Featuring life-sized dioramas, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) complex houses an extensive collection of items owned by the former president and his family along with notable items from the historical period in which he resided. Some of these dioramas include a replica of his boyhood home as well as the presidential box where Lincoln was fatally shot at Ford’s Theatre.
Original artifacts are rotated but include items such as letters, photographs, dresses and more. One of the most surprising pieces owned by the museum was a plaque taken from Lincoln’s casket during his reinterment, though another interesting item was a “blood relic” from actress Laura Keene, who held Lincoln’s head following his assassination and his blood had stained her costume.
RUNNERS UP: Dana-Thomas House, Illinois State Capitol Building
