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The Lincoln Memorial Shrine

A Lincoln Museum in Redlands, CA

Two hundred years after his birth, the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate and inspire. Born into poverty on the edge of an untamed frontier, his rise from obscurity to greatness has become a symbol of the universal hope that we can all improve our circumstances in life.

A Riot Averted

Lincoln’s note on the draft, 1864

(Lincoln Memorial Shrine)

As the Civil War progressed, newspapers periodically published forged documents, false information, or anti-war sentiments. Even worse, newspapers would publish army tactics, movements, and plans. These newspapers could cause panics and, when they happened to cross into the wrong hands, had dire consequences. Abraham Lincoln would need to bear the responsibility for ultimately shutting down more than 300 newspapers during his presidency, sometimes receiving backlash for censorship.

On May 18, 1864, the New York World newspaper and New York Journal of Commerce published that President Abraham Lincoln intended to conscript 400,000 men. In the dark of night, a forged dispatch arrived, and the two newspapers had no idea that they were publishing false information. Knowing such an announcement would cause the value of gold to soar, Joseph Howard, Jr. distributed the fake conscription and made a large sum… before being arrested, of course.

Ironically, Howard spent 3 months in prison and just before he was released, Lincoln issued a call for 500,000 soldiers.

This document, written by Abraham Lincoln on the back of a telegram, hurries to prove that the conscription published by New York World and New York Journal of Commerce on May 18, 1864 was a hoax.

Learn more about the New York City Draft Riots.

The acquisition of this manuscript was made possible by generous donors to the 2019 Watchorn Lincoln Dinner Sponsorship Fund.

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Mission Statement

As a museum and memorial, the Lincoln Memorial Shrine seeks to deepen the understanding of President Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War and its impacts on generations of Americans through education, interaction, exhibition, and research.

Donate to the LMS

If you would like to give a donation to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, please contact Nathan Gonzales, Curator at (909)798-7632 or heritage@akspl.org.

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Contact Us

Research Center - (909) 798-7632

Museum - (909) 798-7636

125 West Vine Street Redlands, CA

 

Group Tours

Tours are temporarily unavailable.

Hours of Operation

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday Closed
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Copyright © 2021 · Lincoln Memorial Shrine, All Rights Reserved

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is a unit of the Special Collections Division of A.K. Smiley Public Library. The Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association, a 501 (c)3 tax deductible organization oversees the WLMA endowment.