A Glimpse at History

I am talking about the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield Illinois. One of the first things you see when you walk in is a statue of the man himself. However it does not inspire awe or reverence. It isn’t 23 feet tall, somber and made of marble.

It is Abe himself welcoming you with a slight twinkle in his eye. He has plastic skin that resembles human flesh and has been made to look much friendlier than any marble staue ever could. This life sized statue looks like he could be your buddy, your neighbor and ready to help in any disaster that could befall you.

A further look into the museum reveals a Disney-like vibe about it. It is engaging and fun. It offers multimedia displays, holographs, and interactiver touch screens. It also contains 36 other life-like inhabitants such as Mary Lincoln, their children, John Wilkes Booth, Frederick Douglas and so on. These figures, that do not move, help you to enter the lives of these folks as well as the life of President Lincoln. For instance, at one point you turn a corner and suddenly you’re in a White House bedroom in 1862. Your right there at the foot of a bed where Willie Lincoln, portrayed by a realistic figure, is gravely ill with typhoid. Mary Lincoln dressed in a ball gown is tending to him. His worried father pokes his head in the door. Sounds of a reception going on downstairs is filtered in to complete an eerie and yet marvelous experience. Visitors to the library and museum walk through a series of these “journeys” that depict aspects of Lincoln’s Life.

The museum powerfully communicates the agony of the slave trade. This allows children to get the message without being overwhelmed by it. It also contains a spectacular mural of Gettysburg, a 40-foot wide painting that depicts not only the battle, but also the burying of the dead and Lincoln’s address.

It is truely a wonder, and students of museum lighting schools will study this place for years to come. As you walk from room to room, from exhibit to exhibit, the lighting changes constantly from dim to bright, from pinpoint spotlights to boisterous chandeliers, from blues to red, and so on. The eye is never bored!

The use of sound is unbelievable also. For example, in the “Whispering Gallery,” hidden voices whisper some of the personal attacks made on the Lincoln during the Civil War. Also: music of the era, cannonfire, birds chirping, crackling fires, and loud vivacious crouds can be heard just to name a few.

This museum follows my theory, that we have come so far from that era. Too for our children to understand why things were done the way they were, why people behaved in the manner in which they did, the magnitude of the change in government and the sacrifice, that unless we bring it to life for them, or make it so vivid they can close their eyes…hear the sounds, smell the smoke, taste the soot etc. they will never understand. Until we stimulate them in a manner that makes them thurst for more, to want to read more, to experience more, to want to research for the truth. The truth of that time period will never be known, we will never fully understand how that war changed the face of America forever.

 I challenge you to make this your next family vacation. To invest in the future of your children, yourselves and our country. Make it a historical day!

IF YOU GO:

Springfield Illinois is on Interstate 55, 200 miles southwest of Chicago and 100 miles northest of St. Louis. Here are some additional suggestion for a visit to the city. (Consult their websites for hours and additional information.)

The Lincoln House: 413 South Eighth St: (217) 391-3226

Grand Army of the Republic Memrial Museum: 629 South 7th St: (217) 522-4373

Shea’s Gas Station Musuem: 2075 Poria Road (217) 522-0475 

New Salem: 15588 History Lane, Petersburg, Ill (217) 632-4000

Lodging: There are many hotels on South Dirdsen Parkway, including a Crowne Plaza and a Holiday Inn Express and the Northfield Inn is just off 1-55

Filed under: Historical Travel suggestions by Savannah Meade