A Lincoln Museum in Redlands, CA
Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Sunday, January 18
State Holiday – Tuesday, March 31
Easter – Sunday, April 5
Juneteenth – Friday, June 19
Independence Day – Friday, July 3 – Saturday, July 4
Labor Day – Sunday, September 6
Christopher Columbus Day – Sunday, October 11
Veterans Day – Wednesday, November 11
Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, November 29
Christmas – Thursday, December 24 – Friday, December 25
New Year’s – Thursday, December 31 – Friday, January 1, 2026
For the 9th year, the City of Redlands will commemorate Juneteenth with an event from 10am-3pm on Saturday, June 20 in Sylvan Park. Celebrating freedom, culture, and community, Redlands’s Juneteenth celebrations include food trucks, activities for the whole family, live music, and educational opportunities, including a display on Black history by the Division of Special Collections.
Additional details will be available at on the City of Redlands events page.
OPEN HOUSE
Since 1972, the Lincoln Shrine has honored Lincoln and the Civil War with an annual Open House. Featuring Civil War re-enactors, live music, activities, and much more, the Open House is an event not to be missed! Take a look back at photographs and videos from the Lincoln Shrine Open House in years past. See the Open House photo album to relive old memories or see what you can expect.
LINCOLN DINNER
Starting in 1932, the annual Watchorn Lincoln Dinner has celebrated the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth each year. The largest event of its kind in the United States today, the Lincoln Dinner has featured presentations from dozens of scholars whose work has honored Lincoln’s legacy. In recent years, the event has also included sponsorship opportunities that have raised thousands of dollars for the institution and allowed for the purchase of exceptional items for the Shrine’s collections. Explore the items acquired through the Lincoln Dinner Sponsorship Fund.
On February 12, 2022, the Shrine’s 90th anniversary was feted with a unique Lincoln Dinner. Nearly 200 revelers celebrated the momentous occasion with live music and the premier of “Enduring Legacies: The Lincoln Shrine at 90,” a special documentary produced for the event. The evening concluded with spectacular fireworks presentation! The Lincoln Memorial Shrine thanks the evening’s underwriters Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association Trustees Bill Hatfield and Dr. Christopher Walker.
If you missed the 90th Lincoln Dinner, or would like to watch the documentary again, visit the Special Collections YouTube Channel.
Thanks to the generosity of the Nies family of Redlands, the Lincoln Shrine now stewards a reproduction Model 1857 Napoleon 12-pounder field gun dated 1864.
The dedication ceremony included the participation of Civil War reenactors and featured an artillery demonstration by the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery who instructed donor Dr. Boyd Nies as he fired the inaugural shot.
Come and see the cannon in person in Smiley Park. It’s the perfect selfie location! Make sure to tag @lincolnshine and use the hashtag #lincolnshrine to share your photos.
Learn more about the M1857 Napoleon 12-Pounder.
From its very founding, the United States had a precarious relationship with freedom. While the Declaration of Independence clearly stated that “all men are created equal”, the actual practice of enslaving people tested whether, in practice, that ideal could ever be a reality. Enslavement was the single most divisive issue of the early republic. When Southern states perceived that Abraham Lincoln’s election threatened what they believed was their “right” to enslave others, those states attempted to break the bonds of the United States to each other. The result was civil war, with some 800,000 or more Americans perishing.
President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved people located within states in rebellion against the United States “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
Before that, some enslaved people had already found ways to emancipate themselves, with groups like the Underground Railroad, by finding a detachment of the United States Army, or simply fleeing those who enslaved them and making it successfully to a free state. As the United States Army liberated states in rebellion, enslaved people there were freed. However, not everyone was aware of emancipation, even after the Civil War was over. In Texas, it wasn’t until US General Gordon Grainger issued General Order #3 on June 19, 1865 that:
“The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor.”
From that day, June 19, came a jubilee celebration for the last of the enslaved people of the United States, who finally learned of their new freedom. Juneteenth, as it became known, commemorates this day.
On June 17, 2021, the importance of what Juneteenth represents was recognized by the United States with the designation of June 19, “Juneteenth”, as a federal holiday.
Watch the 2021 Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on the Special Collections YouTube channel. The reimagined event includes past Lincoln Dinner speakers, music, and an appearance by President Lincoln!
The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is excited to announce that beginning April 1, 2021, the museum will reopen Thursday – Sunday, 1-4pm.
“Our thoughts go out to all who have lost their lives and whose families have been impacted during this worldwide crisis. As health conditions improve, we look forward to once again creating educational experiences that facilitate interaction with our shared past within the Lincoln Shrine,” remarked Curator Nathan Gonzales. A number of new measures are in place to assure the safest environment possible, including increased sanitation procedures, limited capacity, directional flow for exhibits, and requiring face coverings for all visitors over the age of two.
The Shrine will continue its successful virtual exhibition gallery and history webinar programs in addition to in-person experiences. “One thing we’ve learned through all of this is that the opportunity for teaching about the Civil War and that critical time in history isn’t limited to being physically present at the museum” shared Associate Archivist Maria Carrillo. “Technology allows anyone with an internet connection the opportunity to participate in so many of the things the Shrine has to offer.”
As conditions continue to improve, public hours will increase to four hours per day, and include Tuesdays and Wednesdays. “But this is a great place to start. We’re so happy to be able to offer our community this wonderful resource once again. A digital representation on a screen is very helpful, but can never replace the thrill of seeing the actual piece of paper Abraham Lincoln signed,” Gonzales said.
For more information, call (909)798-7632 or see the Lincoln Shrine COVID-19 Reopening Procedures.
UPDATE: The improvement in the regional COVID-19 case rate has allowed for the museum’s hours of operation to be expanded. Visit Tuesday – Sunday, 1-4pm.
Guided tours are available by reservation for groups of 12 or more people. Please call (909)798-7632 for additional information.
