STATEHOUSE NEWS

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A special commemoration of the death of Abraham Lincoln will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 27. The day will be marked with a Repose of Lincoln re-enactment and a photo exhibit. The event is free and open to the public.

Since April 29, the day Lincoln’s body lay in state at the Ohio Statehouse in 1865, falls on Sunday, the annual event will take place on Friday.

About the Repose of Lincoln
The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, a group of Civil War re-enactors, will provide an honor guard over a representation of Abraham Lincoln’s coffin and catafalque in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda. A changing of the guard is scheduled to take place every half hour. Members of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A will stand guard from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Statehouse Rotunda on the exact spot where 147 years before stood military sentinels of another generation guarding the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln died in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 15, 1865 after being shot a day earlier by assassin John Wilkes Booth. During the next 20 days, Lincoln’s body traveled 1,700 miles by train from Washington, D.C. to his burial in Springfield, IL on May 4, 1865. Along the way, state funerals were conducted in 12 major cities of the time. Columbus was the ninth city to host this solemn event.

The doors to the Ohio Statehouse opened on April 29, 1865 shortly after 9 a.m. A memorial service was held on the east plaza at 3 p.m. By 6 p.m. more than 50,000 people filed through the Statehouse Rotunda to see the President’s coffin. This was the highest attended event in Statehouse history until November 2, 2008 when Presidential candidate, Barack Obama drew 60,000 people to a rally on the Statehouse grounds.

The perimeter of where the coffin was positioned in the Rotunda will be cordoned off as a physical reminder that the President lay-in-state. A mourning wreath of mixed evergreens, magnolia leaves and white roses will be placed at the site.

Flowers will be placed throughout the Rotunda to add realism to event. The scent of the flowers played an important part on the overall setting and mood on April 29, 1865.

A historic depiction of the setting in the Ohio Statehouse on April 29, 1865 went on to say: “The platform, tastefully carpeted, the rise of each step dressed in black, was ornamented with emblematical flowers and plants in vases so arranged as to present, with their impression of beauty, the sorrow for the dead. At the corners facing the west entrance, were large vases containing beautiful specimens of amaranth, and midway between them a grand central vase glowing with the richness and beauty of the choicest flowers of the season. A similar disposition of vases faced the east entrance, from the corner ones the flowers of the emblematical Justitia, reaching to the height of the dais. Around these large vases, were grouped smaller ones, rising in gradations of beauty with the steps of the platform.” Also, at the foot facing the west entrance was “a graceful swell of a bed of white roses, immortelles and orange blossoms, the pure white relieved only by the deep fresh green of the leaves and spring accompanying [them].”

The Repose of Lincoln is designed to portray the indelible, personal loss experienced on this historic day by the people of Columbus and in the Statehouse. The Repose of Lincoln has been conducted every year on April 29 (held on a Friday if April 29 falls on the weekend) since 2001.

About the Photo Exhibit
A special exhibit of images from the Library of Congress will be on view in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on Lincoln’s assassination and the men and women named as conspirators along with their fate. This exhibit is for mature audiences.

Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial
Visitors will also have the opportunity to view the Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial, which is on display in the Rotunda. In addition, viewers may download a free podcast from iTunes to an iPod or other digital device. The podcast uses music and photographs to outline the history of the Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial. The Memorial was sculpted by T.D. Jones and was the second piece of art commissioned for the Statehouse by the Ohio General Assembly. The Memorial bears one of the only sculptures of Lincoln that was created from a live sitting with the President. Jones, a native of Granville, took temporary residence in Springfield, IL and had the unique opportunity to spend time each day with President-Elect Lincoln from November 1860 to February 11, 1861.

Images of the Repose of Lincoln are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/Multimedia/MediaLibrary/Collection.aspx?start=1&collectionId=107844


To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free. Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Groups of 10 or more are requested to call in advance to ensure a guide is available. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour. For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly. The Capitol Square complex was restored to allow for greater access by individuals living with disabilities. Ohio Statehouse public programs and events are held in accessible and barrier free areas of the building so that everyone can participate. Ohio Statehouse visitors needing disability-related accommodations in order to fully participate in an event may contact the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board at statehouse@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/752-9777 to communicate special needs. Please allow three weeks for arrangements to be completed.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in or visit the complex. The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center coordinates tours of Capitol Square and provides information about the buildings, their history and Ohio's government.

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Calendar Listing:

The Repose of President Lincoln
Replica Lincoln's Coffin and Photo Exhibit on View
April 27, 2012; 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Ohio Statehouse Rotunda & Atrium, Broad & High Streets; downtown
Columbus
Free!

The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, a group of Civil War re-enactors, will provide an honor guard for a representation of Lincoln’s coffin and catafalque from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The event takes place on the site where the slain President lay in state in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on April 29, 1865. A special exhibit of images from the Library of Congress will be on view in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on Lincoln’s assassination and the men and women named as conspirators along with their fate. This exhibit is for mature audiences.