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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Marries Traditional Scholarship With 21st Century Showmanship Interactive, state-of-the art technology brings Lincoln and his legacy brilliantly to life. UK travellers can combine history, education and entertainment by visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Springfield, Illinois. Nearly two centuries after Lincoln’s birth, the museum commemorates one of the greatest U.S. presidents in history. The museum has been created by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), BRC Imagination Arts - renowned for creating technologically stunning attractions for NASA and Disney - and a distinguished panel of historians. The 100,000-square-foot museum will tell Lincoln’s Great American Story, employing 21st century technology to make the 19th century live again. Combining scholarship with showmanship that both informs and astounds, the museum provides visitors with a truly breakthrough museum experience. Richard Norton Smith, the Museum’s Executive Director, who also served as Director of Libraries honouring U.S. presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Reagan and Ford, said: "We have reinvented the concept of the presidential library and museum to engage visitors in a new way. We’ve married academia and entertainment to create a compelling attraction for all audiences. We want visitors to leave more informed and inspired than when they entered the museum. This is hands-on history that feels like real life".
Visitors to the museum complex, which includes the already-open Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, enter the museum’s two state-of-the-art "exhibit journeys" off a 4,700-square-foot central interior plaza. Each journey makes a different time and aspect of Lincoln’s life come alive, from his meager beginnings to his assassination. Journey One portrays Lincoln’s childhood up to his election as 16th president, his Springfield law office, the fiery Lincoln-Douglas debates and his departure for Washington in February, 1861. Journey Two follows Lincoln as President in the White House and includes his service during the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, his assassination in the presidential box at Ford’s Theater, and Lincoln’s funeral in Springfield. Visitors can also experience individual exhibitions and shows from Campaign 1860, a portrayal of the presidential race of 1860 to The Emancipation Proclamation, a special effects "illusion corridor" that features dream-like images of people telling Lincoln what he should do prior to issuing the Proclamation. Children will also be able to ask the 16th President any questions they have in a unique interactive theatre, Ask Mr. Lincoln, as well as visit Mrs. Lincoln’s Attic, a restaurant, museum store and administrative offices. In addition to these permanent exhibits, 3,000 square-feet of temporary exhibit space covers topics as diverse as America’s First Ladies, Chicago’s gangster era, the architectural genius of Frank Lloyd Wright and other topics illustrating the rich history of Illinois and America. Both the library and museum have space available to rent for public or private events. Springfield is just a three and half hour drive from Chicago and the first stop on the historical Route 66. UK travellers can also visit some of its famous attractions such as Lincoln’s home; the rustic law office where the young scholar honed his craft and nurtured his ambitions, and the Old State Capitol where his logic and eloquence exposed the hypocrisy of a nation professing to love liberty while keeping millions of its own people in chains.
For more information visit www.alplm.org or contact Viet N’Guyen at Jackie Cooper PR on: 020 7208 7280 or Viet_N'Guyen@jcpr.com |
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