Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Think back to 2004. It was the year George W. Bush was elected president and Mark Zuckerburg launched Facebook. That same year, history was being made and preserved in Springfield with the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

A cornerstone of historical preservation in Illinois, the library is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. Opened on October 14, 2004, at the corner of Sixth Street and East Jefferson Street, the repository has become a resource for Lincoln scholars and history enthusiasts. It is an archive of artifacts, documents, and memorabilia related to the life and legacy of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, as well as the history of the State of Illinois.

Source: ALPLM

The library, in addition to honoring Lincoln, replaced the Illinois State Historical Library. The ISHL was originally founded in 1889 and for many years was located in the basement of the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield.

Kathryn Harris, a former library services director and now ALPLM board member, addressed those who gathered at the library Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary. Harris said the push for more space and the need for a secure and protective location for a copy of the Gettysburg Address, helped spur a campaign to get a new building. It was a campaign that paid off with a new building, a presidential library, and a significant increase in space. The library boasts 99,800 square feet, including 22,000 square feet of stack storage and 27,584 cubic feet of manuscript shelving. It also offers six miles of compact book shelving.

Among the library’s most treasured possessions is one of the five known handwritten versions of the Gettysburg Address, penned by Lincoln himself. The library is also home to a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. This pivotal document, which declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate states during the Civil War, symbolizes one of Lincoln’s greatest contributions to the nation.

“I was standing in the atrium and witnessed an African American woman viewing the Emancipation Proclamation with her daughter and granddaughter. She was emotional and had tears in her eyes looking at a document that meant so much to their family,” said ALPLM Executive Director Christina Shutt. Shutt said the work is not just about preserving the past but connecting people with the past and giving them hope for the future. “It underscores the value of the work that is being done at the library.” The library also houses a signed copy of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.

Thirteen million artifacts and documents pertaining to all eras of Illinois history, including a Lincoln collection of about 50,000 items are housed at the library. In addition, the library has made virtual versions of many items available online for Lincoln enthusiasts and researchers around the world to access.

The ALPLM isn’t done celebrating, the 20th anniversary of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is coming in the spring. The museum was dedicated on April 19, 2005.