Coffin on display in Luverne
Replica of the Lincoln coffin is on display at the Hinkly House Museum in LuverneLUVERNE — The timing couldn’t have been better for Hartquist Funeral Home’s Engebretson Chapel in Luverne.
By: Julie Buntjer, Worthington Daily Globe
- Replica Lincoln Coffin
LUVERNE — The timing couldn’t have been better for Hartquist Funeral Home’s Engebretson Chapel in Luverne.
After making a request more than a year ago, the funeral home has received, on loan, an authentic replica of President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin. The coffin will be on display at the Hinkly House Museum in Luverne beginning Thursday, the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. The Hinkly House will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday through next Tuesday for people to visit the display.
Jeff Hartquist, funeral director, said the coffin is one of four replicas constructed by Batesville (Ind.) Casket Company, Inc., that travel throughout the country for educational displays. Batesville is one of the casket suppliers for Hartquist Funeral Home.
“This being an election year and this being the 200th birthday of Lincoln, this just fit really well,” said Hartquist, adding that there is a waiting list extending through 2010 to get the display.
In addition to being on display at the Hinkly House Museum for the next several days, the coffin will be delivered to the Luverne High School this morning in conjunction with a guest speaker who will talk to eighth through12th graders about Lincoln.
“It’s nice to bring awareness to Lincoln’s birthday, and it’s nice to pause and remember a president as we’re going through such a big election and such a critical point in our time,” Hartquist said.
The replica coffin is identical to the original coffin that holds Lincoln’s remains, with two exceptions. The replica is not lead-lined, and it does not feature the formal silver nameplate on the top, which was inscribed with Lincoln’s birth and death dates.
Hartquist said he was surprised by the detail on the coffin.
“It is just a coffin and it is real simple and basic in design,” he said. “It was probably an impressive casket at that time … he died in 1865.”
The six-foot, six-inch long coffin is made of solid walnut and completely covered in black broadcloth. Silver-colored handles and silver tacks adorn the coffin’s exterior, while the interior consists of white satin fabric.
Hartquist had requested the coffin be displayed at the Hinkly House Museum during its stay in Luverne.
“In those days, they put the caskets in the home — there were no funeral homes as we know them today,” said Betty Mann, of the Rock County Historical Society.
“The parlor room was where the body would lie in state,” added Hartquist. “It’s a neat fit to have it here at the Hinkly House. I like the idea of having it as an educational resource that we can bring to the community.”
Batesville Casket Co., had requested permission to recreate Lincoln’s coffin in 1984, when an Illinois museum want to replicate it for an exhibit. The dimensions and details of the coffin were finally released by the state’s funeral association in 1993.
The replica coffins are often requested for new funeral home openings and anniversaries, and by historical museums. The Lincoln replica’s busiest months for display requests are February and April, the month of Lincoln’s death.
Tags: news, lincoln, luverne, harquistfuneralhome, engebretsonchapel, coffin
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