A new Abraham Lincoln Museums-to-Go exhibit was developed by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) and is available for the first time at the 2008 Kentucky State Fair. KHS Museums-to-Go is a portable historical display program that can be made available for various public spaces. The Lincoln exhibit will be available for other venues after September 15.

“Discovering Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln” is part of the bicentennial effort to better understand the connections between the 16th president and his native state.

Exhibits consist of flat panels that stand upright and include images and information on critical topics in Lincoln’s life and the history of Kentucky.

There are three identical sets of the Lincoln-focused Museums-to-Go, “Discovering Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln.” The sets allow for multiple venues in the state to have access to the panels. Each set includes five panels and each panel is dedicated to a different theme: “A Frontier Childhood,” “Becoming President,” “Ending Slavery,” “Lincoln and Kentucky at War!” and “Remembering Lincoln Differently.”

“Discovering Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln” was funded by the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation, and the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

KHS has multiple Museums-to-Go traveling panel exhibits that explore the humanities through historical images and lively text. The topics currently in circulation span history, literature, the arts, and science. These easily handled, small-scale exhibits are adaptable to a wide variety of locations.

Institutions and organizations serving adult audiences may borrow the exhibits for one-or-two month showings in a publicly accessible place. Libraries, museums, civic organizations, business lobbies, and shopping malls are among the many locations that qualify. Groups without display space are encouraged to sponsor the exhibits in collaboration with other organizations.

The Museums-to-Go exhibits are free of charge to qualified organizations within Kentucky. Borrowers are required to pay only for shipping charges. To eliminate the shipping costs, borrowers may make arrangements to pick up and return the exhibits to the Kentucky Historical Society.

KHS is sponsoring a large area at the state fair which includes the Museums-to-Go exhibit. Admission to the “Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln” area is free with State Fair admission and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., August 14-23 and from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on August 24. The state fair is held at the Louisville Fair and Exposition Center.

For more information on the Museums-to-Go program or to reserve a Lincoln Museums-to-Go, contact Warren Greer at 502-564-1792, ext. 4478 or by email at warren.greer@ky.gov.