Splitting Image.

LINCOLN, Abraham, 1809-1865; WOODEN fences; HANKS, John; AMERICAN Civil War, 1861-1865; NATIONAL Museum of American History (U.S.); UNITED States history; EXHIBITIONS; ECONOMICS

The article discusses wood split by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and used as a fence rail on his family's farm in Salem, Illinois. It examines the gathering of the wood by Lincoln's cousin, John Hanks, and its use as political propaganda during the 1860 U.S. Republican National Convention. Other topics include political legends and the selling of the wood during the U.S. Civil War to raise money for the Union Army. The author comments on a rail fragment donated to the U.S. National Museum of American History (NMAH), on display through May 30, 2011 at the NMAH exhibition "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life."