A private ceremony was held at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday morning. Then, Billy Graham's casket was carried outside to the waiting hearse.
Billy Graham's hearse departed from The Cove around 11:30 a.m. Franklin and Jane Graham drove behind the hearse, followed by Billy Graham's daughters, Anne, Ruth, and Gigi, and their families. Many of Mr. Graham's grandchildren were also part of the procession.
Law enforcement officers lined the driveway as the hearse left The Cove.
The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove was founded by Billy and Ruth Graham. They wanted a place where people could go to study the Bible, grow closer to God and experience the beauty of God's creation. Mr. Graham and his late wife lived in nearby Montreat, North Carolina, in a simple log cabin-style home with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mr. Graham died in his sleep there on Wednesday morning, Feb. 21. Visit Billy Graham's memorial website.
People parked near the entrance of The Cove and stood by the road to pay their respects as Mr. Graham's hearse passed by on its way to Charlotte, where he was born and raised. “My father made me promise long ago that we would take him back to Charlotte after he died, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing right now,” Franklin Graham said on Saturday.
An aerial view of Black Mountain, North Carolina, where Billy and Ruth Graham used to frequent a local drugstore that's now the Town Hall & General Store.
Billy Graham used to ride his horse into downtown Black Mountain, North Carolina. On Saturday, the entire downtown area was crowded with people paying their respects.
“The outpouring of love we are seeing as we travel from Asheville to Charlotte via the motorcade with my father Billy Graham is overwhelming,” Franklin Graham shared on Twitter. “People lining the streets, the overpasses—Thank you.”
A tribute to the man known as “America's Pastor.”
The Bible records that Jesus told several parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. One such story involves a servant who was entrusted with something important and proved to be faithful with it. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master'” (Matthew 25:21).
Another beautiful tribute to a humble man who would have given all the glory to God.
Fire stations from across the region were set up on the overpasses to honor Billy Graham.
A group of eight North Carolina Highway Patrol officers on motorcycles led the motorcade.
The state troopers who made the 130-mile journey from Asheville to Charlotte.
Many people who came out to view the motorcade said a hush came over the area as the hearse passed by.
Charlotte looked drastically different when Billy Graham was born there on Nov. 7, 1918. Most of the area was farmland, including Mr. Graham's dairy farm home. Nearly 100 years later, his hearse passed through a bustling city of glass and steel.
The heart of uptown Charlotte was filled with people paying their respects and taking photos.
Trade and Tryon Streets—the center of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trying to catch a glimpse of the approaching motorcade.
A local news anchor remarked that it was rare to see such a large crowd be so peaceful and quiet.
People gathered to catch a glimpse or a photo as Billy Graham's motorcade stopped at his childhood church in Charlotte. Grace Covenant Church was formerly Chalmers Memorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, which was five miles from the Graham family's home. Church bells rang out as the motorcade paused there for one minute.
In the background, an exit sign for Billy Graham Parkway.
Onlookers just outside the entrance of the Billy Graham Library as the motorcade reached its destination. The 130-mile journey took about three-and-a-half hours.
Billy Graham's family was there as his grandsons carried his casket into the Billy Graham Library. The Library is currently closed, but the public is invited to visit the property on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 26 and 27 as Mr. Graham lies in repose. Read details about visiting.
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
