Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Illinois State Historical Library" redirects here. For information on the Illinois State Library, see Illinois Secretary of State.

Quick facts for kids Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum


General information
Location	Springfield, Illinois, United States
Coordinates	39°48′12″N 89°38′50″W / 39.8032°N 89.6473°W / 39.8032; -89.6473
Named for	Abraham Lincoln
Inaugurated	Dedicated in April 2005
Management	The State of Illinois
Design and construction
Architect	HOK Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Thomas H. Schwartz BRC Imagination Arts, exhibit designer

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is a special place in Springfield, Illinois. It teaches visitors all about the life of Abraham Lincoln, who was the 16th U.S. president. It also covers the important time of the American Civil War.

This museum is unique because it mixes real history with cool, modern ways of showing things. It is one of the most visited presidential museums in the United States. The library part of the museum has a huge collection about Lincoln. It also holds the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, which started in 1889. The library and museum is run by the state government of Illinois. It is not connected to the U.S. National Archives.

Exploring the Collection
- Museum Exhibits
- Library Collection
How the Museum is Run
Building Design
Discussions About Museum Design
High Attendance Records
Awards and Recognition
See also

Exploring the Collection

Museum Exhibits

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

The museum has amazing life-size scenes that show what Lincoln's childhood home looked like. You can also see parts of the White House and the presidential box at Ford's Theatre. These scenes help you imagine key moments in Lincoln's life.

The museum displays many pictures, old items, and other cool things. The original items on display change sometimes. But you can often see things like the original handwritten Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. Other items include Lincoln's glasses, his shaving mirror, and Mary Todd Lincoln's music box. You might also see pieces from her White House china and her wedding dress.

The main exhibits are split into two parts of Lincoln's life. "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years" shows his early life. "Journey Two: The Presidential Years" covers his time as president. There is also the "Treasures Gallery" where special items are shown. The "Illinois Gallery" has changing exhibits. For example, it has shown "The Questioneers," a traveling exhibit for kids. It also featured "Solidarity Now! The 1968 Poor People's Campaign." An exhibit called "Freedom in Form: Richard Hunt" was on display until April 20, 2025. This exhibit featured works by Richard Hunt, a famous artist.

One exhibit, "Campaign of 1860," uses modern TV news updates to show how Lincoln's election campaign went. Another exhibit, "The Civil War in Four Minutes," has a big animated map. It shows how the battle lines changed during the Civil War in just four minutes. The museum also has two theater shows with special effects. These are called Lincoln's Eyes and Ghosts of the Library.

The "Under His Hat: Discovering Lincoln's Story From Primary Sources" is an online resource. It lets you see a 360-degree view of Lincoln's hat. The actual hat was also on display at the museum in May 2013. A company called BRC Imagination Arts helped create all the museum's exhibits. They designed the lifelike figures, historical settings, and theater shows.

Library Collection

The Lincoln Presidential Library is a research library. It holds many books, papers, and items about Lincoln's life and the American Civil War. Besides items about Lincoln, the library also has the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library. This makes it a top place for books, writings, and other materials about Illinois history.

The library is open to everyone. However, its rare collection cannot be taken out of the library. There is a reading room called the "Steve Neal Reading Room." It is named after Illinois historical journalist Steve Neal.

How the Museum is Run

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was once part of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. But in 2017, it became its own state agency. Richard Norton Smith, a historian, was the first executive director.

Later, Eileen R. Mackevich became the director in 2010. She had worked on the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. She also worked in radio and helped start the Chicago Humanities Festival. Her goals were to raise money and get more international visitors. She left her role in October 2015.

In 2016, Alan Lowe became the director. He had worked at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. He was later removed from his position in September 2019.

In March 2021, Christina Shutt was appointed as the fifth executive director. She is the first person of color to hold this position. Before this, she led the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. This is Arkansas's museum for African-American culture and history.

Lura Lynn Ryan, who was the First Lady of Illinois, helped raise a lot of money for the library. She was the first chairwoman. She started fundraising by collecting $250,000. She also organized a program where Illinois schoolchildren collected pennies for the library. This raised $47,000.

Building Design

The Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is in downtown Springfield, Illinois. It is close to many other places related to Lincoln. The library opened on October 14, 2004. The museum opened on April 19, 2005.

The museum and library are in three separate buildings. Each building takes up one city block. The museum and library buildings are separated by a street. They are connected above the street by a covered walkway. The entrance of each building has a round room called a rotunda. This design looks like the dome on the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield. Lincoln served as a legislator there. The architectural firm HOK designed both buildings.

The third building used to be the Springfield Union Station. It was changed to be the museum's visitor center. Since early 2014, this building has held an exhibit called "Lincoln: History to Hollywood." This exhibit shows two movie sets, props, and costumes from the 2012 film Lincoln. The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg himself loaned these items to the museum. They were on display until December 2019.

Discussions About Museum Design

The museum's way of telling Lincoln's story has caused some discussion. It uses a lot of theatrics and copies of items. Many people have liked it, and it has brought in more visitors than expected. It has also helped the local economy.

However, some people who prefer traditional museums did not like this new approach. They felt it moved away from showing and explaining real historical items. Some even compared it to a theme park.

But other experts have praised the museum's approach. John R. Decker wrote in the Journal of American History that the museum uses visual displays smartly. He said it helps more people learn about complex history.

The museum's content and design were created by many experts. These included international exhibit designers, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and a team of historians. This team included top Lincoln scholars and even school teachers. A main goal was to make people more interested in Abraham Lincoln. The museum's gift shop has sold many history books. Sales reached $1 million within three months of the museum opening.

High Attendance Records

Since it opened in April 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has been America's most visited state-run presidential museum. In about six months, the museum made about $1 million. In less than two years, it welcomed its one millionth visitor. By August 2012, the museum had three million visitors.

Museum officials said the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln helped bring in more visitors in 2013. The museum displayed items from the film, which added to the excitement.

Awards and Recognition

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has received two awards. One is a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Themed Entertainment Association. The other is from The Lincoln Group of New York. This group honors those who do the most to encourage the study of Abraham Lincoln. In 2022, the Library and Museum was working to get accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.