Iowa celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday
For Immediate Release February 3, 2009
Iowa’s Lincoln Bicentennial Commission event Feb. 12 at State Historical Museum
“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” – Lincoln Memorial inscription.
(DES MOINES, Iowa) –The state of Iowa will celebrate President Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday next week as part of a series of state and national events commemorating his life and legacy.
The Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (IALBC) will host a birthday party 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. Admission is free and open to the public.
The party will feature presentations by IALBC board member Grant Veeder, “Abraham Lincoln” and the Hawkeye State. Roger Shannon will perform period music and members of the Army of the Southwest will make a special appearance. The public is welcome to bring a brown bag lunch or visit Café Baratta’s. Birthday cake and beverages will be provided. More information is available at www.iowalincoln200.org.
“Iowa is proud to recognize Abraham Lincoln as being among the greatest presidents of the United States, embodying equality, freedom and opportunity for all individuals,” said Walter Reed, Jr., IALBC Chair and Director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights.
“In keeping with this premise, the citizens of Iowa embrace the concept that every person should be treated with dignity and respect, and that we should uphold the most fundamental human courtesies toward one another. We invite all Iowans to join us as we celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.”
Reed also is Iowa’s representative to the Governor’s Council of the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in Washington, D.C. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Cyndi Pederson serves as IALBC vice chair.
Iowa joined the 49 other states last year in kicking off a two-year series of state and national events when the State Historical Society of Iowa opened an exhibit featuring several original Lincoln documents, including his letter to Keokuk politician Hawkins Taylor describing 1859 campaign travels and a handwritten message to a joint committee of Congress accepting a second term as president.
The documents, written in 1859 and 1865, are part of the State Historical Library’s Special Collections section. They are being preserved in a highly secured storage area inside the State Historical Building, where they are protected from sunlight and fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Both documents have been authenticated by scholars as originals and are cited in the “Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln.”
Some of Lincoln’s other ties to Iowa are below:
PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS – Lincoln appointed Samuel F. Miller of Keokuk to the United States Supreme Court, and James Harlan of Mount Pleasant as U.S. Secretary of the Interior
BRIDGE AT DAVENPORT – The first bridge across the Mississippi River, built in 1856, connected Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport and was a major breakthrough for western travel and commerce. Lincoln had a key part in a lawsuit between riverboat interests and the railroads over the bridge.
VISIT TO COUNCIL BLUFFS – TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD – Lincoln traveled to Council Bluffs in August 1859 and met with Grenville Dodge, who convinced him the transcontinental railroad should be routed through Council Bluffs.
HARLAN-LINCOLN HOUSE, MOUNT PLEASANT – Lincoln’s son, Robert, married the daughter of Iowa Sen. James Harlan, whom Lincoln appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1865. Robert and Mary Harlan Lincoln wed in 1868. The family spent considerable time at Sen. Harlan’s house in Mount Pleasant.
LINCOLN’S IOWA LAND HOLDINGS – Lincoln’s military service in the Black Hawk War of 1832 led to him assuming ownership of two tracts of land in Iowa, one in Crawford County and one in Tama County.
LINCOLN IN DUBUQUE – Lincoln traveled to Dubuque in late April or early May 1859, probably on railroad business.
SPEECH AT BURLINGTON – In the midst of the legendary Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, Lincoln made a side trip to Burlington to make a political speech.
More information about events in Iowa commemorating Lincoln’s life and legacy can be found on-line at www.iowalincoln200.org. More information about the ALBC is available at www.lincolnbicentennial.gov.
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The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.
