This collection of more than 30,000 items (much of it printed matter) was begun with the school's inception and first managed by R. Gerald McMurtry, Lincoln scholar and former LMU professor. Other items and collections, including McMurtry's, were added over the years. USS Monitor skipper John L. Worden's collection of objects and writings is a prized acquisition and new items arrive frequently. Because the museum is in an academic setting – liberal arts students at LMU are required to take two courses on Abraham Lincoln using museum facilities and staff – the exhibits are traditional; the emphasis is on artifacts, rather than design. Special programs, educational conferences and a Lincoln publication highlight the outreach agenda.

The museum building is a two-story structure at the entrance to the campus. Exhibits are on the first floor though the ceiling is high, allowing for the display of many large original oils of Lincoln and other period figures – one of the collection's strengths. Also prominent are miniature and oversized carved marble and bronze statues of the president. A mezzanine is dedicated to transitional exhibits. In October, "Lincoln and the Presidency" opens—an intriguing presentation of how Lincoln's conduct of the office was influenced by those who came before him, and how his presidency shaped men who have held the office since. The museum places emphasis on tracing Lincoln's family, who passed through the nearby Cumberland Gap on their way to the frontier. A fine example of Thomas Lincoln's carpentry handiwork is a large inlaid cabinet on display. Lincoln's father fostered the skills, but not the desire, for hard work in his son this exhibit tells us.

The museum also features a series of miniature dioramas of major events in Lincoln's political career, as well as exhibits on his role as commander-in-chief and his assassination. Other items of interest, not in any particular order, include a prized walking stick, an 1858 senatorial campaign flag, china from the Lincoln White House and Springfield home, a carriage that belonged to his secretary of state William Seward and a Civil War ambulance – all original. Though this museum lacks the panache of the presidential library or the walk-through history of the Lincoln Home, it does have a quiet scholarly charm in an idyllic setting. Additional major acquisitions and improved exhibits are forthcoming and the senior staff will enthusiastically provide personalized guided tours when called upon because they think that much of their museum.

Ford's Theatre National Historic Site

Ford's Theatre National Historic Site in Washington, D.C., is in the midst of an ambitious renovation. Like the Lincoln Home, its strength is in the history of its buildings but the focus, which has been on the assassination and death of the president, is being expanded. The position of Ford's Theatre in the annals of history is unique. Not only is it the site of the first successful assassination of a U. S. President, it is the place where the vision of one man who saw the promise of American democracy like no other was extinguished. Whether his legacy became even greater once he was martyred here by John Wilkes Booth's bullet will never be known. But the might of his influence in death began here. The expanded focus includes attention to examining this question along with many others about Lincoln's life and impact.

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