not been seen by the public since then. One was found in the archives of a St. Louis library, and the other belongs to a private collector in Texas.

“Until a few months ago, only a handful of people in the entire world knew these historic medallions still existed. Tracking them down and reuniting them for the public to see is incredibly exciting, especially when the nation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s death,” said James Cornelius, curator of the presidential library’s Lincoln Collection.

The medallions are just two pieces among dozens in “A Fiendish Assassination,” the exhibit opening April 2 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Many of the items have never before been displayed.

Among the items visitors will see are:

  • The only surviving photograph of Lincoln in his coffin
  • Part of a towel stained with Lincoln’s blood
  • Robert Lincoln’s urgent telegrams asking key advisors to rush to Washington
  • A small American flag with stars spelling out “free.” It adorned a sandwich cart at Lincoln’s funeral
  • A swan feather sent to Lincoln’s Tomb by Queen Victoria
  • A handle from one of Lincoln’s caskets

The exhibition takes its name from the angry resolution approved by a town – its name now unknown – condemning the “fiendish assassination” of the president. That resolution is one of the items the public will be able to see for the first time ever.

Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, and Lincoln made what proved to be his final speech on April 11. He was shot on April 14 and died early the next day. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is marking the 150th anniversary of all these events with an array of exhibitions and special events throughout April.

“A Fiendish Assassination” opens April 2 and runs until early July. It complements the museum’s ongoing “Undying Words” exhibition, which examines Lincoln’s greatest speeches but also includes more than a dozen other items related to his murder, including his deathbed and artifacts linked to assassin John Wilkes Booth.

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Until recently, historians thought the medallions were lost in an 1887 fire that destroyed the hearse that carried Lincoln’s body to Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery. But it turns out the hearse’s owner had removed the medallions and passed them along to other people.

One found its way to the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Ian Hunt, a historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, tracked it down.


That led James Cornelius, curator of the presidential library’s Lincoln Collection, to scour records for anything about a second medallion. He found a mention of it being offered years ago to a private collector. Cornelius located the seller, who led him to the private Harlan Crow Library in Dallas, Texas. Both institutions agreed to lend their medallions to the presidential library.



“This is a wonderful example of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s mission: to do serious research on Lincoln and then share those findings with the public,” said Executive Director Eileen Mackevich. “These medallions, and the entire exhibition, will help our visitors connect with the nation’s greatest president.”

For details on activities and events as the Lincoln Presidential Library marks its 10th anniversary, visit www.TenYearsLincoln.com.

[Chris Wills, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]

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