Tourists walk out of Abraham Lincoln's tomb and past a bust of Lincoln statue at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Ill. The Lincoln Monument Association that is dedicated to supporting Abraham Lincolnís tomb is rejecting a National Geographic author's criticisms of the historic site.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Caretakers of Abraham Lincoln's tomb are on the defensive over an unflattering critique in National Geographic magazine and looming budget cuts that could threaten management of the historic site, even as they commemorate the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War president's assassination.

For the state that calls itself the “Land of Lincoln,” the timing of a ceremony Wednesday in Springfield to mark his death was awkward because Illinois faces a financial crisis and Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed eliminating the state Historic Preservation Agency that manages sites including the tomb as it currently exists. He would roll the agency into another department.

What's more, the popular tourist site was pilloried in this month's issue of National Geographic magazine as having “all the historical character of an office lobby.”

Recounting the route of Lincoln's funeral train to Springfield for burial, historian Adam Goodheart describes the tomb as “a disappointment” and reconstructed in “incongruous Art Deco style.”“It's strange to think that there is a place where Lincoln still physically exists in the world, let alone that it's a place like this,” writes Goodheart, who is director for Washington College's Center for the American Experience in Maryland.The hours and days the Lincoln tomb is open have been reduced, and it's staffed with fewer employees since state lawmakers last year cut $1.1 million funding for sites in the Springfield area.On Tuesday — the 150th anniversary of John Wilkes Booth's shooting of Lincoln, although the president was pronounced dead the following day — Joan Boatz and a group of former bridge club friends found the tomb's iron door locked, despite a sign saying the site should be open at that time.Chris Wills, spokesman for the Historic Preservation Agency, said the correct times when the site is open are posted on its website.Pam VanAlstine, president of the Lincoln Monument Association, said she's deeply concerned about what more cuts might mean for the Lincoln site.

“We're all scared to death,” said VanAlstine, who also serves as a volunteer tour guide. “We don't know how things are going to be run.”She and other supporters of how Lincoln's final resting place is presented to the public said the National Geographic portrayal was unfair.“The author of the piece is certainly entitled to feel underwhelmed by the tomb's interior, but I think it's safe to say he's in the minority,” Wills said.