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Presidential Library Dedication © Abraham Lincoln Online

Lincoln Presidential Library Dedication Weekend Day Three: Monday, November 18, 2002 This is IT -- the day of the library dedication. It will be a sunny day which revives the senses and feels as if spring had touched it. The area around the library hums with activity as television crews ready their equipment for the celebration. We think of what our friends said back home: "A presidential library? You mean Lincoln doesn't have one already?"

Shortly after noon, signs of life appear around the Old Capitol. The venerable stone building sports flags outside and patriotic bunting within, while floral arrangements adorn some doorways. A panel of well-known Lincoln speakers, chiefly David Herbert Donald and Doris Kearns Goodwin, attracts a crowd in the Hall of Representatives. We are grateful they do not read formal papers, but instead offer personal comments about their work and the expected benefits of the new library.

By mid-afternoon we join the people walking past the Old Capitol for the 4:15 p.m. dedication. They drift by in twos or threes, dressed in mostly in business black. In the distance we can see a stage in the intersection by the library, and can hear a military band. A sense of anticipation rises in the mild air.

We fall into the only line we see, then discover it is just for those with official invitations. They settle into folding chairs facing the library in the middle of the street; we search for space behind media equipment and barricades. It's a post-9/11 world, after all.

We join the ranks of the standing, thankful for comfortable shoes. We will remain thus for two hours, about the time it took Edward Everett to deliver the speech that preceded Lincoln's famous Gettyburg Address. Now we understand why Everett's audience began to wander away and some people missed Lincoln's message altogether.

The dedication ceremony officially opens with a fly-over of four Illinois National Guard jets. This delights our fellow standees partly because everyone can see and hear it. We expected a paean to politicians, and were not disappointed, but the festive atmosphere and the sheer presence of the library overcomes it.

The benediction brings relief, for even comfy shoes have their limits. Fireworks erupt from the roof and the celebration ends. Although unfinished, the building brims with light and grace and potential. Now, 137 years after his death, President Lincoln has a library.

Model Gun Owned by Tad Lincoln Home Nameplate, Key Lincoln's Traveling Shaving Mirror © Abraham Lincoln Online

The Shape of Things to Come Following the formal dedication, the public was allowed to see small portions of the new library building. We had heard that the interior was not complete, and will not be for months, but we weren't quite prepared for so much empty, unfinished space. Not a book was in sight, but we walked through the main reference room and could imagine how bright it will be with its long rows of windows. However, there were some special Lincoln items for everyone to view, a few of which are shown here. The current historical library houses a wide range Lincoln artifacts which cannot be put on display, but that will all change with the new library-museum complex. The miniature cannon (top photo), is a government patent model which Tad, the youngest Lincoln son, played with in the White House. Although patent models were required to be operational, this gun was disabled to prevent Tad from harming himself and others. The nameplate (middle photo) is the original one from Lincoln home front door in Springfield. It is too fragile to be handled often and rarely goes on display. If you visit the home you will see an exact replica attached to the door. The bottom photo shows a folding shaving mirror which Lincoln took along when he rode the law circuit in Illinois He did not start wearing a beard until shortly before he left Springfield for the White House.

>Day One Highlights
>Day Two Highlights

Related Link
Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (State of Illinois et al)

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