On May 2, any licensed REALTOR® and 175 members of the general public will get free admission to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield.

That’s the 175^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln purchasing his family’s home in Springfield.

The first 175 visitors who go to www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov and select “special event reservations” will get the free reservations, thanks to the generosity of Illinois REALTORS®. As part of the celebration, a special display of artifacts will be available for viewing and historic interpreters will also be on hand to talk to guests. The artifacts will include the original key to the home, the “A. Lincoln” nameplate that once appeared on its door and the deed of sale Lincoln signed on May 2, 1844.

Lincoln was a young lawyer and legislator with a wife and an infant son when he paid $1,500 for the home on Eighth St. in Springfield. It was the site for the birth of three more Lincoln sons and the funeral for one of them. When Lincoln left it for the final time, in 1861, he was president-elect. Today the home is a national historic site.

“This home is a vital piece of the Abraham Lincoln story. We’re grateful to the Illinois Realtors for helping people come learn about it on this important anniversary,” said Alan Lowe, executive director of the ALPLM. “We also hope folks can visit the home itself when the National Park Service celebrates the anniversary on May 4.”

“Abraham Lincoln’s rise from poverty to home ownership illustrates perfectly the aspirational goals so many Americans have to this very day,” said Ed Neaves, Illinois REALTORS® president-elect. “This association is proud to be able to play a role in sharing this inspirational story of the role private property ownership plays in realizing the American Dream.”

The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860 presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original Lincoln artifacts.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.