Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will be free for U.S. military on Veterans Day
Events also include new military exhibit and memorial flame

 

[November 09, 2023] 

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will thank military veterans for their service to the country by offering them free admission on Veterans Day.

Visitors on Nov. 11 will also find a memorial flame burning outside the museum and a new exhibit highlighting military service by people with Illinois roots.

“President Lincoln wrote that we should give ‘honor to the soldier and the sailor everywhere who bears his country’s cause.’ The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is proud to do its small part in giving that honor,” said Christina Shutt, the ALPLM’s executive director. “We hope everyone who visits us that day will reflect on the sacrifices made by America’s veterans.”

Military veterans and active-duty personnel who want to take advantage of free admission on Nov. 11 should bring some form of military ID. They will be allowed to bring one guest at no charge.

The new exhibit, “Heroes in Our Homes,” highlights extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary people. A bomber jacket reminds us of a young flyer’s service over Italy. A victory pin and an obituary tell the story of a mother’s broken heart. Side-by-side photos of soldiers – one in Civil War garb and the other in modern uniform – shows a family’s service across generations.

ALPLM volunteer provided many of the artifacts in the exhibit, which can be found in the lobby of the museum’s popular “Ghosts of the Library” exhibit for the next six months.

The memorial flame outside the museum features the emblems of America’s military branches and quotes from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “… that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – some 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov

[Christopher Wills (he/him/his)
Director of Communications
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum]