Lincoln Assassination 150th Anniversary, Part 4: The Funeral
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Abraham Lincoln's funeral train reversed the route he took to his inauguration. Departing Washington April 20th, it arrived in Philadelphia in the late afternoon of Saturday, April 22nd.
"They arranged a large civic and military procession through the streets," Independence Historic Park Ranger Tom Daniels tells KYW Newsradio. "There's about half a million people on the streets which is about the size of Philadelphia at the time of the Civil War, so nearly the entire population of the city is said to be on the streets watching his hearse snake its way around the city."
Daniels says Lincoln laid in state at Independence Hall, between the Liberty Bell and a statue of Washington:
"Lines of mourners start forming. The papers report lines stretching as far as the Schuylkill River and as far as the Delaware River and they started bringing people in through the windows. They've actually built special staircases at two of the windows leading into the hall and two of the windows exiting the hall."
A steady stream passed on either side of the coffin for 19 hours with an estimated 120,000 mourners.
"And this was an open casket so they were able to see Lincoln's face, and this was a very moving experience, a very powerful experience," Daniels says.
The park will commemorate the occasion with special events on April 22nd and 23rd.