Inaugural Table

If you have seen the picture of President Lincoln's second inauguration, you may recognize this table's distinctive shape. Crafted in 1865 for the ceremony, it was assembled from cast iron left over from the then-new Capitol dome. Benjamin French, who ordered the table, promised to give it to Lincoln as a memento when he left office. After Lincoln's assassination, French donated it to the Massachusetts History Society, the current owner. The Bible shown in this picture came from President Eisenhower's inauguration.

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