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Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 08-10-2022 04:59 PM by Eva Elisabeth.)

(08-08-2022 07:09 PM)Linda Anderson Wrote: YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard by Arthur Dark visits Lincoln's tomb which I found quite fascinating as I have only seen photographs of it.

It's about 15 minutes into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFIBwOSn...dGraveyard

The picture of Lincoln in his coffin seems to be taken from an illustration by artist Ray Downing.

Very cool - thank you for sharing, Linda!!,

(08-09-2022 09:01 AM)Dennis Urban Wrote:
(07-30-2022 04:09 AM)RJNorton Wrote:
(11-14-2012 04:16 PM)Rsmyth Wrote: Joe, you touched the sofa that Fido slept on? Amazing!

(07-29-2022 10:26 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote: (I remember you behaved quote touchy at Hildene, didn't you?)

Joe, I remember when you were at Hildene you touched a sofa when the tour guide wasn't looking. The sofa was originally in the Lincoln Home in Springfield. I agree with Rich - amazing!

My favorite AL touching area is the bannisters to the second floor at the Lincoln Summer Cottage at the Soldiers Home. You can literally run your hand along the same bannister as did AL. Very strange feeling. You feel history for certain.

What a pity, I didn't realize this when I was there - I think because all looked freshly renovated.

mbgross · 08-18-2022, 07:53 AM

I was deeply moved at Lincoln's sister grave. I was there by myself, early in the morning. I think she did a lot for her brother which will be forever loss to history.

Steve · 08-20-2022, 03:46 AM

I generally feel a closer connection to history through places rather than gravesites. I still will visit particular gravesites if I'm in the area where one is located. I actually enjoy walking through cemeteries, it's that with famous people, at least, I feel a closer historical connection to them visiting their restored home, fort, building etc than visiting their gravesite. I hope that makes sense.

Since I live near Philadelphia, I'll leave a recommendation for Eva, Susan, Gene, or anybody else that may be planning a trip to the area. Christ Church Burial Ground where serveral signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried, including Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's grave can actually be seen from the street by a hole cut into the wall of the cemetery, replaced with an iron gate. Here's an interesting article telling the story of how that happened if anybody is interested:

https://hiddencityphila.org/2017/04/behi...ins-grave/

The openning in the wall has allowed people to toss pennies onto Franklin's grave which, after a century and a half since the hole was made in the wall, has caused damage to the marker of Franklin and his wife's graves.

And if you're going to visit Philadelphia as a grave-seeking tourist, I guess I should give you a word of warning as well. If you visit the Betsy Ross house, the grave marker is incorrect - Betsy and her third husband, John Claypoole are not buried there. In 1976, the city government, (which ran the site at the time and still owns the building collecting rent from the group which runs the site today) notoriously dug up two other bodies from Mt. Moriah Cemetery after it couldn't find the bodies of Betsy and her husband hoping it would help enhance the site's tourist (and tourist's money) appeal.

Dave B · (This post was last modified: 08-20-2022 11:48 AM by Dave B.)

Excellent post. And speaking of Franklin, many people mistakenly think that the big Franklin grave at Boston Old Granary Burial Ground downtown is Benjamin's grave. But it is that of his parents. Benjamin was born at nearby 3 Milk St, Boston, but as you said, is buried in Philadelphia.
I too am more affected by visiting the homes etc than the graves. For instance, George Berkeley, Ireland's most brilliant philosopher, had a home in the countryside near Middletown, Rhode Island, 1729. My wife and I visited there in 2016. Open for tours in summer, a different visiting philosophy professor in residence there each year for 2 or 3 weeks.

RJNorton · 08-20-2022, 03:43 PM

I agree, Steve and Mike. Forty years ago Vicki and I toured Paul Revere's house in Boston. You don't forget an experience like that.

Dave B · 08-20-2022, 09:32 PM

All the years I lived in Boston, never went inside Paul Revere's House!

Eva Elisabeth · 08-21-2022, 04:38 AM

Thank you for more great points!
@ "I generally feel a closer connection to history through places rather than gravesites."
- one of the most touching places to me was Gettysburg, which combined both. I haven't yet had the chance to visit many places, but neither Peterson House nor Ford's got me feel connected to history - possibly because they were too crowded and too much" showcase museum" (and Ford's not original). But I felt that connection in the more quiet places - all the places on the Booth escape route (Surratt House, Dr. Mudd's etc). And at Ford Jefferson.

Susan Higginbotham · 08-22-2022, 12:52 PM

I love touring historical houses as well. Aside from Lincoln's house in Springfield and the Soldiers' Home in DC, some of my favorites are the Ritner boardinghouse in Chambersburg, PA (used by John Brown and his men). I did a blog post on it some time ago. It may be of interest here because in some ways, the boardinghouse keeper, Mary Ritner, was a luckier version of Mary Surratt:

https://www.susanhigginbotham.com/posts/...onspiracy/

I live within miles of the Kennedy Farm in Maryland used by John Brown, but I've never been able to go inside due to COVID restrictions and then to the place being closed for repairs. I'm hoping it will open to the public one of these days.