Two Historic Sites Refurbished and Reopen
February 2008

Two historic site icons of Lincoln lore are reopening this February in Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg.  Ford's Theatre, a National Park unit that tells the story of the last day's of Lincoln, will reopen during the week of February 9, with a refurbished theatre and exhibits.  On a more positive note, the Wills House in downtown Gettysburg will reopen during that same week, this time as part of Gettysburg National Military Park.  The  home in downtown Gettysburg is the site where President Lincoln stayed and finalized the Gettysburg Address in November of 1863, and is being incorporated into the park for the first time.

Lincoln, King, and the Obama Inauguration
January 2008

At noon on January 20, 2009,  Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States, completing, in some ways, an arc that began on the fields of Antietam in September 1862 when the victory by Union forces allowed Abraham Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.  It would continue through the next century to the Civil Rights days led by Martin Luther King, during his I Had a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 when he captivized a nation and pushed it toward true integration.  As we witness history again during this January with the Obama inauguration, it would be a good time to reflect on the history of all three men, and many others, who made this moment possible.  For a souvenir of these three historic events, visit the Obama Inauguration page at teepossible.com. 

Antietam Illumination Named Top 100 Event
December 2008

At 6 p.m. on December 6, over 20,000 candles will fill the National Battlefied at Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Lines of cars will file through the field, witnessing the ground of the battle that allowed President Abraham Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation. The event was recently named one of the Top 100 events of 2008 by travel industry experts. Antietam National Military Park remains one of the most intact Civil War battlefields in the nation and is well worth a visit, whether in spring, summer, fall, or winter.

Museum of National History Reopens on the National Mall
November 2008
With a stellar cast of dignitaries and people anxious to see the refurbished Smithsonian gem, the Museum of American History opened November 21 on the Capitol National Mall. From Colin Powell reading from an original copy of the Gettysburg Address to visitors walking past Dorothy's ruby red slippers, and the new exhibit of Fort McHenry's original Star-Spangled Banner, the popular museum is now ready to welcome visitors on their visits to Washington, D.C. again.

Memorial Hall, Philadelphia
October 2008
While now filled with children, instead of dignitaries from all nations of the world, the Art Museum, Memorial Hall, from the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition is now open to visitors again as of October 18, and in grand fashion. As the new home to the Please Touch Museum, this Fairmount Park structure includes exhibits for children, a large model of the old world's fair grounds where it sits, plenty of parking, and a whole lot of history. Outside its doors in 1876 stood a world exposition that shocked Europe and the rest of the world with American ingenuity, from Alexander Graham Bell's telephone (find the plaque in the park where it was exhibited, small and obscure across from Memorial Hall), Edison's phonograph, Otis' elevator, Colt's pistol, McCormick's reaper, and the Corliss Engine. No event in the history of the United States was more important to our development as a premier nation, yet largely unknown and recognized today. But now we have an ode to that event, albeit within a fun and engaging museum for kids. Take a look the next time you stop by Philadelphia for more well known history.

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