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Posted on Nov 27, 2013 in History News

Campaign to Restore Sofa on Which Lincoln Courted Mary Todd

By Armchair General

The crowdfunding site Kickstarter is used to start many things – to develop an invention, publish a game, etc. – but one campaign is being waged to bring something back. The Springfield Art Association of Springfield, Illinois, is using the site to raise money for the restoration of the couch on which Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd sat during the early part of their courtship. It was in the Springfield home of Mary’s oldest sister, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s husband, Ninian Wirt Edwards. The 180-year-old sofa is undergoing an expensive process to bring it back to the way it looked in the 1840s when guests sat on it and watched Lincoln slip on Mary’s hand a wedding ring inscribed “Love is Eternal.” During the restoration process, the original horsehair upholstery was discovered underneath the replacement fabric, meaning the Empire-style sofa can be restored as closely as possible to its original appearance.

To see photos and read more, go to the Kickstarter site, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/962800909/restore-the-lincoln-courting-couch?ref=recommended