The Depot
For several nights before they left for
Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln and his family stayed at a local hotel
because they had already rented out their house. Early on the morning of
February 11, 1861, he went to the Great Western Railroad depot, which had
been built in 1852. At the time Lincoln used the depot it was just a
one-story building. Men and women had separate waiting rooms.
Lincoln and his eldest son, Robert, were scheduled to leave on the 8:00 a.m.
train. The rest of his family would follow later that day.
The Farewell Speech
The group that gathered to see Lincoln off
was reported by some to be a hundred people and by others to be a thousand
people. But by all accounts, it was raining. Lincoln gave a short speech.
His words, brief yet powerful, moved his audience and foretold of the great
challenge he faced. He was asked to write down his remarks. One can read his
words, the first several lines in his own hand writing and the rest in that
of his personal secretary, John Nicolay, at the Library of Congress web site
at
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm059.html.
The president-elect’s words, as written, were:
“My friends,
No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this
parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.
Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an
old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave,
not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me
greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of
that Divine Being, who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that
assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain
with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will
yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will
commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
Lincoln’s Predictions Accurate
The concerns about the future of our nation
that Abraham Lincoln expressed in his speech turned out to be true. The
southern states soon broke away from the United States, and the Civil War
began. It was a sad and dangerous time in our history. Lincoln carried a
tremendous burden as he led the North, and ultimately the United States was
reunited as a single country. George Washington’s leadership had helped
create our country. Abraham Lincoln’s leadership helped preserve it.
In his farewell speech Lincoln questioned whether he would ever return to
Springfield. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln was
assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor who sympathized with the South.
Lincoln did return to Springfield, but unfortunately he came back aboard a
funeral train.
Depot Privately Owned
Unlike the other Lincoln sites students visit on class trips, the Lincoln
Depot is not public property. The State Journal-Register, a Copley
newspaper, owns and maintains the depot. It is open for visits only from
April 1 through August 31 and is staffed by employees hired from the
National Park Service. |
