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34-506: A total of 45 counties are typically considered to be within Central Illinois, with a population of 1,874,635 as of the 2020 U.S. Census . Major cities include Peoria , Springfield (the state capital ), Decatur , Quincy , Champaign – Urbana , Bloomington – Normal , Galesburg , and Danville . Historically prairie , Central Illinois is generally flat and includes Douglas County , the state's flattest. The region also hosts

68-766: A major employer of people in the region. Popular tourist sites include the Lincoln Home National Historic Site , the Old State Capitol , and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum . Military makes up a smaller part of the economy, but was much larger until the closing Chanute Air Force Base in 1993. Central Illinois is culturally and demographically similar to much of the Rust Belt and Midwestern United States . The southern part of

102-479: A politician. The Lincoln Home National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service is a national park featuring Lincoln's Springfield home. Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area where thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds live. There are many other state parks and National Wildlife Refuges in the region. The climate of central Illinois is humid continental and

136-527: A program in which Illinois schoolchildren collected pennies for the construction of the presidential library, which raised $ 47,000. Ryan was appointed to the 14-member Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission by the speaker of the United States House of Representatives to commemorate the 200th birthday of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 2009. She served on the commission from 2001 to 2010. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

170-463: A third, the "Treasures Gallery". Temporary exhibits rotate periodically. Past exhibits have dealt with the Civil War and Stephen A. Douglas . As of February 2014 , a collection of Annie Leibovitz 's photography, including photos of Lincoln's items, is on display. One of the museum's permanent exhibits, "Campaign of 1860", includes modern-style television updates on the campaign's progress from

204-545: A variety of man-made lakes, including Lake Shelbyville , Lake Springfield , Clinton Lake and Lake Decatur . Major rivers in the region include the Illinois , Middle Fork of the Vermilion , Kaskaskia , Sangamon and Mississippi rivers. Central Illinois is home to many protected areas, many related to Abraham Lincoln . The Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site showcases the town where Lincoln started his life as

238-569: Is a research library which houses books, papers and artifacts related to Lincoln's life and the American Civil War. In addition to the works associated with Lincoln and his era, the library houses the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library (founded by the state in 1889) and serves as a premier repository of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other materials of historical interest pertaining to

272-675: Is located in Springfield, Illinois, in the historic downtown section, near many other Lincoln cultural sites. The presidential library opened on October 14, 2004, and the museum opened on April 19, 2005. Until 1970, Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. was designated as the "Lincoln Museum". The buildings which now house the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are in three separate structures. Each structure encompasses one city block. Two of

306-589: Is the first person of color to serve in the position. Before coming to the ALPLM, she headed the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center , the State of Arkansas 's African-American culture and history museum. As first lady of Illinois, Lura Lynn Ryan became a major fundraiser and the library's first chairwoman. She launched the fundraising for the library by raising $ 250,000. Ryan also organized

340-558: Is the home of the Lincoln Collection Digitization Project, a thematic online resource that features a 360-degree online view of his hat (the actual hat is, as of May 2013 , also on display at the museum). Burbank, California -based BRC Imagination Arts , led by Bob Rogers , was responsible for all of the permanent exhibits and presentations, music, theaters, lifelike figures and full-immersion historical settings. The Lincoln Presidential Library

374-646: The Illinois State Fair help to promote agriculture in the region and also offer entertainment. The manufacturing and service industries are also significant. Caterpillar Inc. employs more than 15,000 workers in the region and was formerly headquartered in Peoria . Major insurance provider State Farm Insurance is headquartered in Bloomington . The Illinois government in Springfield is also

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408-567: The rivers . Airports with commercial service in the region include Central Illinois Regional Airport (serving Bloomington-Normal), General Wayne Downing Peoria International Airport (serving the Peoria area), Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, University of Illinois Willard Airport south of Savoy , Decatur Airport , and Baldwin Field in Quincy. Multiple Amtrak lines run through

442-675: The Lincoln Museum's approach. John R. Decker wrote in the Journal of American History : Like any other modern collection [the Lincoln Presidential Museum] has an audience base that extends far beyond specialists and academics. Rather than merely pandering to the public or dumbing down history, the ALPLM intelligently and compellingly uses visual culture to meet its mission as a public pedagogical institution. The museum addresses complex historical material and opens

476-476: The area experiences all four seasons. Snow is common in the winter months and while the counties vary in snowfall rate, most receive about twenty inches of snow annually. With all precipitation combined, most counties receive about 38 inches of rain and snow annually. Severe weather , including tornadoes , is common during the spring and summer months. Rare blizzards can happen in parts of central Illinois in winter . The weather of central Illinois affects

510-466: The buildings, the museum and the library, are separated by a street and connected above the street level by an enclosed walkway. The entrance of each building features a rotunda , reflective of the dome on the Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Lincoln served four terms as a legislator . Both structures were designed by the architectural firm HOK . The third building, the former Springfield Union Station , had originally been adapted to serve as

544-426: The collection usually includes items such as the original hand written Gettysburg Address , Emancipation Proclamation , his glasses and shaving mirror, Mary Todd Lincoln 's music box, items from her White House china , her wedding dress, and more. The permanent exhibits are divided into two stages of the president's life, called "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years", and "Journey Two: The Presidential Years", and

578-475: The crop season as well; droughts can sometimes happen in the summer and fall causing harm to the soybean and corn crops. Central Illinois has a diverse economy consisting of a variety of industries . Agriculture is the most significant industry in the region and ranges in scope from family farms to mass-production farms. Most counties in Central Illinois have an agriculture-based economy. The most common crops are soybeans and corn . County fairs and

612-575: The display and interpretation of real artifacts. Southern Illinois University Carbondale historian John Y. Simon has said the museum's approach, which borrows presentation technologies from entertainment, trivializes the subject matter. Suggesting that it is more like a theme park than a museum, Simon called the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum a "Six Flags Over Lincoln" and architecture critic Blair Kamin referred to it as "Lincoln Land". Other academics applaud

646-455: The field of museum design and among historians for its use of theatrics and reproductions to tell the Lincoln story. Public response has been positive, delivering larger than expected attendance, enthusiastic visitors and a boost to the regional economy, including increased attendance at surrounding historical attractions. However, museum traditionalists have disapproved of this departure from

680-517: The historical discourse to a wider audience than would be possible through more conventional means. The scholarship behind the content and design for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum was a collaboration between international exhibit designers, BRC Imagination Arts, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), and a content team assembled by State Historian Thomas H. Schwartz. This content team included

714-455: The history of the state of Illinois. While the library is open to the public, its rare collection is non-circulating. A reading room, named the "Steve Neal Reading Room" in honor of Illinois historical journalist Steve Neal , is open to the public. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency , until the Library and Museum

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748-548: The late Meet the Press anchor Tim Russert . Another of the permanent exhibits, "The Civil War in Four Minutes," displays a large animated map which displays the changing battle lines of the Civil War in four minutes. In addition to its exhibits, the Lincoln Museum runs two special effects theater shows, Lincoln's Eyes and Ghosts of the Library . The "Under His Hat: Discovering Lincoln's Story From Primary Sources",

782-559: The life of the 16th U.S. president , Abraham Lincoln , and the course of the American Civil War . Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries . Its library, in addition to housing an extensive collection on Lincoln, also houses the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library , founded by

816-630: The museum and library. He served as director of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, before accepting his position at the ALPLM. Lowe was fired in September 2019 for improperly loaning out ALPLM's original copy of the Gettysburg Address to Glenn Beck 's non-profit group Mercury One. In March 2021, Christina Shutt was appointed as ALPLM's fifth executive director. She

850-522: The museum generated about $ 1 million. In less than twenty-one months, the museum received its one millionth visitor. In August 2012, the museum received its three millionth visitor, with the steady attendance continuing. Museum officials credited the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln for an increase in visitors in 2013, as the museum displayed artifacts from the film. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has been recognized with two awards:

884-572: The museum's acquisition of a 21-star US flag said to date from 1818 marking Illinois's statehood was placed under scrutiny after vexillologists said the flag may have actually dated from the American Civil War . An investigation was also opened by state authorities over irregularities in funding for its purchase, which cost the museum $ 15,625. Since its opening in April 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has ranked as America's most visited state-controlled presidential museum. In about six months

918-474: The museum's opening to the public. Questions have been raised over the provenance of a stovepipe hat in the museum's collection said to have been worn by Lincoln and valued at $ 6.5 million. In 2019, a museum director was fired after he sent a copy of the Gettysburg Address written by Lincoln himself to Texas for an exhibit by political commentator Glenn Beck without prior clearance. In 2024,

952-485: The museum's visitor center. However, since early 2014, the station has, instead, housed an exhibit called "Lincoln: History to Hollywood", which displays two sets , as well as several props and costumes, from the 2012 film Lincoln , directed by Steven Spielberg . The sets, props, and costumes are on loan to the museum directly from Spielberg himself, and will remain on display (with costumes rotating in and out) through December 2019. The museum has sparked debate within

986-647: The region shares much in common with Southern Illinois and northern areas of the Upland South , while the northern part has a more distinctly Midwestern character. West-Central Illinois is also known as Forgottonia . The area is also at the heart of one the most famous rivalries in American sports, the Cardinals–Cubs rivalry . Transportation in central Illinois is provided by an assortment of airports , railroads , interstate highways , bus networks and

1020-759: The region with stops in major regional cities. There are nine interstate highways located in central Illinois, six of which are primary . 40°06′N 89°18′W  /  40.1°N 89.3°W  / 40.1; -89.3 2020 U.S. Census Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 193656497 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:36:49 GMT Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents

1054-593: The state in 1889. The library and museum is located in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois , and is overseen as an agency of state government. It is not affiliated with the U.S. National Archives and its system of libraries. The museum contains life-size dioramas of Lincoln's boyhood home, areas of the White House , the presidential box at Ford's Theatre , and the settings of key events in Lincoln's life, as well as pictures, artifacts and other memorabilia. Original artifacts are changed from time to time, but

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1088-469: The world's leading Lincoln scholars, Pulitzer Prize winning historians, and Illinois school teachers representing the fourth, seventh and eleventh grades. A key goal of this collective was that exhibits promote a greater level of personal interest in Abraham Lincoln. The museum's gift shop has seen record sales of history books. Overall sales in the gift shop hit $ 1 million within three months of

1122-658: Was appointed director by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn . Mackevich formerly served as the executive director of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission . She was also active as a broadcast journalist and talk show host on Chicago public radio, and was the co-founder of the Chicago Humanities Festival . Mackevich's objectives were to raise money, and attract more international interest. She served until she resigned in October 2015. In 2016, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Alan Lowe as director of

1156-410: Was made into an independent state agency in 2017. Historian and former director of several presidential libraries, Richard Norton Smith , served as the museum and library's founding executive director. Smith was succeeded by Rick Beard, who was fired in 2008 after being arrested for shoplifting. Jan Grimes served as interim director following Beard's dismissal. In 2010, Eileen R. Mackevich , MBE ,

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