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Edwards Place at
the Springfield Art Association
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Illinois State
Military Museum
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Lincoln Tomb and
War Memorial State Historic Site
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Elijah Iles House
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Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Each site will offer a candlelight program based upon a quote
from the Emancipation Proclamation, which Abraham Lincoln signed
into effect Jan. 1, 1863: "I do order and declare that all persons
held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States,
are, and henceforward shall be free." The issuing of the
Emancipation Proclamation was the first step of many that led to the
eventual end of slavery in the United States.
Visitors can visit the sites in any order and are encouraged to
walk between the Lincoln Home and the Iles House. Below is each
site's program description. All programs are free.
Edwards Place at the Springfield Art Association
Visitors will step back in time to 1863 and witness the Edwards
family preparing for a Civil War-era reception. Benjamin and Helen
Edwards will greet their guests and discuss the local and national
issues of the day, including the recent battle of Gettysburg, the
Emancipation Proclamation, the work of the Soldiers' Aid Society and
President Lincoln's recent dismissal of Benjamin's brother Ninian as
commissary of subsistence of the Army. "Hidden in Plain Sight: The
Material Life of Early Springfield" will be on exhibit.
Illinois State Military Museum
Civil War re-enactors from the 114th Infantry Regiment Illinois
Volunteers Reactivated will hold an encampment outside the museum.
Visitors will learn about the day-to-day life of Civil War soldiers
as well as discuss the events of 1863 with soldiers in the field.
The museum will also be open for tours by the light of electric
candles.
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Lincoln Tomb and War Memorial State Historic Site
Visitors will take a self-guided walk through the tomb and view a
special exhibit explaining the iconography of sculptor Larkin Mead's
ornamentation on the tomb's exterior. The exhibit will contain
information about the bronze sculpture of Lincoln holding the
Emancipation Proclamation and the four groups of bronze statutes
that represent the Civil War infantry, artillery, cavalry and navy.
Visitors will learn the meaning behind the levels of the upper deck
and how they reflect Lincoln's ability to issue the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Elijah Iles House
Visitors will be transported to 1863 as Civil War soldiers
discuss the anticipated effects of the Emancipation Proclamation
recently put forward by President Lincoln. For example: "How will
slaves in the Confederate states react?"; "How will this improve the
Union's position?"; and "What can be done for slaves in the North?"
These and other questions raised by the momentous document will be
examined.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
The issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation affected the lives
of African-Americans. A National Park Service ranger will discuss
the response of many prominent African-Americans to this document,
including how the document affected the Underground Railroad
movement.
For further information on the "The Fiery Trial: Civil War
Stories by Candlelight" programs, contact Pam VanAlstine at
217-741-9184 or Lincoln
Home National Historic Site at 217-391-3221.
[Text from
National Park Service
news release received from the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]
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