Tomb Case 3

2022 rotation items carried over due to Mary Veil loan.

AC-LR001 – Casket Handle
AC-LR054 – Tad Casket Plate
AC-LR095 – Abraham Lincoln Casket Plate
Construction glass negative from AV

Relics of the Renovations

As Lincoln’s Tomb was constructed and then renovated over time, his body was sometimes moved and reinterred. These items testify to the work that has gone into the Tomb and the resulting wear-and-tear. The handle is from Abraham Lincoln’s original casket. When his body was placed in a new lead casket following the 1876 attempt to steal his body, the original wooden casket was buried under the Tomb. Construction staff working on the Tomb’s foundation in 1900 accidentally shattered the wooden casket with a steam shovel but saved this handle.

The two nameplates also come from the original caskets of Abraham and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln and were removed during subsequent renovations. The wall photo shows the Tomb under initial construction in 1869. The glass plate in front is the original negative with cracks in the corner that are visible as black lines in the photo.

Handle gift of Helen K. Weber, 1965

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