Abraham Lincoln Exhibit

News Release

CONTACT:=

Terri Crawford, Dep= uty Director

239.533.4832

tcrawford@leegov.co= m

FOR IMMEDIATE RE= LEASE

Abraham Lincoln traveling lea= rning station exhibit coming to Northwest Regional Library

May 28 through June 25, 2010<= o:p>

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“Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” features reproduction artifacts from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Libr= ary and Museum

(FORT MY= ERS, FLA., May 25, 2010) A world-class traveling exhibit featuring reproduction artifacts from the Ab= raham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfie= ld, Illinois is coming to the Lee County Li= brary System’s Northwest Regional Library at 519 Chiquita Blvd. North in Cape Coral, Florida from May 28 through June 25, 2010. Lee County Library System is one = of just 40 Lincoln Bicentennial venues to host this exhibit and the only one = in the entire state of Florida<= /st1:State>. The public may view the exhibit and attend related programs free of charge= .

“Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” was created to commemorate= the 200th anniversary of the birth of America’s greatest pre= sident by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The “W= e, the People” program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, provided major financial support for the exhibition and accompanying programs. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and the History Channel provided additional financial and in-ki= nd support.

The exhibit covers Lincoln’s childhood, his self-education, his careers as a surveyor and lawyer, his f= amily life, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, the 1860 Presidential election, the Civ= il War, the 13^th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his assassination, and other important periods and events in his life. T= he reproduction artifacts on display, all modeled from originals in the Presidential Library and Museum, include: Lincoln’s favorite b= ooks; his son Tad’s toy cannon; the nameplate from his Springfield home; h= is stovepipe hat, which he used like a briefcase to hold important papers; a Presidential campaign banner; an axe that Lincoln used to chop wood; the b= loody gloves found in Lincoln’s pocket the night of his assassination; and= many other unique and interesting items. &n= bsp;

The traveling learning station exhibit is being displ= ayed in 40 public libraries and historical societies over the next two years. = ; It was one of just two “We, the People” programs for the Lincoln Bicentennial funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibit will travel the nation from September 2008 through September 2010.

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a subsistence farmer, cam= e of age during a dramatic transformation in America’s economic life. Like many of his contemporaries, he embraced a new emphasis on personal initiative, risk-taking, and ambition. He was only 22 when = he left his family home to find his own way. After enduring a series of= personal failures in business, he became a prosperous attorney, devoted husband and father, successful politician, and, finally, the 16th President of the United States. While Lincoln benefited from close association with a number of powerful friends, his own talents and ambitions combined with hard work and a dedication to self-improvement to produce a unique American specimen - the self-made man.

The American Library Association of Chicago and the <= span class=3DSpellE>Tribeca Film Institute of New York made strong contr= ibutions to the exhibit programming.

For more information about the “Abraham Lincoln= : Self-Made in Americ= a” exhibit, visit www.PresidentLincoln.org.

The Northwest Regional Library will offer a variety of related programs through the month of June on topics that include Mary Tod= d Lincoln, the Civil War, and interactive demonstrations of period crafts. A fi= lm series is offered for all ages and children will enjoy the Young Abe Linco= ln Story and Craft program.

The exhibit and related programs are free and open to= the public. For additional information about these programs please conta= ct the Lee County Library System Telephone Reference at 239- 479-INFO (4636) = or check the library system’s web site: www.leegov.com/library. A sign language interpreter is available with 5 business days notice to li= brary staff. Assistive listening system available; request at desk.

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