Lincoln Funeral Train (Woodstock)

Side A: President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865, created a national tragedy, and the nation mourned as his body was transported by rail from Washington, D.C. back to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried. On its way the Funeral Train stopped in Columbus and Lincoln’s coffin was moved to the Statehouse Rotunda for a day-long viewing. From Columbus Governor John Brough and others changed the train’s route, which resulted in a trip through Champaign County where it stopped several times. The Funeral Train arrived in Woodstock on April 29 at 9:46 p.m. for a brief ceremony and to take on fuel and water. With nearly 500 people present, bouquets were laid on Lincoln’s coffin. The Woodstock Cornet Band, led by Warren U. Cushman, played hymns of grief, including “Pleyel’s Hymn.” Village bells rung and silent men and women stood as the train departed and traveled downhill toward Cable and Urbana. Side B: Same