The hitching post that President Abraham Lincoln used when he attended services at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC from 1861 until his death in 1865 still stands. Located just three blocks east of The White House, people would often gather and greet the first family as they arrived, whether it was by their horse-drawn carriage or, occasionally, on foot. The Lincolns never joined the church, but they attended services there regularly, renting a pew for $50 / year.
Today, almost a century and a half later, most people pass by the hitching post without knowing its history, despite the brass plaque which reads:
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
HITCHING POST
1861 – 1865
My husband and I had the opposite experience. We spent a lot of time looking for the hitching post, using text instructions and pictures on the web to try to determine where to find it. Finally, using an arch on a building across the street, Mister Rain located it, but the post was covered in backpacks hung there by a group of unhoused people.
While Mister Rain respectfully took some pictures of the hitching post, I sat in the car wondering what Abraham Lincoln would think of the amount of unhoused people in the United States. I pictured him pulling up in his carriage, tying his horse to the post and seeing numerous citizens living on the street. I would like to think he would have had the answers we apparently do not, though how would that help us in 2026? But it brought me comfort . . . and hope. Turning my face to the white steeple set against a beautiful fall sky, I prayed for the wisdom and humanity of President Abraham Lincoln, for all of us.
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