Flower bud from Lincoln funeral, c. 1865

Funeral Relics

A commemorative album compiled by the director of Lincoln’s funeral train, General E. D. Townsend, contains newspaper clippings and several small relics, including a flower bud that dropped on Lincoln’s body at Buffalo and “nestled next to his heart until the coffin was about to be closed in Springfield, Illinois.” The album’s cover has five small nails from Lincoln’s coffin, which was repeatedly opened for public viewing, then closed again, during the long journey home.