The Republican journal., 1881-07-28
NUMBER 80.
The Last Restlng-Place of Abraham
Lincoln.

1t would be difficult to imagine
lovelier spot at this season of the year
than Oak Ridge, the last resting place of
Abraham Lincoln. During the month of
June, perhaps, the throng Of visitors to
the tomb is greater than at any other
time OF the year. The cemetery is now
easily reached from almost any por-
ton OF the city by street cars. Visitors
taking the cars at the new capitol build
ing reach the cemetery in less than 20
minutes. Almost any day during the
summer months the number of visitors at
the tomb Will average from two to five
hundred persons. Excursions from diff
terent parts of the West visit the capitol.
the one great object of their pilgrimage
being to gaze upon the monument Of the
illustrious dead Picnic parties from diff
terent parts of the State visit the park
and ridge daily, and it is no unusual
thing to see the lunch baskets of nearly
1000 people when the railroads pour in
some OF their largest excursions, as Was
often the case during July and August
last summer
After leaving the park the ridge is
reached by short walk, in which the
visitor IS compelled to descend number
OF wooden steps, with here and there a
level piece OF ground, and which afford
shorter intervals of rest when ascending
the steps from the ravilo below, after re-
turning from visit to -be tomb Enter
ing the cemetery. the visitor reads over
the gateway Of very plain wooden con-
hn inca nn1
Cemetery At the gate stands we'll
dressed man who has oticiated for some
years as a sort Of sentry or 0yerseer,
whose duty seems to be to see that no
drunken characters drive in, and to pre-
vent as far as possible any disorderlv
conduct on the grounds. Passing to the
right is the seXton's house, and here is
kept the cemetery register, where the
visitor records his name. Each year has
added new beauty and improvement to
Oak Ridge, and the visitor VINO entered
the gates upon that memorable April day
when the lamcnted President was con
signed to the tomb would now hardly
recognize the place. The cemetery is the
property of Il stock company Of Spring
tleld, who few years before the war pur-
chased the property at a rather cheap
figure.
The visitor to the tomb Of Lincoln lin
gers us if in Il dream. From the tomb a
most beautiful landscape is spread before
the visitor, and through the rich foliage
OF the magnificent trees here and there
are dotted the tombStones Of many of
Lincoln's earlier friends, who knew him
years ago as a struggling young LAWYER,
with nothing before him but an honest
ambition and fine natural talents. Grand.
gloomy and sublime is the sight before
us, with nothing to mar the loveliness of
the spot except in the Very near distance,
where are to be seen the immense volumes
OF heavy black smoke, putting and escap-
ing from the high smokestack Of lager
beer brewery into the cemetery The
busy traffic in the beverage is going on
night and day.
The custodian of the monument is John
W. Powell, ice-looking Old gentleman,
who it will be remembered, wrote a most
graphic description of Lincoln's funeral
cortege from the national capital to the
last resting place beneath the shade of
Oak Ridge. Mr.. Powell took charge of
the room known as the Lincoln Memorial,
located in the base OF the monument.
Here upon the walls hang the official CON
dolences OF the various crowned heads Of
Europe, forwarded at a time when q thrill
Of horror ran through the land at the
terrible tragedy enacted. In a glass case
are contained other memories of Lncoln's
earlier life, i'll the shape Of surveying in
struments, axes, pieces Of rails split by
the President when young man in Hi
noiS. The tools used by the desperadoes
who attempted to rob the tomb few
years ago, copies of the Presidents biog-
raphy, written by himself, photographs
Of the lamented dead of his old home in
Springfield and his tomb are what most
y interest the visitor Yet there are
many other articles in the memorial
room. \ small price Of admission is
charged to enter the memorial chamber,
and from this source d considerable sum
of money must be realized more than
sufficient to pay the custodian for his ser
vices and leave the Monument Association
at the end of each year handsome sur
plus.
Among the visitors at the tomb ut all
seasons of the year are members of the
cOlored race, who seem to flock in almost
countless numbers from all parts of the
country to knecl at the shrine of the man
who did so much for their own race
Philadelphia Times.