Lincoln's Birthday Celebration Feb. 12 at David Davis Mansion

[January 30, 2008]  BLOOMINGTON -- A Lincoln's Birthday celebration at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington will feature hands-on activities and special tours of the home's hidden spaces. The site is normally closed on Tuesdays but will be open for this event on Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free, open to the public and suitable for both adults and children.

The mansion's Lincoln-related interpretation will be highlighted during the Feb. 12 tours, which begin every half-hour. Visitors may see areas of the mansion that are not normally shown to the public -- inside Sarah's refrigerator, dining room knife boxes, the kitchen oven, the secret drawer in the master bedroom dresser and more. Hands-on activities for children will be featured, along with funny stories about Abraham Lincoln and Judge David Davis.

This Lincoln's Birthday event is part of an ongoing series of new Davis Mansion exhibits and programs examining the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and David Davis in leading America through the Civil War and, in Davis' case, Reconstruction.

The David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, located at 1000 E. Monroe in Bloomington, is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The elegant Victorian home was built in 1872 for U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Davis and his wife, Sarah, and contains many original furnishings. The mansion is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(David Davis Mansion)

[Text from Illinois Historic Preservation Agency news release received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]