Press Releases

LINCOLN EXHIBIT HELD OVER AT OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL MUSEUM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 7, 2007

Contact: Nancy Coggins, APR
405.235.3313 or 405.760.9053
nc@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

LINCOLN EXHIBIT HELD OVER AT
OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Extra time allows more visitors to experience insight into sixteenth president’s challenges, triumphs

OKLAHOMA CITY – Visitors and school groups have more time to experience Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Originally scheduled to close August 12, the popular exhibit will be on display through December 15.

Through interactive elements, artifacts, text, photographs and more, this special exhibition on loan from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia takes visitors along a tense, exciting reconstruction of just how Abraham Lincoln succeeded in saving the nation.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to keep this exhibit through December,” said Kari Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum executive director. “This will allow for more students and other visitors to experience the challenges and triumphs Lincoln faced in working within our Constitution to save a nation at odds with itself.”

Local historian and professor Dr. J. Rufus Fears will present a special public lecture on Lincoln September 18 at 6 p.m. at the Memorial Museum. Fears brings to life the sixteenth president through his storytelling acumen and passion for history. Tickets are available for $25 and can be reserved by calling 405.235.3313.

Limited funding to assist with student admission for Oklahoma schools is still available through the generous support of the Bezalel Foundation, Sarkeys Foundation and Wal-Mart and SAM’S CLUB. Grant applications are available at www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, is a 2,500- square-foot exhibition that highlights the three constitutional crises which Lincoln faced as President: Secession, Slavery and Civil Liberties during the Civil War. The exhibition explores how one individual, who was deeply committed to the belief that citizens can make a real difference, exercised leadership at a pivotal time of crisis for the nation, the Constitution, and the course of freedom worldwide. This engaging exhibit presents the story of Lincoln and the Constitution in a fresh and compelling way that appeals to everyone from families to Civil War buffs and history scholars.

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War features more than 100 images, historical documents and artifacts incorporated into a variety of innovative and interactive exhibit formats. In addition, Lincoln’s voice – in the form of excerpts from his writings and speeches – enables visitors to hear first-hand his thoughts and views on issues such as equality, slavery, freedom, democracy, justice and the Constitution’s rule of law.

Through the exhibit’s media and interactive elements, visitors can stand alongside Lincoln as he is sworn in as President, view Civil War military conflicts and Lincoln portraits through a replicated 1860s box camera, play a replica 1862 board game called “The Secession Game,” use clues to solve an electronic jigsaw puzzle, experience a replicated jail cell for citizens arrested for dissent or disloyalty, and more. Artifacts on display in the exhibit include Lincoln’s trademark stovepipe hat, signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, and other historical documents.

“Lincoln stood at the brink of this nation’s greatest struggle, and through his belief in personal responsibility and equality for all, he led the country to a place of greater equality and an understanding of the contributions of all Americans,” Watkins said. “His battle to move the nation closer to the Declaration of Independence’s promises of freedom and equality is reflective of our mission to teach tolerance and diversity, as well as effecting positive change in government through non-violent means.”

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is sponsored by Ad Astra Foundation, Barnett Family Foundation, Bezalel Foundation, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Cox Communications, Devon Energy Corporation, Inasmuch Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey K. McClendon, Merrick Foundation, Oklahoma Bar Foundation, Oklahoma Centennial Commission, Oklahoma Farmers Union, Oklahoma Press Association, The Oklahoma Publishing Co., The Oklahoman, Sarkeys Foundation, Union Pacific Foundation and Wal-Mart and SAM’S CLUB. Admission to this special exhibit is included with general Memorial Museum admission. School group admission to the Memorial Museum is $4 for students. Memorial Museum hours are Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket sales end daily at 5 p.m.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.

For more information about the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, please call 405.235.3313 or 1.888.542.HOPE (4673), or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
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