Page 28 - Abraham Lincoln Hearse Narrative

FIFTH PROJECT UPDATE - FEBRUARY, 2015 – ERIC HOLLENBECK
How Craftsmanship Is Healing Lives at
The Blue Ox Village
The next chapter of the Abraham Lincoln
hearse build for The Blue Ox began with an
unveiling at the shop of the finished body. Finished
but not painted. This was a two day event with 500
people a day coming through to see the work of
our Veterans and team, from their woodworking
to metal casting to the gold and silver leafing. It
was a grand sendoff for the hearse’s next stage; a
The hearse at The Blue Ox Open House, trip to Tombstone, Arizona.
the day before leaving for Tombstone, Arizona. Flown in special from Springfield, Illinois
was PJ Staab, his right hand man Roger Stewart, and Thomas R. Jones, a veteran advocate and
writer... and as a special surprise, from Tombstone, Arizona came Jack Feather, the craftsman
who would be completing the hearse. There was much “speaking,” toasting, and merriment all
mixed with sadness that the project was leaving the shop. Nine months is a long time to bond
with a project and especially one of this complexity.
Now came one of many very tricky parts of this operation: getting the body out of the
shop and onto the trailer. This was tricky as no one knew what the body weighed, or if its
length would fit through the doors! Luckily, it just
barely made it through the back doors and onto the
loading dock. With no good way to lift it I used my
LOGGING skills learned as a young man and jill-
poked two beams on the forks under the body and
used a reach chain through the windows to grab
the far side. It looked bad - but it worked!
Once on the trailer, we cocooned the body in
plastic wrap and the drive team was off. The three-
day adventure of transporting the body down the
entire length of California and then the width of
Arizona was accomplished by P.J. and Roger and The hearse seeing sunlight for the first time!
Tom Jones from Springfield, Viviana to film and
record the trip, and me to offer support in the
unloading--I guess! Roger drove the truck towing
the hearse with me shotgun, and PJ, Tom and Viv
followed in the chase car. It was a wild trip, hitting
both San Francisco and L.A. in evening rush hour
traffic! I for one truly found out that no matter what
Truck Drivers charge, IT’S CHEAP!!! The entire
way people showed great interest and respect for
the project - with every hotel we stayed at allowing
us to park the hearse under their portico at night. Jack Feather and Johnny Calkins adjust the
In Pleasanton, we were able to share drinks and support beams on the trailer.
stories with Mark Greenwald, a key sponsor of the

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