| ABRAHAM LINCOLN - President of the United States |
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The mausoleum of President Abraham Lincoln is the second to occupy this site. Construction of the first Lincoln Tomb began in 1869, based upon a design by sculptor Larkin Mead, and was dedicated in 1874. Due to problems with the foundation, the original tomb had to be dismantled and reconstructed, a process that occurred between 1899 and 1901. Though the basic design was kept the same, the height of the obelisk was increased by 15 feet, to its present height of 117 feet. The exterior of the tomb is composed of grey granite from Quincy, Massachusetts. |
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The base of the mausoleum consists of an entryway with corridors leading to either side to the chamber in the rear where the President and his family are interred. Outside the front door is a bronze sculpture of the face of Lincoln by Gutzon Borglum, designer of the colossal Presidential figures at Mount Rushmore. |
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Visitors may ascend the stairs to either side of the main entrance and walk on the roof of the tomb. At the four corners of the base of the obelisk are military statues by Larkin Mead. Beneath the statue of Lincoln in front of the obelisk (also by Mead) is an ancient stone with a Latin inscription, and underneath, the English translation: To Abraham Lincoln, President for the second time of the American Republic, citizens of Rome present this stone from the wall of Servius Tullius by which the memory of each of those brave advocates of liberty may be associated. |