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This year’s 200^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth provides an opportunity to remind ourselves that the country’s greatest President was a Hoosier, spending his formative years in Indiana. It is fitting that in December 2008 the Indiana State Museum received the largest privately owned collection of Lincoln artifacts, formerly housed at the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Many of the most significant pieces will make their debut next February as a complement to a major Lincoln Bicentennial exhibit provided by the Library of Congress.

But, besides historical interest, why does Abraham Lincoln matter for Indiana today? At an April 3^rd Sagamore Institute “Ideas in Indiana” discussion, author William Bartelt provided an answer.  Author of the new book, “There I Grew Up”: Remembering Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Youth. Mr. Bartelt talked about the “Fabrications, Exaggerations, and Misconceptions about Lincoln’s Indiana Youth.”  Dale Ogden, chief curator of cultural history for the Indiana State Museum, and Steve Haller, Senior Director of Collections and Library at the Indiana History Society, shared their plans for future exhibitions and programs to commemorate Lincoln's life and contributions.

This discussion of the past, present and future of Abraham Lincoln was only a beginning, a launching point for conversations that will take place in Indianapolis and around the state as the Lincoln Bicentennial continues. Our challenge is not only to learn about Abraham Lincoln, a great historical figure. It is to use this occasion as a way to think seriously and creatively about the problems facing us today

	Recommended Books about Lincoln		Articles about Lincoln Lincoln in Indiana
	Exhibitions and Historic Sites		Teacher and Student Resources Lincoln Experts Local Organizations