The Lincoln Depot Museum Board of Directors has announced that the 2024 season will open April 27 and 28 marking the 10th year that the museum has been open to the public. There will be several local, county and state representatives on hand to help celebrate at a brief ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 27. The ceremony is open to the public. Regular museum hours begin at 1 p.m.
The museum’s exhibit, “New York and Abraham Lincoln: The Indispensable Relationship,” not only shows the impact of Lincoln on Peekskill and the Hudson Valley region but to the entire state of New York. The importance of New York to Lincoln’s success is also highlighted. It is the only museum of its kind in the entire state and has gained national attention and interest.
The historic building was acquired in 2003 and the Lincoln Depot Foundation was formed in 2007 with the goal of restoring the original structure and creating a museum and historic site where President-elect Abraham Lincoln visited on Feb. 19, 1861. With the help of a $3 million New York Environmental Protection Fund and New York Empire State Development Corporation grants obtained in 2006, thanks to then Governor George E. Pataki, the Depot Foundation was able to reach its goal and also develop and complete the Lincoln Depot Visitor’s Center in 2019. The Visitor’s Center houses the museum offices, additional exhibits, a small gift shop and an open meeting room to hold events.
“We are proud of the result of our many years of hard work,” said Museum President John G. Testa. “There has been a tremendous amount of research, planning and collaboration to achieve this success. We were confident that the museum would be well received and has become a landmark for Peekskill and Westchester County. History buffs from around the country and globe have visited. This historic site has become the educational center we all dreamed of. We thank everyone who has supported and assisted us in making the museum such a success,” said Testa, who was the mayor of Peekskill from 2002-07 when the building was acquired, and the grants awarded.
The 2024 season for the Lincoln Depot Museum will run from April 27 to Nov. 24. The museum will be open every Saturday and Sunday, excluding holidays, from 1-4 p.m. General admission is $8 for nonresidents; $5 for seniors, veterans, active military and children under 12. Peekskill residents enter free of charge. Museum memberships are also available. For more, visit lincolndepotmuseum.org or call 914-402-4318.
SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Abraham Lincoln left Springfield, Illinois, on Feb. 11, 1861, and arrived in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 23 for his upcoming inauguration as president of the United States. His stop in Peekskill on Feb. 19 was his only stop in Westchester County. He stopped at the invitation of one of Peekskill’s most prominent citizens, William Nelson, a local lawyer and former congressman serving with Lincoln from 1847-49.
By all accounts, a large crowd gathered to witness Lincoln’s visit who was introduced by Nelson. Lincoln spoke briefly, but his impact lasted a lifetime for those who were there to witness the event.
This historic event still resonates today as an inspiration to the study of local history and historic preservation. It caused the formation of the Lincoln Society in Peekskill in 1903, which continues to be the oldest continually active Lincoln-oriented society in the United States.
LINCOLN’S PEEKSKILL SPEECH
“I have but a moment to stand before you to listen to and return your kind greeting. I thank you for this reception, and for the pleasant manner in which it is tendered to me by our mutual friends. I will say in a single sentence, in regard to the difficulties that lie before me and our beloved country, that if I can only be as generously and unanimously sustained as the demonstration I have witnessed indicate I shall be, I shall not fail; but without your sustaining hands I am sure that neither I nor any other man can hope to surmount these difficulties. I trust in the course I shall pursue I shall be sustained not only by the party that elected me, but by the patriotic people of the whole country.”
THE STATUE
The “Lincoln in Peekskill,” sculpture perched on a solid block of black granite, is a full-sized, bronze Abraham Lincoln standing as he might have looked on the day he addressed the Peekskill crowd. A creation of sculptor Richard Masloski, it is a vision of how Lincoln might have looked as he stood on the baggage cart while making his address. The statue was unveiled to the public on Oct. 27, 2007 with much fanfare and a large crowd of onlookers, much like when Lincoln first appeared before a crowd at that same location. On hand to help with the unveiling was former Governor George Pataki, Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer and developer Martin Ginsburg, without whom the creation of the statue would not have been possible. The Ginsburg Development Corp. provided the funding for the statue. The depot project was the centerpiece of a full redevelopment vision for connecting the riverfront area to the downtown business district via Central Avenue. The Lincoln Depot Museum and historic site represent a significant economic development component through the historic tourism it provides.
