Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, part II

So I showed you the dresses from the beginning of the White House exhibits at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, but there's much more to see!  Much of it tells the story of politics and war; I was more interested in the personal side of the exhibits, but the exhibits addressed the seriousness of this period in our nation's history.

There was one exhibit that was full of political cartoons and editorials; here is a glimpse. 

They showed the human side of the Lincoln family when their son Willie became sick and died early in Mr. Lincoln's presidency.

And then there was the War.  The museum tells the story of individuals from the Civil War in the War Gallery where you can learn more about the people in the photos.

Abraham Lincoln's face and hands were captured in molds/masks to preserve them for sculptures and statues of our 16th President.  Here are a few that are on display.

Even today we see how much a man ages during his presidency.  Here are photos of Lincoln from 1860 - 1865 (I don't know why they don't have one for 1862). 

The museum has a section depicting Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater and the subsequent funeral train before his body was laid to rest.

When we finished touring the museum, it was beginning to rain, so we had lunch at the cafe' and then dashed over to the Presidential Library across the street.  It's not exactly open to the public; you can see a few sculptures and pictures of Lincoln in the lobby and main hall, but you can't go into the stacks without an appointment for a legitimate research purpose.  I took a few pictures of the library.

The coolest things were the earliest known signature of A. Lincoln, and an early picture.

We were glad we decided to spend an extra day in Springfield because when we finished up in the Library, we had to hurry to the car to avoid the rain.  We were thankfully able to check into our hotel early - and just after we got in, the rain became heavier and it hailed!  DH was able to pull the car under the shelter at the hotel, so we avoided getting any dents in the car, thankfully! 

~ Cindy D.