Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum News


	For Immediate Release:	April 6, 2005
	Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Dedication to Celebrate Lincoln and Unveil the Institution Honoring His Legacy Gov. Blagojevich and Distinguished Guests to Participate in Museum's Opening Festivities SPRINGFIELD, IL., - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich invites the public to join him in Springfield on Tuesday, April 19 at 11 a.m. for the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The event, which signals the official opening of the museum, will feature speeches by the governor and other distinguished guests. The celebration promises to be a memorable and patriotic tribute to Abraham Lincoln and the new museum that graces Springfield in his honor. "Springfield was the place Lincoln considered home, so it's fitting that a breathtaking world-class institution devoted to his memory should find its home in Springfield," said Gov. Blagojevich. "This public dedication pays homage to Illinois' most famous son and offers people a first look at a museum that will engage, inform and inspire them for generations to come." "The museum's public dedication brings years of hard work to fruition as the public will get to celebrate and experience an institution that has reinvented the concept of the presidential museum," said Richard Norton Smith, the museum's executive director. "By marrying scholarship and showmanship, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum creates a compelling, participatory recreation of Lincoln's life and times that brings history to life." The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum offers 40,000 square feet of permanent exhibits double the size of any existing presidential museum filled with state-of-the-art, immersive experiences. The museum joins the already-open Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum complex at the corner of Sixth and Jefferson streets in Springfield. The complex will serve as a gateway to other Lincoln and Lincoln-era sites across the country. As part of the event, the winner of a student essay contest sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and C-SPAN will read his or her modern-day version of the Gettysburg address to the crowd. The ceremony will be broadcast to Illinois schools statewide. Music for the dedication will be provided by the 312th Army Band. The museum will be officially open to the public following the ceremony. The facility is being funded by a combination of state, federal, municipal and private funds, and will be administered by the IHPA. Funding of the opening week dedication ceremonies have been underwritten by Motorola, Ameren and Boeing. Motorola is the sole sponsor of the outdoor concert, fireworks and laser spectacular on April 17. For more information on the ALPLM, visit www.alplm.org. ### << Back to Press Releases