An Exhibit Celebrating the Bicentennial of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln

Do You Know Your Lincoln? launches a series of exhibits, events and programs at the Western Reserve Historical Society about Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War in tribute to the Bicentennial of the birth of Lincoln in 2009 and the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War beginning in 2011.

This new exhibit draws on the Western Reserve Historical Society’s unusually rich Lincoln collections to test the museum visitor’s knowledge of the history of America’s 16th President. It places the election of Lincoln in the larger context of the outbreak and public perception of the Civil War, and connects the President to the City of Cleveland. Included in the exhibit are images of Lincoln never before seen at the Historical Society. Of special note are a full-length 19th-century Henry Church portrait (see inside), an engraving of Lincoln on the balcony of Cleveland’s Weddell House Hotel in 1861, and a newly discovered photograph of Lincoln’s casket on display in Public Square in 1865.

This exhibit is made possible, in part, through the generous support of: The C. Walder Parke Family Foundation.