After reaching the end of the Reflecting Pool, you have to walk up a daunting 98 steps to get to the actual memorial but trust me, it's worth it. As you go up. be sure to look for the step with the plaque that marks the step from which Martin Luther King Jr. made his "I Had a Dream" speech. The entire inside of the monument is made of Georgia Marble. The exterior of the memorial is Colorado Marble. It is a massive 99 feet tall, 204 feet deep and 134 feet long. There are 36 pillars, made of Indiana Marble, each 44 feet tall and 7.5 feet in diameter. These pillars signify each state that was part of the Union at the time of Lincoln's presidency. The architects inscribed the name of all 48 states that were part of the United States at the time of the building of the monument at the front upper border of the monument. Higher above those names are the names of the last two states, Hawaii and Alaska.
Inside the memorial you will immediately see the 19 ft. by 19 ft. statue of Abraham Lincoln. If we were to stand the statue up, Lincoln would be a massive 28 ft. tall. This enormous sculpture weighs 175 tons. Above the statue, " In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever", is inscribed.
On the south wall is the inscription of the Gettysburg Address. On the north wall is the inscription of Lincoln's second inaugural address. If you look carefully at the line saying, "with high hope for the future", you will see that the "F" in future was carved as an "E". They covered the mistake by not painting the lowest line on the E.
These speeches are surrounded by slightly risen pictures of eagles and wreaths.
As you leave the memorial, you will look out to see the beautiful Reflection Pool, the Washington Monument, and the WWII Memorial. Be sure to check out these great pieces of our history too!
http://www.aviewoncities.com/washington/lincolnmemorial.htm
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/sites/memorial.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/monuments/lincolnmemorial/
