2014 Lincoln Heritage Museum Magazine Lincoln Daily News.com April 26, 2014 47
Learn from Lincoln, live like Lincoln
By Ron J. Keller, Lincoln Heritage Museum director
Threescore and 10 years ago, our college brought
forth to this community a museum dedicated to the
heritage left by our 16th president. But the passing of
years, cramped space, crucial conservation needs and
changing museum expectations all called for a new
museum. Lincoln College has devoted several years
in developing a unique and engaging museum experi-
ence, hiring an internationally respected design com-
pany to creatively tell our story. We are now ready to
open this new Lincoln Heritage Museum to the public.
Those who have walked through the museum have
commented that it exceeded their "wildest expecta-
tions" and that they "really felt it."
Abraham Lincoln is claimed to have quipped, "Die
when I may, I want it said of me that I always plucked
a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower
would grow." He understood that his time on Earth
and his duty and service to his fellow man mattered.
That is why he is such a compelling and fascinating
subject even today.
Abraham Lincoln's rise was developed on the fron-
tier, molded in courtrooms and legislative chambers,
elevated by rallies and stump speeches, and won in
the personal and genuine relationships he established
in towns and cities across this nation. How Lincoln
rose to greatness, the character qualities he developed,
and the people who knew him and whom he knew are
themes interwoven into our new museum. Not only is
Lincoln's life examined here, but also stories of and
voices from over 60 individuals are introduced. These
are people Lincoln met, befriended and were in part
responsible for his success and accomplishments.
In many ways this museum is our collective story
— who we are as a country and a people, and what
we wish to yet become. Through the example of one
person, and of those with whom he came into contact,
the new museum beckons us to pause and contemplate
our individual time on this earth, and the good we can
do it make a better place than when we found it.
Lincoln was perhaps the greatest American ever, but
beyond that, he serves as a character model we can
learn from and live like. It is a challenge for us to
dedicate ourselves to the great unfinished tasks re-
maining before us.
There are ample opportunities for you to be a part of
this amazing museum. There is no more exciting time
in our museum's history than now. Might you consider
helping our museum for future generations by becom-
ing a Friend of the Lincoln Heritage Museum through
a financial commitment?
Might you consider becoming a museum volunteer
and enjoy the welcoming of the many visitors we
receive from across the country and the world? By do-
ing so, you will be continuing the legacy of Lincoln.
I thank the community for its great support of our Lin-
coln Heritage Museum. You rightly recognize that this
museum has been and will continue to be an integral
part of the cultural, economic and educational well-
being of Lincoln and Logan County. We feel blessed
and honored to be one of this area's greatest assets and
resources.
