National Historic Landmark

Lincoln Tomb

Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
66000330

About this property

The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States; his wife Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Constructed of granite, the tomb has a tall, story-and-a-half base in trapezoidal form, surmounted by an obelisk, with a semicircular receiving room entranceway on one end and a semicircular crypt or burial room opposite. On the exterior, four flights of balustraded stairs lead to a level terrace. The balustrade extends around the terrace to form a parapet, and there are several bronze statues, reliefs, and stone carvings located at the base of the obelisk. The obelisk rises 117 feet (36m) high. A bronze recasting of Gutzon Borglum's head of Lincoln stands on a pedestal in front of the entrance way; Borglum's original marble bust is in the U.S. Capitol. Inside the tomb's ground level entrance is a rotunda with connecting hallways to the burial room. Marble is used throughout the interior, and several well-known, specially cast bronze statues of Lincoln are displayed in the entrance room and hallways. A stained glass window and flags adorn the crypt, which is centered around an inscribed red marble monument. At the close of the ceremonies and events marking Lincoln's death, his body was placed in a nearby receiving tomb and later in the state tomb. The mausoleum is owned and administered by the State of Illinois as Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. It was designated one of the first National Historic Landmarks in 1960, and thus became one of the first sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, when that designation was created.

Location

Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois
39.82342, -89.65754

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Oak Ridge Cemetery
Listed
0.1 mi
Brinkerhoff, George M., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Rippon-Kinsella House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Camp Lincoln Commissary Building
Industrial
0.6 mi
Bretz, John F., House and Warehouse
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lincoln Tomb listed on the National Register?

Lincoln Tomb was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Lincoln Tomb?

Lincoln Tomb is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Lincoln Tomb a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Lincoln Tomb has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Lincoln Tomb?

The period of significance for Lincoln Tomb is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lincoln Tomb?

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