A new exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will offer intimate glimpses into Abraham Lincoln’s family, career, finances and presidency.
“Unfinished Work,” opening April 15 and running through May 15 at the Springfield museum, includes many rare documents and artifacts from the 1,500-item Louise and Barry Taper Collection it recently acquired. Among the highlights: a promissory note in which Lincoln promised to pay $379.82 (an amount he called “my national debt”), and Lincoln’s patent for a mechanism to lift stranded riverboats off of obstructions.
The exhibit takes its name from the Gettysburg Address, in which Lincoln describes the “unfinished work” of bringing freedom to the nation. It will present insights into Lincoln’s days as a struggling shopkeeper, the momentous events of his presidency and the tragedy of his death. The exhibit will also plans to go beyond Lincoln and shed light on the lives of his widow, Mary Todd LIncoln, his son and his sole grandson.
“The lives of everyone around Lincoln were made more poignant by association. His elders, his friends, his colleagues, his loved ones – we learn about Lincoln by learning about them and vice-versa,” said James M. Cornelius, curator of the presidential library’s Lincoln Collection. “The Taper collection offers us these rare chances to understand his relationships.”
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The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located at 212 N. 6th St. in Springfield.