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The
girder is a piece of steel beam from Tower One of the World Trade
Center. Made of pig iron, this 3-foot piece of steel weighs close to
300 pounds. As you can notice, the steel is buckled at the top. The
temperature had to reach over 1,800 degrees for that to happen. The
charred marks and concrete debris remain on the steel from that
horrible day.
We have
created a simple, yet respectful exhibit surrounding the piece.
Included are a "Flag of Honor," listing the names of all who died
that day, as well as a memory board for all visitors to post
thoughts on and memories of that day.
It took
over six years to build the twin towers. Timed from the first moment
of impact, they were destroyed in one hour and 42 minutes.
We
invite all of you to come and view the exhibit, and to recall a day
of magnitude of which we hope never to witness again.
[Ron Keller, Lincoln College Museum curator] |
[Photo by Bob Frank]
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The items were donated by the Oliver
James Keller Jr. family. Keller's great-grandfather is the subject
of the letter. The donation was made in memory of Oliver J. Keller
Sr., who was president of the Abraham Lincoln Association during the
1960s, when the organization raised nearly $300,000 to restore the
Old State Capitol.
The original letter is dated April 13,
1863, and is addressed to John P. Usher, secretary of the interior.
The brief message, on Executive Mansion stationery, states: "Please
see Mr. Dickey a friend, and son of a friend, of mine. He is a
gentleman of very high standing; and I will be glad if you will hear
him patiently, and oblige him if possible. Yours truly A. Lincoln."
No reference has been found concerning Mr. Dickey's business with
the Department of the Interior.
Oliver J. Dickey was the law partner of
Rep. Thaddeus Stevens at Lancaster, Penn., and son of John Dickey,
who had been a member of Congress with Lincoln in 1847-1849 and
lived in the same boarding house. Oliver Dickey was an active member
of the Pennsylvania Republican delegation that officially brought
the news from Chicago to Springfield in 1860 that Lincoln had been
nominated for president. Upon Dickey's arrival in Springfield, a
newspaper correspondent noted about Lincoln: "His memory is
remarkable -- he called gentlemen by name whom he had not seen in
years. When Col. O.J. Dickey was introduced, he immediately
recognized him as the son of an old friend and shook him by the hand
most heartily, at the same time inviting him to spend a part of the
following day at his house, which invitation Mr. D. accepted."
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this article] |
The donated photograph was taken in
1858 by either Roderick Cole of Peoria or Preston Butler. Lincoln
signed the 5.5-by-7.5-inch photograph, "Yours truly A. Lincoln." The
young, beardless Lincoln liked this particular photo and is known to
have signed several other copies. Lincoln was gaining national
attention from his U.S. Senate campaign against the incumbent
Illinois senator, Stephen A. Douglas, and, like modern-day
celebrities, he had occasion to sign such items for people. The
photograph was obtained by Oliver J. Dickey and passed along to the
Keller family.
These items are part of the 47,000-item
Henry Horner Lincoln Collection at the Illinois State Historical
Library. The State Historical Library and its 12 million items,
including the Lincoln collection, will move into the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library when construction on the new facility is
complete. Meanwhile, construction continues on the adjacent Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2004, and
will provide an opportunity to showcase original Lincoln materials
in the slate's collection. The Old State Capitol, Illinois State
Historical Library, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum are all administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency.
[News
release] |
