April 25th, 1865

[cw1865]

April 25th, 1865, 154 years ago, one of the more iconic pictures in American history was taken. Look at the open second-floor window between shutters in the black and white photograph and you will see two boys. One of them is a young Theodore Roosevelt who is at his grandfather's mansion just off of Broadway and Union Square. The previous day Lincoln's coffin passed from NJ to NY and he remained at City Hall for mourners to pay their respects. The following day, the funeral procession marched up Broadway, making a left turn at Union Square before proceeding to 5th Avenue, then to 34th St, where the procession turned west to the Hudson Rail Yards where the procession boarded a train heading out of the city. Of course Lincoln's coffin would eventually be taken to Springfield, IL. The color pictures are the closest modern approximations of the picture taken in the black and white photograph.