Lincoln Hearse - Springfield,Illinois

[AngliaGT]

I got to see the body being built when we lived in Eureka (CA).
It's owned,& was commissioned by the Staab Funeral Homes in Springfield,
Illinois.
PJ Staab gave us a tour,& treated us like VIP's.Guy's a real character.
He even called a good local Italian restaurant.

 

[NutmegCT]

You're lucky to know Mr Staab, and get a first-hand look during construction.

 

[waltesefalcon]

I thought only Tom was old enough to remember Lincoln's funeral and here you are with genuine color photos from the 1860s.

 

[AngliaGT]

He told us that they had to replace the 2" wide wheels with
2-1/2" ones,as the 2' would break the wooden spokes from the
weight.
He also told us that after he'd spent $8,000 on Ostrich feathers
(not attached for storage) that a knowledgeable woman told him that
they were the wrong ones.They had to be from a certain part of the birds.
Some of them were "Boa" feathers,the kind strippers would use.

 

[waltesefalcon]

They had to be from a certain part of the birds.
Some of them were "Boa" feathers,the kind strippers would use.

At this point a true entrepreneur would have added a couple of brass poles to the thing and hired some strippers to send the President off in style.

 

[mikephillips]

In that time period it would be, "Oh look, I can see an ankle", swoon....