Did you know? Attendance at the Abraham Presidential Library and Museum has surpassed all expectations. Experts predicted 2.4 million visitors during the first 10 years, and the actual total has been 3.7 million! Have you seen the wonderful (and large-scale!) artwork displaying the winners of a student art contest that drew more than 1,200 entries? The Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation is donating $200 to the art departments of the schools that produced the winning students in three age groups.
The winners are: Brooke Spencer of Galesburg in the K-5 group; Reese Sainburg of Seneca for grades 6-8; Jack Rothmund of Naperville for grades 9-12. Rothmund requested that his $200 be sent to a Chicago school whose art department could use the money. Their work and the entries from the runners-up can be seen at http://bit.ly/LincolnArtContest. Their work also is on display in the museum.
The museum opened its doors on April 19, 2005, completing the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a state-of-the-art institution dedicated to helping everyone from children to scholars appreciate Lincoln in new ways.
It holds an unparalleled collection of original Lincoln materials – more than 52,000 items in all, including an original copy of the Gettysburg Address, a signed copy of the constitutional amendment ending slavery and Lincoln’s stovepipe hat. The library part of the complex contains 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history and is one of the nation’s top places for genealogy and history research.
We are so proud to have this gem in our Capitol City!
