The Beautiful Kind

Also in Springfield, IL (conveniently located a stone’s throw from Lincoln’s Tomb) is the Museum of Funeral Customs, whose motto is “Death is only the beginning.” I should have asked them what that meant - the beginning of an exhibit?

I was delighted to see that I already owned about half the books they had available for sale.

Did you know that Lincoln was so upset over the death of his young son Willie that he had his coffin exhumed twice so he could look at him again? Or that after death, nails and hair do not continue to grow, but the skin shrinks, giving the illusion of growth? Or that bodies decompose four times faster in water than on land?

Ooh I’d love to volunteer here.