Chair Allegedly Made from Rails Split by Abraham Lincoln, circa 1929

Henry Ford admired Lincoln's down-to-earth, frontier character. The image of Lincoln as the "rail splitter" is central to that theme - it emerged during the 1860 Illinois Republican nominating convention when Lincoln's cousin emerged with a banner constructed of rails split by Lincoln and the audience went wild. This chair, acquired by Henry Ford, was said to consist of fence rails split by Lincoln.