National Postal Museum Celebrates Lincoln’s 200th Birthday with New Online Collection

Abraham Lincoln was a town postmaster in New Salem, Ill., before he became President and guided the United States through the Civil War, signed the Emancipation Proclamation and delivered the Gettysburg Address. To celebrate Lincoln’s 200th birthday, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum highlights his life in the featured collection “From Postmaster to President: Celebrating Lincoln’s 200th Birthday through Stamps and Postal History” on its virtual museum, Arago, at www.postalmuseum.si.edu/ARAGOLincoln.

This collection uses postage stamps and other postal history-related objects to celebrate Lincoln’s humble beginnings as well as the events from his first civil-servant position as postmaster through his tenure as President of the United States. Significant Lincoln-related documents from the National Archives, including the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, are featured alongside the museum’s objects.

“This featured collection uses stamps and other postal objects to celebrate Lincoln’s 200th birthday; these pieces of history illustrate the many different stories and legacies of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln,” said Allen Kane, museum director. “When you are finished viewing the exhibit, it is impossible not to realize how few Americans have made a greater impact on the history of this great country.”

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, please call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285. Visit the museum Web site at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

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