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Museum director Ron Keller was on hand with three
local volunteers who where there to share their knowledge of Mr.
Lincoln and the museum with anyone who had questions.
There were also several items on display in the front room of the
museum that were brought out of the archives specifically for the
birthday observance.
Items ranged from very serious works of art such as
the Lincoln Death Mask, to some light-hearted items like comic books
and bags of popcorn depicting Lincoln wearing a pair of 3D movie
glasses.
In addition, the museum was featuring a selection of birthday cards
from 2009, when the 200th birthday of the president was celebrated
in at the Lincoln Home in Springfield. The cards were varying in
their style and level of sophistication, but for the most part all
were well wishes to the late president.
Keller pointed out one card that was in stark
contrast to all the others. Written in 2009 by a Native American in
Oklahoma name Jean SmilingCoyote, the card opened by calling Lincoln
a racist.
The card brings to memory that while most of America remembers
President Lincoln for his noble efforts to achieve equality for
African American slaves who were considered as property rather than
people, he was also struggling with some serious issues with the
Native American Tribes in the west, particularly the Sioux.
Several historians who have written on the topic of the civil war
have also included the conflict with the Sioux and worked to make
the readers understand the pressures of the presidency during the
civil war. Lincoln was said to have acted in the case of the Sioux
based on erroneous information given to him by advisors. It is also
noted that the death toll of the civil war and the loss of his son
were taking their toll on the president, and leaving him with little
peace or even time to contemplate right from wrong in regard to the
Sioux. In addition, Lincoln’s father had been killed by members of a
Native American tribe.
In the card by SmilingCoyote there was reference to
the Homestead Act. That act signed by the president opened the west
to expansion by pioneers wishing to own land in America.
SmilingCoyote says that that act cost the Native Americans their
land, and may also have contributed to the great dust bowl because
Oklahoma was not farmland, and settlers tore up the land and tried
to turn it into something it was never intended to be.
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The note, serves to remind everyone, that Lincoln was
only human. He did what he though was right, and he tried to serve
his country well as president. The letter does not mention that
during the Sioux trials, 300 people were sentenced to die by hanging
and Lincoln pardoned all but 38 which he considered had performed
the most heinous of crimes.
On the flip side, the other cards in the display sang
the praises of the president that we all know best.
On read: “Many thanks for the leadership and great
example. If your honesty existed today, we’d be a better place.
Thanks for helping West Virginia be a state.”
On that same card signed by many people: “Honest, true, kind and
loved by many. We think of you each time we use the penny!”
On the same card: “Your honesty about the cherry tree became a
tradition in our home as a child we celebrated with cherry pie every
Feb 12!.......P.S. I just found out it was George, not you! So much
for my memory!!”
And on a separate card the sender finished her
writing with the following paragraph: “You’ve gone down in history
as our greatest president with so much respect and appreciation and
warmth. You’ve experienced many sad events in your life and had the
courage to go on. Your life is a lesson for all!”
Perhaps the last statement is the best. Lincoln was loved and
respected. He did face many trials. He was only human, made some
mistakes, but got a lot of things right. But no matter what, he was
always moving forward and showing leadership and courage.
In the museum there are many examples of the good
that Lincoln did. He was a part of the Logan County community long
before he was president, and it is still a great pleasure for most
of us to remember him and honor him on his birthday.
On Wednesday the weather was not pretty at all and Keller said he
felt that attributed to it being a slower morning than in past
years. He said this time of year, there is not a lot of out-of-town
visitors at the museum, but he is looking for business to pick up in
the next 60 days when spring comes upon us and tourists are once
again out and about.
Keller said that the museum gets its fair share of visitors
traveling Route 66, and he looks forward to next year and the 100th
anniversary of the Mother Road. It is expected that there will be
numbers in the multi-millions traveling through Illinois during that
anniversary year. With Logan County being one of the two or three
counties where Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 intersect, this
community can offer a double whammy for tourists traveling the
beloved highway from Chicago to Las Angeles.
What was very nice about the slower day at the museum
was that visitors had the opportunity to grab a cup of coffee, enjoy
a cookie and just sit down and have a nice visit with Keller and the
volunteers. It made for a very pleasant way to celebrate the
birthday of our 16th president.
[Nila Smith] |
