Building the Lincoln Tomb

On April 24, 1865, several associates of Abraham Lincoln formed the National Lincoln Monument Association to raise funds for and build a fitting memorial over the president's grave. An 1868 competition chose the monument design of sculptor Larking G. Mead, Jr. A year later the association had raised more than $170,000 in donations, and construction began. President Ulysses S. Grant dedicated the tomb on October 15, 1874. The monument association managed the tomb until 1895, when the last of the members deeded the structure to the State of Illinois.

Springfield, Illinois · United States