|
 Visitor No. 5,000,000 was Regina
Padgett of Orlando, Fla. She received a family membership in the
presidential library’s foundation and $150 worth of gifts from the
museum store and the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Gov. JB Pritzker congratulated the presidential library and museum
on reaching the milestone.
“I am one of the millions who have gained a greater appreciation of
President Lincoln by visiting this wonderful institution,” the
governor said. “Lincoln offers all Americans an example of wisdom
and decency, and we are fortunate to have the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum preserving his legacy for future
generations.”
The museum opened April 19, 2005. Reaching five million visitors in
15 years is a testament to Abraham Lincoln’s impact on the world. So
is the fact that people are eager to visit after the museum’s
three-month closure during the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the museum opened, estimates suggested total attendance after
15 years would be roughly 3.6 million. Actual attendance is nearly
40 percent above that mark. Visitors from every state and nearly
every nation on earth have toured the museum.
“The public has embraced the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
and Museum to a degree that no one expected,” said Ray LaHood,
chairman of the presidential library’s Board of Trustees. “That’s a
tribute to great planning and design, to the hard work of our staff
and, most of all, to the amazing story of Abraham Lincoln.”
Padgett couldn’t quite believe she was No. 5,000,000. “Is this a
joke? Are you serious?” she said.
After being reassured it was real, she was delighted “You can’t see
my big smile under this mask,” she said. “I’m still in shock. I
don’t even know what to think.”
[to top of second column] |
Padgett, a social worker, was traveling with four nieces and
nephews: Christopher Padgett, 9; Taylor Creantor, 11; Dánte Paige, 16, and
DeShawn Jones, 20. She said they were thrilled to be part of the celebration.
“I’m like the best aunt of all time!”
Padgett, who is African American, said it was important to bring her nieces and
nephews to the museum now. “With the climate as it is, I thought it was fitting
to come and have them be educated about who Abraham Lincoln was and what he did
for our people,” she said.
Melissa Coultas, the acting executive director, noted the ALPLM
is planning a major celebration next year for the 16th anniversary of the
institution dedicated to the 16th president.
“Just as Lincoln had a remarkable ability to grow as a person and a leader, the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum must always embrace change,”
Coultas said. “That can mean adding new artifacts or exhibits, but it also means
engaging all voices within the community and discussing how the nation can best
live up to Lincoln’s legacy.”
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of
rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s
life and times. The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books,
documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items
pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.
For more information, visit
www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
[Christopher Wills
Communications Director
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum] |
Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum welcomes five millionth
visitor
