Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries.[1] Its library, in addition to housing an extensive collection on Lincoln, also houses the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, founded by the state in 1889. The library and museum is located in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois, and is overseen as an agency of state government. It is not affiliated with the U.S. National Archives and its system of libraries.
"Illinois State Historical Library" redirects here. For information on the Illinois State Library, see Illinois Secretary of State.Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Springfield, Illinois, United States
Dedicated in April 2005
The State of Illinois
HOK
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Thomas H. Schwartz
BRC Imagination Arts, exhibit designer
Administration[edit]
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, until the Library and Museum was made into an independent state agency in 2017.[21][22] Historian and former director of several presidential libraries, Richard Norton Smith, served as the museum and library's founding executive director.[23] Smith was succeeded by Rick Beard, who was fired in 2008 after being arrested for shoplifting. Jan Grimes served as interim director following Beard's dismissal.[24]
In 2010, Eileen R. Mackevich, MBE, was appointed director by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.[25] Mackevich formerly served as the executive director of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. She was also active as a broadcast journalist and talk show host on Chicago public radio, and was the co-founder of the Chicago Humanities Festival. Mackevich's objectives were to raise money, and attract more international interest. She served until she resigned in October 2015.[21][26]
In 2016, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Alan Lowe as director of the museum and library. He served as director of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, before accepting his position at the ALPLM.[27] Lowe was fired in September 2019 for improperly loaning out ALPLM's original copy of the Gettysburg Address to Glenn Beck's non-profit group Mercury One.[21][28]
In March 2021, Christina Shutt was appointed as ALPLM's fifth executive director.[21] She is the first person of color to serve in the position. Before coming to the ALPLM, she headed the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the State of Arkansas's African-American culture and history museum.[21][29][19]
As first lady of Illinois, Lura Lynn Ryan became a major fundraiser and the library's first chairwoman. She launched the fundraising for the library by raising $250,000. Ryan also organized a program in which Illinois schoolchildren collected pennies for the construction of the presidential library, which raised $47,000. Ryan was appointed to the 14-member Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission by the speaker of the United States House of Representatives to commemorate the 200th birthday of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 2009. She served on the commission from 2001 to 2010.[30]
Controversies[edit]
Questions have been raised over the provenance of a stovepipe hat in the museum's collection said to have been worn by Lincoln and valued at $6.5 million. In 2019, a museum director was fired after he sent a copy of the Gettysburg Address written by Lincoln himself to Texas for an exhibit by political commentator Glenn Beck without prior clearance. In 2024, the museum's acquisition of a 21-star US flag said to date from 1818 marking Illinois's statehood was placed under scrutiny after vexillologists said the flag may have actually dated from the American Civil War. An investigation was also opened by state authorities over irregularities in funding for its purchase, which cost the museum $15,625.[37]
Record attendance[edit]
Since its opening in April 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has ranked as America's most visited state-controlled presidential museum. In about six months the museum generated about $1 million. In less than twenty-one months, the museum received its one millionth visitor.[38] In August 2012, the museum received its three millionth visitor, with the steady attendance continuing.[39] Museum officials credited the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln for an increase in visitors in 2013, as the museum displayed artifacts from the film.[40]
Awards[edit]
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has been recognized with two awards: a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Themed Entertainment Association,[41] and an award from The Lincoln Group of New York, which every year honors "the individual or organization that has done the most to encourage the study and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln".[42] In 2022, the Library and Museum was in the process of getting accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.[43]