Looking for Lincoln

An eyewitness account of the dedication and opening
of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, April 19, 2005

By Dan Guillory

As olive-green helicopters buzzed overhead, a crowd of approximately 10,000 listened to the Army's 312th Regimental band for an hour on a sunny spring morning. Shuttle buses ran continually from the parking lots at the

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened at 1:00 p.m., with a line about two blocks long.

State Fairgrounds to the event at Sixth and Jefferson Streets, discharging passengers into a series of airport-style security gates. The band played from ten to eleven a.m., when the dignitaries arrived on the raised platform, including former Governor Jim Edgar, present Governor Rod Blagojevich, Senator Richard Durbin (who is from Springfield), Sen. Barack Obama (who gave a powerful short speech on Lincoln's life), and

The crowd gathered for the April 19 Museum dedication. Photo courtesy David Blanchette, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. President Bush linked himself to the sixteenth president by noting humorously that they both experienced problems with the New York Times. Miss Mihan Lee read her prize-winning essay on Lincoln, from a contest sponsored by CNN. By 12:15 the audience had sung the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and slowly dispersed through the security gates in search of lunch at one of the downtown eateries, which had lines protruding from their doorways. Lincoln impersonators roamed the area in black hats and suits, as if Lincoln had cloned himself many times over and was exploring his favorite streets in old Springfield.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened at 1:00 p.m., with a line about two blocks long. The Museum is a state-of-the-art building designed on a circular plan so that the visitors enter a grand, circular chamber and behold exhibits arranged on all the curving walls. There are twelve main rooms or sites in the Museum, although some of these are sub-divided into corridors with additional rooms or attractions.

Lincoln Family—the visitor is first greeted by life-sized latex mannequins of the Lincoln family in period dress. Tad, Willie, Robert, Mary, and Abe are standing directly in the walkway, inviting visitors to pose for a group picture with the Lincoln family. The Lincolns are attired in meticulously accurate costumes of the mid-nineteenth century, and Mary is sporting her best bonnet.

Lincoln's Eyes—this short video with stunning special effects, including rumbling floors, booming cannons, and actual smoke rings, is the logical starting-point of any tour. In less than half an hour, the visitor will learn about Lincoln's bipolar temperament, his physical appearance, and his place in American history, particularly in terms of the Civil War.

The Illinois Gallery—this room features traveling exhibits, and the present one entitled Blood on the Moon sets a very high standard, indeed. On opening day, this room was the most crowded, with visitors lingering over each exhibited artifact as they followed a two-track log of the events in the lives of John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln on the day of the assassination. On display are Booth's silk scarf, a remnant of Lincoln's blood-soaked shirt, Mary's fan, and the actual carriage in which Mary and Abraham took their final

ILLINOIS HERITAGE| 15      

ride together on April 14, 1865. Lincoln's death bed, on which he had to be laid diagonally, is also on display.

"Ask Mr. Lincoln"—outside this small room is a touch-screen computer where children or adults can ask questions and receive answers. Inside, a small movie theater projects the questions, which are answered succinctly by Dr. Tom Schwartz, Illinois State Historian. His comments are then followed by a photograph of Lincoln and quotations from his writings. This exhibit was beautifully researched and very entertaining. The best question was, "Are you related to the actor Tom Hanks?" The answer was "Yes."

Treasures Gallery—this room is dimly-lit to preserve the integrity of the historical artifacts on display, including a cake plate from the

President Bush speaks at the April 19 Museum dedication. Photo courtesy of Jim Helm, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Lincoln home, Tad's toy cannon, an invitation to Willie's birthday party, Lincoln's glasses and kid gloves, copies of the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln's trademark "plug" or stovepipe hat, the Lincoln's marriage license, Mary's wedding dress, and a rare letter from Mary to her husband. This room alone would justify the price of admission.

Mrs. Lincoln's Attic—a play-room designed just for the kids, taking the form of a nineteenth-century living room with hearth, period toys, and cooking utensils, all of which can be handled and played with. It was a noisy and joyful place all afternoon, a good example of "hands-on" history.

The Cafe—a Spartan but spacious and well-lit snack bar with sandwiches and hot and cold drinks, reasonably priced. Doors open onto an outdoor terrace and tables. Perhaps a prairie or Lincoln mural might provide a decorative motif.

Restrooms are next to the cafe, also Spartan, but adequate for the museum traffic.

Lincoln Cabin, "Journey One"—this is one of the two primary exhibits, beginning with a perfect replica of the 1816 Indiana boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln, complete with beds, blankets, kitchen utensils, candles, and hams hanging from the ceiling. The path leads on to a painfully realistic slave market, the Lincoln-Berry store in New Salem with bolts of cloth and a barrel of beans, then onto a sofa in the Ninian Edwards home in Springfield where Abe is shyly courting Mary. Visitors can then see the actual tombstone of Eddie Lincoln, who died on February 1, 1850. Next to appear are the Lincoln Home nameplate, doorknob, tea and mantle clock, followed by the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office in disarray with Willie and Tad misbehaving. Next, one encounters a diorama of the Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg, Illinois. A display of Lincoln campaign post and ribbons from the 1860 camp leads directly into a contemporary newsroom studio with a wall of monitors and Tim Russet commenting while mock ads for John Breckinr and John Bell flash on the screen: This tour ends with Lincoln's poignant "Farewell Address," delivered on the rainy morning of Feb. 11, 1861, at the Great Weste Railroad Depot in Springfield.

The White House—this is the other primary exhibit, which chronicles the Lincoln years as President. It begins with a spectacular display of period formal gowns, including Mary's famous evening dress and that of Mrs. Stephen Douglas. These dresses are modern reproductions, but they are historically accurate down to the last stitch. Next is a display of vicious political cartoons attacking Lincoln, then a re-creation of Willie's bedroom and Mary mourning Willie, who died on Feb. 20, 1862. The White House kitchen appears next with realistic pies, cheeses, and a cast-iron stove, then the President's Office and Cabinet Room, filled with the famous cabinet members listening to the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, to which holographic "talking heads" respond in the next exhibit. Visitors next view a heart-stopping four-minute video map of the Civil War battles, complete with a little running counter of the fatalities, over one million by the end of the war. The video screen is flanked by four Southern and four Northern uniforms, very accurate reproductions. The visitor next sees a huge curved mural of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address and a "Play Dixie"

16 |ILLINOIS HERITAGE

exhibit to dramatize the end of the war. Lincoln next appears in his box at Ford's Theater, followed by a rare photo of Lincoln lying in state with the coffin open, then a re-creation of the Lincoln casket, covered with wreaths in a darkened room. The effect is profoundly moving.

The Ghosts of the Library— Richard Norton Smith, the executive who oversaw the design of the museum and the adjoining library [which

A museum can be treated as a church, a video game, a library, or a classroom. To some extent, the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is modeled on all of these.

opened last fall], speaks from a number of overhead video monitors to inform the guests about the functions of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Then the doors swing open into another room with low benches and a holographic set, showing the library, a talkative Civil War soldier, and a holographic "ghost" of Lincoln emerging from the Gettysburg Address. The intent is to communicate the excitement and mystery of historical research.

The Gift Shop—like most museum gift shops, this one purveys T-shirts, magnets, postcards, books, coffee mugs, and videos. But items

Dignitaries on stage at the April 19 Museum dedication. Photo courtesy Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

for sale also include a replica of the Lincoln bed for $8,000, Lincoln puzzles and walking sticks, "Lincoln Breakfast Blend Coffee," and even Lincoln shot glasses, which are amusing because Lincoln didn't drink. The place was packed on opening day.

A museum can be treated as a church, a video game, a library, or a classroom. To some extent the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is modeled on all of these. It is an interesting and intriguing blend of real artifacts, re-creations, and interactive digital technology. In about four hours a visitor can learn a great deal about Lincoln's life while pondering important issues in American culture, including slavery, racism, and constitutional rights. Perhaps it is impossible to capture all of Lincoln's life in one museum, and there is an understandable tendency to stress Lincoln as President and to underplay Lincoln the son (who hated his father), Lincoln the lover (who courted Anne Rutledge and Mary Owen before he met Mary Todd), Lincoln the father (who spoiled and indulged his children), and, importantly, Lincoln the lawyer-legislator, who spent most of his working life in the Illinois legal and political arena. Nevertheless, this new museum offers a world-class cultural experience to the residents of central Illinois—and to the rest of the world.

The admission price ($7.50 for adults, $3.50 for children) is well worth it, considering the price of tickets for athletic events or the cost of a new DVD. The museum is meant to be a starting-point, a catalyst for more personal pilgrimages into the life of Lincoln, as, for example, the Looking for Lincoln initiative which already boasts dozens of wayside exhibits in downtown Springfield. Eventually Springfield, Decatur, Charleston, and Taylorville, among other sites, will become part of a Looking for Lincoln network. Perhaps then the Lincoln Homestead near Harristown and the site of the Wigwam in downtown Decatur will receive proper attention. We are blessed to live in the midst of such historical abundance, and we have a great story to tell.

Dan Guillory is Professor Emeritus of English at Millikin University. He is the author of Living With Lincoln: Life and Art in the Heartland and Images of America: Decatur.

ILLINOIS HERITAGE| 17