Lincoln Heritage Museum event honors volunteers

[December 16, 2014]  LINCOLN - The Lincoln Heritage Museum at Lincoln College was open late on Monday evening for a special volunteer appreciation event. Museum volunteers enjoyed refreshments in the Lincoln Center atrium, had an opportunity to view the Museum’s two special exhibits that will open to the public next year, and received a special gift from the Museum.

“The Lincoln Heritage Museum has the best volunteers in Logan County,” Museum Assistant Director Anne Moseley told the group. “Tonight we honor our volunteers and recognize them for who they are to us: treasures.”

“Our volunteers are crucial to the successful and smooth operation of the Lincoln Heritage Museum. Since our opening this past April, we have witnessed extraordinary attendance. This group of dedicated and passionate volunteers has welcomed visitors from all across the globe and assisted with several special programs and events. We greatly appreciate the commitment they have shown and their willingness to give their time. We invite others to join their ranks as volunteers. The Lincoln Heritage Museum has become the new go-to destination for central Illinois,” commented Museum Director Ron Keller.

The Museum has had approximately 3,500 visitors since it reopened in April, which is more than typically visited the museum each year in its former location.

The two special exhibits previewed for the volunteers focus on President Lincoln’s assassination and the 150th anniversary of Lincoln College. The exhibits will open to the public in mid-January and be on display through the end of 2015. Several other events are planned throughout the year as the Museum joins other Abraham Lincoln sites in commemorating the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s death.

Lincoln Heritage Museum volunteers assist the museum in a variety of ways, from greeting visitors and answering the phone to guiding tours and participating in special projects and events. Weekly time commitments vary depending on each volunteer’s interests and availability.

The mission of the Lincoln Heritage Museum is to interpret for the public the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln and the world in which he lived—particularly as it pertained to Illinois—and to be an academic resource for students from elementary school through adulthood. For more information the Museum or becoming a volunteer, call 217-735-7399 or e-mail amoseley
@lincolncollege.edu.

[Tracy Bergin, Lincoln College]