Events set for anniversary of Gettysburg Address

SPRINGFIELD — A series of events is planned in Illinois to mark the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced the plans Tuesday, saying “every American should understand the power” of Lincoln’s speech. Events include a round-table discussion, webcasts for schoolchildren and dramatic readings.

The culminating event will be a vigil at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The museum owns one of just five copies of the Gettysburg Address written in Lincoln’s own hand. That document will be on display on Nov. 18, the night before the anniversary. Visitors will be able to view it up close before it returns to the museum vault.

At midnight at the museum, Lincoln historic interpreter Fritz Klein will deliver the Gettysburg Address.