Saturday, July 12, 2008

Lincoln's Rain

The Peterson House. Lincoln was carried through the door, and down this hallway to a back bedroom where he would slip away, into the ages.

Lincoln’s Rain
By Randy J. Cole

Those who were there said it rained that day,
It surprises me not that history was destined in such a way.

Did you feel the rain strike your face,
as those in blue carried you to that place?

Across the street to the Peterson house, you were laid upon the bed,
Your wife, your son, spoke sorrow and pain, so many prayers were said.

Did you feel the rain strike your face,
as those in blue carried you to that place?

They said that a dream came to you, and gave you a chance to see,
Perhaps you chose to ignore the thought, or decided it was destiny.

Black draped the house of white, as you filled the history pages,
first by horse, and then by train, you were carried into the ages.





Interesting Tidbits


For those of you who have not had the experience of going to Washington DC. I thought it might be interesting to give you some tidbits of information that can be found in the basement of the Fords Theater. I for one love history, although you would never know it if you were to look at the grades I received all through my school years in this subject. What a shame that I wasted those years. Today, if given the chance to visit the spot where a major event has occurred, I find myself lost in thought. Transferred to the moment that history was changed. I love it and I know that many of you have this ability and share my interest in these kind of events. The Fords Theater is one of those places where it is so easy to get lost in the moment. The displays are remarkable.
Today is would not seem so odd to hear of a person trying to obtain a memento of a serious rip in history by taking a souvenir such as an item with a blood stain on it for instance. It seems morbid but people are in fact fascinated by such a collection. It would appear that even in the days of Lincoln, such trophies were not uncommon. This photo is of the overcoat worn by Lincoln at the time of his assassination. The information provided says that after Lincoln was shot, trophy seekers actually cut pieces from the overcoat which were stained with Lincoln’s blood to keep as souvenirs from the event.


The door you see behind the coat is the original door that Booth opened to fire the fatal round.

The murder weapon, a .44 caliber pistol. Experts say that if this gun were to ever be placed up for auction, it would without a doubt become the most expensive hand gun in the world.

All images by Randy J. Cole


1 comment:

Judypatooote said...

Now this post was right up my alley./...one of my favorite trips was to Williamsburg with grandkids and daughters...I love stories of the old south, and I remember going to the courthouse in Williamsburg, and they said that when you commit a crime, they would brand your hand....even if it was stealing food....I wonder if they had such punishment here and now, if people would take the chances that they do.... nice post Randy, (teach) LOL.... judy

PS....I never enjoyed history either when I was in school, it took old age for me to appreciate it....