Diamond Jubilee: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois

A slightly longish walk from downtown lies the Oak Ridge Cemetery - final resting place of President Lincoln. Learning the history of his tomb and burial was fascinating (and rather disturbing).

The entrance avenue to the cemetery is stately but now lined with normal homes. At the time the mausoleum was opened to the public, there was a steady stream of visitors, so the entrance avenue looked like other such places that cater to visitors - filled with establishments created purposely for mass tourism. Visitors still pay their respects (mostly by bus and car), but the avenue has now reverted to "just another neighborhood".

The cemetery itself is filled with offbeat mausoleums and tombstones. Most memorable was the rough hewn mausoleum that looked like it was from Bedrock in the Flintstones. Another memorial marker bore the inscription "A life devoted to the accordion". Those observations made for an interesting (and funny) prelude to Lincoln's supremely serious and austere grave.

July 2021

Lincoln's first grave was temporary while the more elaborate one was constructed (it took some time). There was a lot of concern about his body being stolen by grave robbers (why? an elaborate attempt to steal the body for ransom had been foiled), so there was tight security around the temporary grave and later the permanent one was made extremely secure (his body and his family's are actually buried deep beneath the memorial cenotaph).

Although I was happy to visit the number two attraction in town after the downtown historic district, but it didn't "feel" that special. I understood a lot more about Lincoln's life from seeing his workplace, home, and neighborhood. The memorial mausoleum left me feeling flat.

The walk to Oak Ridge Cemetery felt like visiting a formerly important pilgrimage site. People still pay their respects, but the impact has long since faded. I returned to the city to visit more of Springfield itself.