Update About Lincoln Museum Collection

In March of this year Lincoln Financial Group announced it is closing the famous Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The museum houses an extraordinary collection of Lincoln memorabilia, including books, manuscripts, photos, and other unique pieces associated with the nation's 16th president. It's served as a invaluable repository of information for Lincoln scholars, researchers, and fans. Unfortunately, the museum has suffered from declining attendance and a company which values the financial bottom line over corporate good will.

According to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, the state of Indiana and Allen County (where Fort Wayne is located) have put together a strong proposal to keep the collection in Indiana. A group headed by retired Lincoln Financial CEO Ian Rolland spearheaded the package presented to the company.

While the group feels it has made a strong case, it's up against formidable competition. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield, Illinois are it's chief rivals to take over the collection.

However it turns out, it appears that the general public will be able to get access to the collection and in the final analysis, that's what really counts. Let's hope it stays in Indiana, where it has resided for decades.

To access my other postings about this continuing story, click here and here.

Idaho Lincoln Statue Moving To State Capitol

From the Spokane (Washington) Spokesman-Review comes an interesting story about how a statue of Abraham Lincoln might be the oldest such statue of Lincoln in the American west. The statue, dating from 1915, is going to be moved from the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise to a much more prominent location on the grounds of the state capitol there. The statue will be re-dedicated at the capitol on the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, February 12, 2009.

The statue is life-sized (6 feet 4 inches) and was dedicated on February 12, 1915. It is one of seven Lincoln statues sculpted by a fellow Ohioan, Alphonso Pelzer, and was presented to the state of Idaho by the Ladies of the Grand Army Of The Republic of Idaho.

The statue has long suffered from neglect, primarily affecting the sandstone pedestal. A penny drive is going to be held in Idaho public schools in order to raise money to pay for the restoration and move of the statue. Once restored and moved, the statue will be featured along a prominent lane by the state capitol building.

According to several books dedicated to documenting public statues and monuments to Lincoln, this statue is the oldest one in the American west. A statue of Lincoln had been erected in San Francisco in 1866, but it was destroyed in the great earthquake and fire of 1906.

Lincoln signed the bill creating the Idaho territory in 1863 and also helped to choose the name of the territory. In addition, he appointed the first governor of the territory.

Congratulations to the state of Idaho for taking the steps in honoring Old Abe's memory.

An Intriguing Fictional Book About Lincoln

While perusing the Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) paper today, I stumbled upon a brief review of a new, self-published fictional account of the kidnapping of Abraham Lincoln. Titled "Notes On My Recent Abduction", it is the recounting by Lincoln of his being taken and held hostage by John Wilkes Booth in 1864.

As I stated, this is obviously a work of fiction. But it is based on the fact that John Wilkes Booth did indeed at first plot to kidnap Lincoln in 1864, with the hopes that Lincoln could be held hostage long enough to end the war, grant the Confederacy victory, and free Confederate soldiers being held in Union prisons and camps.

The book explains describes the dangers Lincoln encounters while being held hostage, including being shot, nearly drowning, and almost being killed by an angry lynch mob. Finally, Lincoln is ordered to be set free by Robert E. Lee after Lee realizes that Booth is insane.

I normally don't enjoy alternate history books, but this might be too intriguing for me to pass up. It sounds fascinating to consider what might really have happened had Booth indeed kidnapped Lincoln instead of assassinating him on April 14, 1865.

An excerpt of the book can be found here. Written by V.A. Herbert, it is $11.90 in paperback and $16.30 in hardback with dust jacket. It may be ordered at the link I provided. I'm not associated with the author in any way.

Remembering Bobby Kennedy

Forty years ago today on June 5, 1968, Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Kennedy had just finished giving his victory speech for the California Democratic primary, which had ended a few hours before. Kennedy died early the next day on June 6th.

Bobby had electrified the nation's young people with his message of hope that working together people could solve the many problems facing the nation in those days. Not unlike a certain other young politician, Barack Obama, who is energizing the young people of today's America into believing in hope and that "yes we can" solve the problems of today.

With Kennedy's death coming so close after those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his own brother, President John F. Kennedy, hope seemed to disappear from America for generations. Viet Nam, Watergate, corporate greed, social injustices, economic doldrums, and a needless (in my opinion, anyway) Iraq War have made cynics out of too many of us. For many Americans and for many nations around the world, America is no longer the "last best hope on Earth" that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy was eulogized by his brother, Senator Edward Kennedy, in a brilliant speech, closing by saying: "My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."

For those ideals, Bobby and his fellow liberals were (and are) pilloried by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, George W. Bush, and Senator John McCain, who represent the worst of American politics. They stand for the politics of greed, divisiveness, and hate, where a politician can be branded "unpatriotic" if he or she doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin or simply forgets to hold his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.

This country of ours still needs the hopes and dreams that Bobby Kennedy stood for. We need someone who will see wrong and try to right it, see suffering and try to heal it, and see war and try to stop it. I think all of us, liberal and conservative, can reach agreement about those points, at least. We'll never know what our country would be like today had Bobby lived. Would he have been elected president? Would our government be once again "government of the people, by the people, for the people"?

We'll never know. And that, to me, is the greatest tragedy resulting from Bobby Kennedy's death.

Great Resource For Lincoln Historic Sites

I just "discovered" a very nice website devoted to historic sites and tours associated with Abraham Lincoln. The website Looking For Lincoln is operated by the "Looking For Lincoln Heritage Coalition" which is based in Springfield, Illinois. The organization is a consortium of central Illinois communities which have banded together to encourage visitation to the other lesser-known sites in the area associated with Lincoln.

Obviously, the Coalition is trying to drum up tourism, but it's doing a very commendable job in placing these small communities in context with Lincoln's life and career. Some of the sites shown and discussed on the website include the David Davis (a close friend and colleague of Lincoln's) mansion; the Mt. Pulaski courthouse (one of two surviving 8th Circuit courts where Lincoln practiced); and the Lincoln-Douglas debate museum in Charleston.

The website is well-organized and provides suggestions for "hub tours" starting out from various locations in Illinois. I'd highly recommend it as a starting point for anyone who would like to take a "Lincoln Pilgrimage" trip to Illinois. Indeed, I will use it as a reference the next time I take my own pilgrimage. The "Land Of Lincoln" encompasses far more than Springfield, and Looking For Lincoln is an outstanding starting place to find out why.

Abe Is Hot!

Interest in Abraham Lincoln is getting hot now that the bicentennial of his birth is approaching next February 12. One might say that Abe himself is "hot," thanks to all the presidential contenders and wannabes are comparing themselves to him.

Here's a cool photo from the Associated Press showing some renovation work being done on an 1871 statue of Lincoln in Philadelphia. I'd say Abe is hotter than ever. Note the blowtorch in the worker's hand.

Lincoln Statue Decapitated For Fifth Time

Today's Mail Tribune from Medford, Oregon brings the sad news that for the fifth time, the Abe Lincoln statue in Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon has had its head cut off. Local officials are distressed, because the statue had only recently been repaired and rededicated after the 2005 decapitation. Other such acts of vandalism occurred in 1958, 1967, and 1973.

Damage is estimated now to be at $1,200. Park officials do have a spare Abe head, but have no idea if they will restore the statue now or not. A local merchant is suggesting that a security camera be focused on the statue from now on. Police in Oregon currently have no suspects. Sorry for the lack of photos.