28 2014 Lincoln Heritage Museum Magazine Lincoln Daily News.com April 26, 2014
qualities of Abraham Lincoln may
have been what destined him to his life
extraordinaire.
As you move from one scene to the
next, backward through time, you
will feel Lincoln's personal losses and
sorrows, see his increasing strength
of commitment and intent. Audibly,
the cadence of tock, tock, tock, tock
steadily increases in volume. The
measure of time seeps into your
awareness.
The calculated re-creation makes it as
though you are walking with Lincoln,
you are Lincoln, reviewing his life
from the time he is shot to the time
that he dies. As you take that walk
with him, the tick of a clock grows
louder, imploring that you, like him,
might take stock of your own life and
live with purpose and intent to make a
difference.
The new location in the Lincoln
Center not only expands the exhibit
space fourfold but also adds storage
space. Plans include regularly
changing displays on the main floor.
The climate-controlled space will not
only help preserve the priceless relics
the museum owns, but also open the
doors to opportunities to host other
traveling exhibits.
In review, Keller compared what
design elements cost today and
the time that Taylor Studios spent
coming back again and again to make
everything just right. He was very
pleased by the results and the costs.
"We realize how good of a deal we
really did get," he said.
About A. Lincoln
Being self-taught, Abraham Lincoln
often made note of the importance of
education.
He frequently felt inferior in his
presentations. Yet, Lincoln penned
some of the most powerful speeches
and national decrees in our country's
history. Today, 149 years after his
passing, he is hailed as one of the
most significant speakers and writers
in American history. Schoolchildren
study and memorize works such as
his Emancipation Proclamation; he is
known worldwide and often cited and
quoted by leaders still today.
Lincoln College President John
Blackburn says that the college
embraces Abraham Lincoln's legacy.
"At Lincoln College we want every
student to have an outstanding
college experience, and the Lincoln
Heritage Museum will play a vital
role in that mission," said Blackburn.
"We are excited to showcase the
museum's great treasures and stories
and to connect those things with
our academic programs and campus
life. The museum will provide
opportunities for students from
many backgrounds to shape their
own success stories through Lincoln
College."
A Lincoln College trustee, Susan
Hoblit, whose ancestors often hosted
Lincoln at their rural homestead near
Atlanta as he traveled to Bloomington,
coined the new phrase for the college
and museum: "Learn from Lincoln.
Live like Lincoln."
A trip to the museum adds new
perspective to the life and world that
Lincoln lived in. It is history to be
experienced.
The museum is not only a treasure to
the community in knowing A. Lincoln
better, but also will bring visitors
to learn more of and to experience
Abraham Lincoln.
On campus, University Hall still
stands and is in use today for both
classrooms and administrative offices.
The Abraham Lincoln National
Heritage Area, managed by the
Looking for Lincoln Heritage
Coalition, is in central Illinois. There
are numerous historic sites throughout
Logan County where Lincoln traveled,
practiced law and gave speeches.
The college, the town of Lincoln and
the county of Logan offer the most
condensed opportunities to walk in
the footsteps of a man who lived with
intention and greatness in helping all
mankind.
The newly redesigned and expanded
Lincoln Heritage Museum now offers
everyone the opportunity to come
and experience the life of Abraham
Lincoln on a fresh and personal level.
LDN
Lincoln Heritage Museum:
Website:
edu/museum/
Facebook:
/
LincolnHeritage
