The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois is dedicated to the life of the nation's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. The museum was opened in April, 2005 and since then consistently been one of America's most visited presidential museums. The museum contains comprehensive displays and exhibits that include a replica of Abraham Lincolns boyhood home, certain prevalent areas of the White House, the presidential box at Ford's Theater, pictures, artifacts and personal mementos owned by Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and their four sons.

The museum is unique in the fact that it does not contain the traditional displays behind glass, but rather invites visitors to interact and be a part of the displays. The exhibits are rotated consistently, but there are permanent displays devoted to the Campaign of 1860, which includes a commentary by Tim Russert, anchor man of "Meet the Press". There are movies shown in two separate special effects theaters, with both shows being repeated several times per hour.

The Abraham Lincoln Museum has quickly become one of the most talked about and studied museums in America. The building has received recognition in the field of museum design and among historians everywhere, because of its use of modern technology to both educate and inform visitors. The museum has been quite popular and every month the visitor statistics are much larger than was originally anticipated. Gift shop sales hit $1 million in the first three months of opening and some of the books sold are so popular they sell out before they can be reprinted and restocked.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library was opened on October 24th, 2004, and is an active research library which contains artifacts, books and information relating to the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. The collection of the library contains the original handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, a signed Emancipation Proclamation, along with various other books, manuscripts, pamphlets and documents. Visitors can view over 1,500 letters that were either written or signed by Abraham Lincoln, 300 items that belonged to Mary Todd Lincoln, more than 1,000 pictures and more than 10,000 books, pamphlets and other media relating to Abraham Lincoln.

The Lincoln Museum is broken into twelve separate areas; the Plaza, the Museum Store, the Illinois Gallery, Mrs. Lincoln's Attic, the Cafy, Journey One, the Presidential Years, the Union Theater, Journey Two, The White House Years, the Treasures Gallery, Ask Mr. Lincoln, Ghosts of the Library and the Gateway. The guided tours begin with the story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood spent living in a log cabin in Kentucky and ends with a scale reformation of the presidential funeral in the Representatives Hall. The museum and library allows visitors to view and experience the story of Abraham Lincoln in its entirety, from start to finish.