Mary Todd Lincoln's Crazy Days Traditional Cache
Mary Todd Lincoln's Crazy Days
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This micro is in the courtyard outside of what used to be the sanitarium where Mary Todd Lincoln convalesced when she was mentally ill during her later years.
Ten years after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a Chicago court declared his 56-year-old widow Mary insane and committed her to a mental institution. On May 20, 1875, she arrived at Bellevue Place, a private, upscale sanitarium in the Fox River Valley. Her determined efforts led to her release less than four months later, when her sister Elizabeth assumed her care in Springfield.
In 1854, while the Lincoln family lived in Springfield, this building was constructed of Batavia limestone at a cost of $20,000. It first housed a private academy called the Batavia Institute. By 1867 it became Bellevue Place, a rest home and sanitarium run by Dr. Richard J. Patterson, one of the physicians who advised Robert Todd Lincoln. The building changed owners several times after Mary Lincoln's stay in 1875 and has been converted into apartments. It is not open for tours.
The irony of Mary Todd Lincoln's "crazy" days is that she was likely not insane at all. Her symptoms most resembled narcissism, migraine headaches and post traumatic stress disorder stemming from being present at the Lincoln assassination. Details of her condition and sham trial (don't let your kids railroad you like this) are quite fascinating.
This is a small container containing nothing but a very small log. Bring your own writing utensil. DO NOT DISTURB THE LANDSCAPING.
Many thanks to tasaint who, in 1997, placed this cache and maintained it well into 2010.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Whfg nf qrgrezvarq nf Znel, V fgvpx gb vg.