Lincolnesque log cabin coming to library

In Abraham Lincoln's youth, the crack of splitting wood and whistle of handsaws in the forest told neighbors that a log cabin was being built.

Seeing that the log cabin being erected on Tuesday is in the middle of the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, the building methods will be altered just a little.

Library officials are inviting everyone to come and celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 199th birthday by watching the building of an authentic 8- by 10- by 8-foot log cabin in the middle of the library rotunda on Tuesday.

Representatives of Timbercut Log Homes in Stockton, Ill., will be taking a break from their busy modern log home building schedule to build this Lincolnesque log cabin. They will begin late morning with completion scheduled for 3:45 p.m.

After the log cabin is erected, there will be some short celebratory words before a young Abe Lincoln will visit to "chop" through the ribbon to the library's latest exhibit, a log cabin for all visitors to enter and experience.

During the building process, there will be a stanchioned area designated for children to build their own miniature log cabins using Lincoln Log-type toys.

State Rep. Ruth Munson also will be there to kick off the year-long activities of Lincoln's 200th Birthday Committee. The committee was created to encourage community, civic, education, arts, business and faith-based organizations to plan Lincoln-related programs throughout the year. The committee's activities will culminate with a 200th birthday party for Lincoln in 2009.

Gail Borden Public Library is building this log cabin to commemorate Lincoln's 199th birthday and to build interest in all things Lincoln as the National Endowment for the Humanities/American Library Association traveling exhibit, "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation," arrives at the library April 17 to be displayed through May 30.

"Forever Free" is an exhibit of panel reproductions of rare historical documents, period photographs, cartoons and memorabilia. This exhibit re-examines President Lincoln's views on slavery and his evolving approach to emancipation during the Civil War.

The log cabin raising and the "Forever Free" exhibit are part of the library's Tapestry of Freedom project that features displays throughout the library which spotlight the faces, expressions and histories of freedom in order to promote harmony, respect and unity among a diverse, ethnic, socio-economic and generational groups.

More than 4,000 people attended Tapestry's first event, the Black History Family Festival, on Feb. 2.

The library is planning many compelling programs including "Tea with Abe and Mary Lincoln," "Music America Grew Up With" and a "Fireside Chat with James Cornelius," the Lincoln curator of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. For details, visit gailborden.info/freedom/.

Funding for the Tapestry of Freedom grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the federal Library Services and Technology Act.