BLOOMINGTON - A traveling funeral museum stopped in Bloomington on Sunday to honor Abraham Lincoln and other Americans who have died.

The McLean County Museum of History hosted "Reflections: The American Funeral," 140 years after the remains of Lincoln returned to the Land of Lincoln.

The free event was sponsored by Calvert & Metzler Memorial Homes.

The Michigan-based Mobility Resource Associates, Inc., produced the museum, which has been touring across the nation since last year. The museum sat Saturday at the Jefferson Street entrance of the old courthouse where Mr. Lincoln argued cases as a young lawyer.

Inside a spacious, black trailer, a black coffin sat with white flowers on top of it while a silent video displayed images from the time of the funeral procession.

During a 12-day voyage which covered 1,600 miles, Lincoln's funeral train passed by Bloomington on the city's train tracks May 3, 1865. The next day, his remains were laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. The burial took place 20 days after the assassination.

The inspiration behind the museum was to "reinforce the importance of the American funeral," said Abigail Van Gelder, field manager for MRA, Inc.

The museum also included exhibits showcasing the funerals of Rosa Parks, President John F. Kennedy, public safety officers killed in the line of duty, our country's veterans and entertainers such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. One exhibit was dedicated to Native American burial mounds.

The tribute included a mix of reproduced artifacts and original artifacts from historic American funerals, Van Gelder said.

More than 290 people visited the memorial museum.