Last week, I ventured to the New York Historical Society Museum where they were having a special exhibit on Abraham Lincoln in New York. I was surprised to see so many artifacts in display from Lincoln's time that still looked intact. It was great to see how one of the greatest presidents in American history had so much influence and events that occurred right here in our city. The place where Lincoln said his Cooper Union speech still exists, and I've actually passed by it on my way to St. Mark's place. To me its astounding to connect history to the present by seeing the physical places where events like these took place. Because history seems so far back, it seems as if history occurred in some other world or dimension. However, as soon as the places where they happened are clearer, it seems as if these events only took place the other day. The podium which Lincoln used in Cooper Union is on display at this exhibit. A piece that I found interesting was titled "Battle in the Streets" and depicts several maps of the island of manhattan, pinpointing where riots against Lincoln and the civil war occurred.

I especially loved the coat in display that was made especially for Lincoln. It was amazing that it was still intact! It looked like a coat that any fashionable man or woman would wear today, and would be definitely still be considered in style. The intricate design on the interior of the coat was pretty cool. It depicted an American Eagle with swirly designs around it.

Overall, I enjoyed this exhibit because of the variety of media used in displaying the artifacts and information on Lincoln in NY. I thought that the exhibit was very well done and each section of the exhibit interested me more than the last. I also really liked a virtual game that visitors could play on a touchscreen TV where you could choose how to invest your money, the war or the railroads being among the choices. Overall, the museum was successful in making the exhibit more audience friendly and making history more interesting for people. Lincoln in New York deserves a big thumbs up for great effort.