Teaming To Bring Lincoln Artifacts To Washington

I've posted several items in recent months about the impending closure of the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The museum has unfortunately suffered from years of declining attendance and Lincoln Financial, the owner and operator of the museum, has said enough. The closure date is in a few days.

Several groups and institutions across the country hope to be the ultimate winner of the "contest" to see who will house this remarkable trove of Lincoln items. Announced today in The Washington Post is a teaming arrangement between The Library of Congress, Ford's Theater, The National Museum of American History (Smithsonian), and The Lincoln Cottage, the former Soldiers' Home in Washington. This arrangement will no doubt provide formidable competition to the other major institutions, such as The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

Representatives of this teaming arrangement make the claim that Washington, D.C. is the most logical city to house this priceless collection. After all, Lincoln lived in Washington while president and was of course assassinated and died there as well. Indeed the leader of the group states that no other institution in America can match the visitorship and financial backing of the team in Washington.

The final decision by Lincoln Financial is by January 2009. I'll keep my readers posted.