Many Abraham Lincoln sites in the Springfield area present pieces of Abraham Lincoln�s life, each telling an important part of the whole. There is one site that will weave these pieces into whole cloth. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library will open in late Summer 2004 and the Museum in early 2005. They are part of a $115 million presidential library complex, the largest in the nation, dedicated to the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

The Library will house the world�s most extensive collection of Lincoln material, with more than 46,000 items. Included in this collection are nearly 1,500 documents written or signed by Lincoln between 1831 and 1865. Two of these priceless documents are the handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. The Second Inaugural Address is considered by many to be Lincoln�s finest speech.

The Lincoln Collection also contains important family documents and artifacts, including the Lincoln�s marriage license, a tablecloth from their wedding reception, the nameplate from their front door, and Mr. Lincoln�s shaving mirror.

The Museum will be the jewel of the complex with its totally immersive exhibits designed by BRC Imagination of California. BRC is the firm that designed interactive exhibits in Disneyland, including the Haunted Mansion. This same vision and creativity were utilized to allow the past and the present to co-exist within the Museum exhibits.

The Museum�s Journey One includes scale models of various phases of Abraham Lincoln�s life before he assumed the Presidency: his boyhood cabin in Indiana; the 2nd Berry-Lincoln Store in New Salem and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices in Springfield. These are built to 7/8 scale so they capture the realism of the actual structures.

Journey Two covers Lincoln�s life as President. You can take a walk through the facade of the 1860�s White House; view ladies� clothing fashions of that time; witness Lincoln�s decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation; see a huge mural of the battle at Gettysburg; observe John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theatre and reflect on the funeral homecoming of the President at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.

The Holovision Theatre presents �Ghosts of the Library,� a lively and educational program demonstrating the pleasure of reading and conducting research in a presidential library. The program will feature a live actor interacting with holographic 3D images to bring together the past and the present.

Union Theatre is a special effects theater that will feature �Through Lincoln�s Eyes,� a portrayal of the turbulent times and events of the mid-1800s as Lincoln might have experienced them. Three screens and surround sound will fully envelop the audience in the setting. Mrs. Lincoln�s Attic is a special area for kids containing reproduction toys, clothes and activities from the 1800s. They can let their imaginations take flight and journey back in time to the mid-1850s. More than 16,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln. He is one of the 3 most-written about individuals in human history. Come to Springfield and discover for yourself why he has captured the world�s respect and imagination.

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Media Contact: Sharon Johnson +1 (217) 789-2360, ext 136 sjohnson@springfield.il.us