1865Why are the remains of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln resting in a concrete vault ten feet below the floor of the burial chamber?
The remains of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, rest in a concrete vault ten feet beneath the floor of his tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. After his assassination in 1865, a near-theft of Lincoln’s body in 1876 and continuing threats led to extraordinary security measures to ensure his perpetual safety. In September 1901, his casket was identified one final time before being encased in a steel cage and entombed under 4,000 pounds of cement, making it virtually impossible to disturb. Lincoln's journey to lasting peace involved 17 moves of his casket before this remarkable burial, which remains a unique chapter in American presidential history.
