February 10, 2011
Public welcome to help re-enact Lincoln speech
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A chance to re-enact an important event in the history of Illinois and the nation is coming to Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Friday, Feb. 11.
One hundred and fifty years ago Friday, President-elect Abraham Lincoln delivered a memorable impromptu speech, which we today call his “Farewell Address”, as he boarded a train at the Great Western Depot in Springfield, bound for Washington, D.C., to begin his presidency. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and other organizations are sponsoring a re-enactment of Lincoln’s speech at 11 a.m. at the depot to kick off the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
Meanwhile, at SIUC and locations throughout the world, people can join in simultaneous group readings of the address. The goal is to commemorate a moment in history and set a Guinness World Record by having the largest number of participants and venues involved in a mass reading.
Students, faculty and staff at SIUC along with community members are welcome to meet in front of the Lincoln bust on the first floor at Morris Library shortly before 11 a.m. to participate. The local event will include a live stream of the re-enactment in Springfield. Morris Library will have copies of Lincoln’s short speech for anyone who wants to read along.