Abraham Lincoln Assasination

Even though his presidency was cut short, the United States would likely be a very different place today if Abraham Lincoln had not been president. On April 14th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth as the President was watching a performance of play called Our American Cousin. Lincoln died early the next day.  Although Lincoln was unaware of a specific danger on this evening, he had received threats and was aware that his life was in danger.

This is a view of the theater where it happened. The car and its passengers seem to have been added to embellish a postcard that might otherwise have been regarded as stark and boring.

This postcard that shows the Lincoln residence in Springfield, Illinois on the day of his funeral. Lincoln's body was brought by train from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois with several stops along the way where he lay in state. The train arrived in Springfield on May 3, 1865. This was the first national commemoration of a president's death by rail.

It was just a few weeks earlier that Lincoln went to meet General Grant in Virginia to discuss the final stages of the Civil War. General Grant and his wife might well have accompanied the President to the performance that fateful night if Mrs. Grant had not insisted on leaving that evening to visit their children in New Jersey.

And here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

 The text of the card, sent to Mrs. Pharis Luckey of Cromwell, Indiana, reads:

Goshen, Ind.

3-26-14

Dear Ma:-

Aunt Sue had to have the Dr. come to the house for Grandma this morning she has congestnig of the lungs. he thinks she will be all right in a short time but Ma she is pretty sick - sicker than she lets us know so if you want to come down you can.

Minnie

Tell Jim

Lincoln Hotel and Lincoln Motel

There are few similarities beyond the Lincoln name. A lot of things were named after Lincoln. It's a natural that the City of Lincoln, Nebraska would have a Lincoln Hotel.

Then, there's the Motel Lincoln on Lincoln Way in Masillon, Ohio.  I can picture Abraham Lincoln staying at the Lincoln Hotel, but it's a little harder to imagine him having an overnight at the Motel Lincoln. Maybe if he wore Bermuda shorts and left the hat at home.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order:

 And here's the second one:

Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln and Impersonators

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky on this day 201 years ago.  Now, 145 years after Lincoln's death, there are over 300 people in the United States who earn a living as Lincoln impersonators. Really! I hope this also means that they will all be eating birthday cake, because I love the idea of 300 Lincolns blowing out candles today.

If you want to know more about Lincoln and his impersonators (and you know you do!), you can learn all about them in an upcoming documentary entitled Life as Lincoln. The documentary looks at three of the impersonators or presenters, as they prefer to be called, and explores their efforts to introduce people to the principles that Lincoln cherished. All silliness about birthday cakes aside, this is likely to be a very interesting documentary and a reminder of what Lincoln means to all of  us. The documentary premieres today in Chicago.