President Lincoln’s Cottage will be the first public venue to display a rare, signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation recently purchased by David Rubenstein. This historic document will be on display at the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center from September 22, the date Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, through the end of April 2013.
Image source: Seth Kaller, Inc.
“Lincoln Cottage was where much of the Emancipation Proclamation was drafted and reflected upon by President Lincoln, and it thus now seems among the most fitting places for this historic document to be displayed to the public,” Rubenstein said. “The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the foremost symbols of freedom in our nation’s history,” said Erin Carlson Mast, Director of President Lincoln’s Cottage. “By viewing this rare copy of the proclamation at the very site where Lincoln thought through these nation-changing ideas, visitors will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the global and cultural importance of what took place at President Lincoln’s Cottage.”
President Lincoln developed the Emancipation Proclamation while living at the Cottage in the summer of 1862, making it the authentic place for understanding Lincoln’s ideas on slavery and emancipation. President Lincoln’s Cottage, the “cradle of the Emancipation Proclamation,” is offering programs, special tours, and events in partnership with national organizations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Tour
This tour explores Lincoln’s road to emancipation, a process that started with what he referred to as his “school of events” and culminated at the Cottage-when the opportunity and political will of a wartime president came together in a way that forever changed this country. Tour launched September 22, 2012 and offered on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3:00 pm.
Categories:Archive, Collections, Exhibits, History, Visitor Tips
Tags:Emancipation Proclamation, Public Programs, Tours, Visiting
