Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Here are a couple pictures in the museum. Since you cannot take pictures anywhere but this one location ... not much to share. Probably a good thing because of the overwhelming negative tone of the museums content.

Just got back from spending a four day vacation back home in Vermilion County Illinois. Here is some snaps from a visit to The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The library was closed (it was Sunday) but the museum was open.

After thinking about it quite a bit, I’ve decided that I didn’t like the museum much ... and I suspect ... Lincoln himself wouldn’t care for it much either. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of information there, the presentation of it was world class and the two theater presentations were excellent. I’m glad I went and if I’m in Springfield Illinois again with time to kill ... I’ll probably visit it again.

Here is what I didn’t like. First off, you cannot take pictures in many of the exhibits. It is not because it would hurt the content, because almost all of it is recently manufactured content. There is very little in the way of relics and I could understand a picture taking restraint in order to preserve a piece of history. Instead, it was like saying “we took an incredible amount of your tax money to build this museum and by god you are going to have to pay to see any of it. You will not be allowed to share your experience or interpretations with others because ... well ... we don’t want to limit potential income in the future. “

Another critical flaw in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is the out and out hateful tone of the entire presidency. Imagine going from a room that shows a slave mother, father and child on an auction block with slave owners tearing the family apart with a 10 year old child in agony as he is trying to hold on to his mothers dress. Go from there into a large room full of political cartoons filled with hate and illustrating Lincoln as everything from an idiot to the devil. Not kidding, floor to high ceiling of multiple pictures, the worst of which depicting Lincoln as Satan. Then to a room that shows each week of the Civil War as a second and illustrating the number of Americans slaughtering each other for each week through the war. Then plaques that show letters home from soldiers that never made it out of the war alive. Follow that with a hallway of video holographic images screaming at Lincoln about the Emancipation Proclamation. Some screaming it goes to far and other screaming it is not far enough. Finally, you end your tour with an absolute fantastic display of Lincoln about to be shot in the head.

There is more of this, I’m just touching on the high .... correction ... most low points I can remember. Oh, forgot the also great exhibit of one of Lincoln’s sons on his death bed, with Lincoln in the doorway and his distraught mother by her sons side. Yeah, if Lincoln could see that now ... I’m sure he would really like that image to be burned into a part of his legacy.

Oh and the lighter side ... really cannot remember much at all. I don’t remember one exhibit dedicated to all the best things I’ve read about the man. How understanding he was, how funny he was or what a wonderful impact his life had on our country.

Basically, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum plays out like a hard hitting Oliver Stone movie.

Are all these negative things important to remember, of course they are. I just would like to have seen more (or some) effective positive content for balance.



Outside in the city of Springfield ... a lot nice picture taking potential.