In 1867, two years after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the Lincoln Memorial was commissioned. But problems began almost immediately. The land chosen in 1901 was little more than a swamp and had to be filled in and leveled. Money was also an issue until 1911 when President William Howard Taft signed a bill authorizing $2 million for the memorial.
Construction of Lincoln Memorial
According to Barry Cauchon"s blog, "A Little Touch of History," the marble temple structure designed by Henry Bacon is 99 ft high. Each of the thirty-six columns represents one of the states in the union at the time of Lincoln’s assassination. But by the time the memorial was completed there were 12 more states. So all the states are engraved on the outside of the memorial, with plaques added later for Alaska and Hawaii.
The statue of a seated Lincoln inside, carved by Daniel Chester French, is 19 feet tall. Initially the statue was only going to be 10 feet tall; however, Bacon realized that the statue would seem small surrounded by the huge temple and so its size was increased.
Dedication of the Memorial
Finally, on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 1914, the cornerstone was set. In 1922 the memorial was dedicated by then Chief Justice Taft in a ceremony that was attended by Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s only surviving child. Lincoln did not speak, but listened proudly and attentively as distinguished men of the time praised and memorialized his father.
Lincoln's Legacies in Stone
Three of Lincoln’s greatest legacies are commemorated in the memorial. His second inaugural speech is carved into the north wall, the Gettysburg address is inscribed on the south wall, and above the Gettysburg address is a mural that shows an angel freeing a slave.
The People's Monument
More than any other monument on the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial has been adopted by the American people. The memorial has often been the site of protests, probably due to Lincoln’s reputation as a champion of civil rights. Martin Luther King’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream” was given from the steps of the monument.
Despite the constant presence of National Park Service guards, countless generations of enterprising young people have risked stiff fines by climbing into Lincoln’s inviting lap for a picture with their hero.
Hidden Secrets of the Lincoln Memorial
There are several rumors that persist about the memorial. One is that there is a smaller sculpture of Robert E. Lee’s face hidden in Lincoln’s hair, gazing across the Potomac towards Arlington Cemetery.
Another story is that Lincoln’s hands are forming his initials, “A” and “L” in American Sign Language, honoring the sculptor’s son, who was supposedly deaf. While this was never confirmed by French himself, it is true that French had done this in at least one of his other sculptures. Lincoln's hands do indeed rest in those exact positions, but whether or not it was deliberate remains a mystery.
The Memorial is open 24 hours a day, and National Park Service rangers are available to answer questions every day from 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM.
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