Lincoln's Home

[davg2000]

The Illinois State-Register this morning carried the story that the ALPLM has offered to operate the Lincoln's Home National Historic Site during the shutdown. All other Lincoln sites in Illinois remain open. Lincoln's home, though, is owned by the federal government and has been closed since the government shutdown began. The article says that the ALPLM would oversee a team of volunteers that would offer tours of Lincoln's home and pay for security guards and janitors on the site. The site's visitors' center would likely remain closed. The National Park Service is considering the plan.

[L Verge]

Good for them - but I'm sure there will be some red tape somewhere that will halt it (at least the question of liability issues).

Surratt House tours are given mainly by volunteers of the Surratt Society, and it is traditional that the museum tours close down from mid-December to mid-January to not compete with family holidays. Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we kept count of how many folks came to the door of the visitors' center, read the sign that we were closed and reopening on January 16 -- and still tried to get in, pounded on the door, one lady dressed like a lumberjack threw a shoulder shove that would have made the Patriots happy, and the prize went to the woman who stood outside the door and read our phone number on the sign. She then whipped out her phone, dialed the number, and asked, "Are y'all open?"

I have decided that the next time a POTUS pulls a government shut-down, I am renting a bus, going to Ford's Theatre, and will stand on the steps in front of their closed doors and invite the first fifty people who are interested to climb on the bus and take a journey down Booth's escape route.

[GustD45]

Laurie I can totally see you doing that.