Tourism Cares for Presidential History

February 15, 2008

Tourism Cares for Presidential History
Feb. 15, 2008 –After a painstaking restoration, the President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home National Monument will open to the public on President’s Day, Feb. 18, just days after Abraham Lincoln’s 199th birthday. The Washington, D.C., home is where President Lincoln spent three summers or approximately one-quarter of his presidency.

Tourism Cares, in conjunction with Trip Mate Insurance, awarded more than $60,000 in grant money to Save America’s Treasures (part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation) to be used in the creation of a Visitor’s Education Center for the site. This special grant was then matched by Save America’s Treasures, bringing the total impact of the grant to more than $120,000.

This grant has helped to turn the elegant white marble 1905-built Soldier’s Home administration building into a state-of-the-art Visitor Education Center with themed galleries, multimedia features and a dedicated tour-gathering room. The Visitor Education Center will be the first point of contact for the guests to the site, framing their thoughts as they proceed to Lincoln’s cottage. By placing the site in context through historical and educational exhibitions, guests will be presented with life in wartime Washington, as well as, an intimate portrait of Lincoln’s family life. To find out more about Tourism Cares’ grant programs, please visit http://www.tourismcares.or/.