In a small dimly lit back room of the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, New York, is a unique and priceless treasure—a civil-war era decorative eagle made entirely out of hair contributed by leading politicians and their wives, most notably President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
The artifact came about when the US Sanitary Commission, a volunteer agency working for the health of Union soldiers during the war, needed money for its efforts and reached out to President Lincoln soliciting a lock of hair as large as he can spare. Lincoln communicated the request to other members of the parliament and a surprisingly large number of politicians and their wives responded positively, donating their hair for the Brooklyn jewelers Spies & Champney to weave a national symbol out of it.
Photo: Sandra Roe, Photosat1020. Courtesy Of The Onondaga Historical Association
Click Here to read more Amusing Planet
