THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL SHRINE AND SMILEY LIBRARY in REDLANDS, CA

When we think of monuments to Abraham Lincoln we look to Washington, DC and the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, or perhaps to Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln lived and worked before he became President. But we don’t think of Redlands, California, a small city surrounded by orange groves in the heart of the “Inland Empire” as a special place to honor Lincoln.

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine, constructed in 1932 by British-born businessman Robert Watchorn in honor of Lincoln, sits in a tree-filled park adjacent to downtown Redlands' main street. It houses Watchorn’s personal collection of Lincoln memorabilia ranging from artworks, manuscripts, copper pennies, Civil War weapons, to a lock of Lincoln’s hair. A history of Watchorn’s  family and his career before building the shrine are also part of the exhibits. But most of the items on display are objects he collected in connection with his fascination and admiration of Lincoln.

Robert, Emory Ewart, and Alma Watchorn, donors of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, a gift honoring Abraham Lincoln and memorializing their son.

In early March I attended a conference held at The University of Redlands, and when it was over had the chance to explore the historic downtown, visiting the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and Smiley Library with my friend and fellow author Alexis O'Neill and her husband David Boeshaar.

Bust of Lincoln. "He being dead, yet speaketh."

A bust of Lincoln mounted on a pedestal is the first thing you see as you enter the building. The formal setting and darkened room give it almost a religious aura. More than 3000 books are in the shrine collection and are available to researchers. Here are just two examples of the hundreds of items on view in the shrine.

Examples of the Lincoln penny.

In 1909, the centennial of Lincoln’s birth, he became the first person to have his portrait featured on an official United States coin, the copper penny.

The President's Emancipation March.

President Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September, 1862 after the Battle of Antietam. Composer George Fawcett was so moved that he wrote a piece he called “The President’s Emancipation March” dedicating it to Abraham Lincoln.

Caroline and Alexis at entrance to the Smiley Public Library

After viewing the Lincoln Shrine, we crossed the street to tour the Smiley Public Library, a magnificent structure featuring a tower over the front entrance.

Reading room of the library.

The large rooms inside are filled with light coming through beautiful stained glass windows. I couldn’t resist checking the card catalogue (now online) to see if they had any of my books on their shelves and discovered that they had quite a few.

Winnie the Pooh window in the children's room.

I especially enjoyed touring the children’s room and seeing the windows depicting characters from some of my favorite children’s books such as Winnie the Pooh and Charlotte’s web.

Smiley brothers, Albert K. and Alfred H., and library.

Redlands, California, a city of 71,000 people lies about an hour and a half east of Los Angeles, at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is at 125 West Vine Street, Redlands, CA 92373. The Smiley Lib rary is across the street from the shrine.

HOMAGE TO SUNDIALS: Eight Year Anniversary of The Intrepid Tourist

Giant wall Sundial at Redlands University, Redlands, CA

Eight years ago I launched The Intrepid Tourist as an outlet for my travel writing. Since then I have posted a new article once a week, accumulating a whopping total of more than 500 posts--some about far away places, others much closer to home. Most are about my own travel experiences, but others are about the trips made by family and friends. I thank all my guest posters who have contributed reports of their adventures on The Intrepid Tourist and shared their personal views of the world.

Berkeley Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA

In many of my travels, I have come across sundials and been fascinated by both their beauty and technology. In celebration of the beginning of a new year of The Intrepid Tourist I an sharing a few of my sundial photos. 

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

Ranging in size from the giant sundial bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, California, to a small garden decoration sundial at the Clark Library in Los Angeles, each one has its own special character.

Sundial by Eric Gill, UCLA Clark Library garden, Los Angeles, CA

The oldest known sundial was found in Egypt found in the Valley of the Kings (c. 1500 BC). I have never been to Egypt, but in Rajasthan, India, there is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, and completed in 1734. It features the world's largest stone sundial. I visited this amazing UNESCO world Heritage site when I was in India in 2000.

Stone sun dial at Jantar Mantar, Rajasthan, India

The marker, or gnomen, at the center of the sundial casts its shadow as the sun moves across the sky and indicates the time of day. Importantly, its angle must be equivalent to the Earth's latitude at that point.

Sundial at the Santa Barbara Zoo, California at 4:00 p.m.

A simple way of telling time by the sun is with your own shadow. At the Santa Barbara Zoo, in Santa Barbara, California, is a sundial that is read by standing in the center and casting your own shadow.

Alpha and Omega Sundial in memory of Harriet M. Gale, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa. Paul T. Granlund, Sculptor

At Grinnell College a sundial in the center of campus honors the wife of a retired physics professor. At the University of North Carolina, the Morehead Sundial is on a plaza near the center of campus and has an accompanying plaque that tells us exactly where we are on Earth. I love sundials. They are beautiful and functional and as long as the sun is shining, will always tell the time.
Happy 8th Anniversary to The Intrepid Tourist!

Morehead Sundial Plaque, UNC Campus, Chapel Hill, North Carolina