Lincoln Memorial University's (LMU) Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum (ALLM) will commemorate the 216th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth with a special temporary exhibition, Echoes of Disunion: The Election of 1860. Now open for viewing, the exhibit will run through fall 2025.
Curated by Jonathan Smallwood, ALLM curator and assistant director, the exhibit examines Lincoln’s road to the White House, exploring his sharp instincts and the defining election that shaped the nation’s future.
Among the featured artifacts are a rare pair of Lincoln’s spectacles, a campaign banner from his 1858 Senate race against Stephen A. Douglas, and examples of 1860 campaign coins and ribbons. The spectacles, one of only a few known to exist, come from the collection of Lincoln’s great-grandson, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, and are on loan to the museum courtesy of Ethan Afshani. These historic glasses will only be on display until March 31, 2025.
“Lincoln was a product of the frontier, but his ambition carried him far from his roots,” said Smallwood. “A superb analytical mind, a tool that he relied on constantly, enabled him to examine major questions of the day in his ‘cold, calculating, unimpassioned’ manner. Certainly, circumstances played a role in his rise to the presidency, but circumstances alone could not propel Lincoln to greatness."
As part of the celebration, ALLM will host a free community event on February 15 from noon to 5. The Lincoln portrayer, Dennis Boggs, will bring history to life, reciting the Gettysburg Address and sharing stories on Lincoln’s life. Visitors will also have a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes into the museum’s vault, which is typically closed to the public.
Please register for your timed entry to the vault at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abraham-lincolns-206th-birthday-celebration-and-vault-tour-tickets-1216652152339?aff=oddtdtcreator
“We’d love to see the surrounding community and students come out and take advantage of seeing some rarely seen artifacts and historical memorabilia,” said Smallwood. “We extend enormous thanks to a variety of individuals who made this exhibit possible, including both former and current ALLM staff including Michael Lynch, Kaleb Jenkins, Steven Wilson, and Taylon Barnhill.”
The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is located on the historic campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Housing one of the top five Lincoln and Civil War private collections in the world, the Museum is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (March through November). For more information about this and other programs at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, call 423-869-6235.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423-869-6280 or email at admissions@lmunet.edu.
