150th Anniversary of Lincoln's Inaugural Journey

The National Park Service is sponsoring programming that will commemorate the 150 anniversary of President-elect Abraham Lincoln's trip from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, DC, on February 11-23, 2011, by revisiting sixteen cities and towns at which Lincoln made remarks. Those cities include Springfield, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Westfield, New York; Buffalo, New York; Albany, New York; Peekskill, New York; New York, New York; Trenton, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland; and, Washington, DC. 

The programming will feature acclaimed Lincoln actor Fritz Klein, who will present what Lincoln said in each community as he tried to reassure a nation on the verge of Civil War. The program will include National Park Service Park Rangers who will supplement Lincoln's remarks with the story of Lincoln's election, the turbulence that followed, and Lincoln's steadfast commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, despite threats to the nation and himself. The programs will also touch on how events of 150 years ago resonated through later generations up to and including today.

The National Park Service is presenting these series of events in cooperation with many local cosponsors in each community. Venues will vary by community, ranging from the places where Lincoln had actually spoken 150 years prior, to a variety of National Parks, local museums, and schools. 

In addition, the National Park Service is sponsoring an educational initiative related to the Lincoln's Inaugural Journey titled "National Park Service Memory Trail: Civil War to Civil Rights" in which students can research their local community with an eye towards how their community related to the Civil War, the subsequent Civil Rights struggles, and their vision for their community in the next generation. 

Each community, in partnership with their local National Park sites and other partners, will develop the local arrangements for the Lincoln Inaugural Route presentations as well as any additional programming that they may wish to include. In the hope that many young people will be touched by this program, an additional educational component, titled Your National Park Service Memory Trail "Civil War to Civil Rights: A National Digital History Project for High School Students" is also being offered. See separate report for a more detailed description of that project, or visit www.lincoln.memorytrail.us. 

Program presenters include:         

Abraham Lincoln as portrayed by Richard F. (Fritz) Klein         

National Park Service Staff:
Timothy S. Good, Superintendent,
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic SiteDave Schafer, Chief of Interpretation and Education,
Brown v Board of Education National Historic SiteSpirit Trickey, Park Ranger,
Central High School National Historic Site