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Rub the nose for luck.

Lincoln's Tomb and Lucky Nose

Field review by the editors.

Springfield, Illinois

200,000 people a year visit Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. Judging from the appearance of Abe's big bronze head, lots of those visitors make it a point to stop and give a rub to Lincoln's nose.

Why? Some folks believe that rubbing the nose of any statue brings good luck -- so the nose of a person as successful as the President must be especially powerful. And how many Presidential noses are within reach of a furtive touch, let alone a vigorous buffing? Not many. Perhaps that's the reason that the tomb designers of man-of-the-people Lincoln put his sizable honker within reach of all.

Some worry that Lincoln's nose may not really be lucky. They argue that Lincoln had a crazy wife, a son who died in the White House, and a Presidency soaked in the bloodiest four years in American history. Half the country hated his guts, and, in case you've forgotten, the nose on the statue is at Lincoln's Tomb. He was assassinated.

Perhaps only the superrich get to rub the really good Presidential noses, while the rest of us get stuck with unlucky Honest Abe?

You could drive yourself nuts fretting about whether or not to rub the Presidential proboscis at Lincoln's Tomb. We say its glossy shine speaks for itself, and crowdsourced wisdom is never, ever wrong. Give Abraham's honker a good burnish.

Roadside Presidents
Roadside Presidents App for iPhone. Find this attraction and more: museums, birthplaces, graves of the Chief Execs, first ladies, pets, assassins and wannabes. Prez bios and oddball trivia. Available on the App Store.

Also see: Statue Burnishing Etiquette

Lincoln's Tomb and Lucky Nose

Lincoln Tomb

Address:
1500 Monument Ave., Springfield, IL
Directions:
In Oak Ridge Cemetery. Follow the signs to the Lincoln Tomb.
Hours:
Summer daily 9-4:30, winter W-Sa. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
217-782-2717
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Defiant Tomb Of Mr. AccordionDefiant Tomb Of Mr. Accordion, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.
Pearson MuseumPearson Museum, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.
9/11 Memorial with Pittsburgh Misspelled9/11 Memorial with Pittsburgh Misspelled, Springfield, IL - 2 mi.
In the region:
Green Elephant, Springfield, IL - 2 mi.

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