Successful Launch Year for Lincoln Depot Museum

From the Lincoln Depot Museum

As the first year in operation comes to a close, The Board of Directors of the Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill would like to thank all those who have supported the museum and made 2015 a huge success.

After many stages of restoration and reconstruction of Peekskill’s original train depot site, the long anticipated opening of the actual museum was accomplished in October of 2014. Although inspired by President-elect Abraham Lincoln’s stop in Peekskill on February 19, 1861, the museum is much more than a tribute to who many consider to be America’s favorite President. It is a tribute to the contributions of our area, and to a greater extent, the State of New York, to Lincoln’s elections and influence on a difficult period in the country’s history. The museum’s theme, “New York and Abraham Lincoln, the Indispensible Relationship” explains and shows how significant contributions were also made by important local residents of the period and how New York’s military contribution during the Civil War made a difference in the outcome.

A Year of Awards and Recognition

The Lincoln Depot Museum became Westchester’s and the Hudson Valley’s newest historical destination location with over 1000 visitors in 2015 and was named “Best in Westchester” by Westchester Magazine. It was also highlighted as one of “Westchester’s Hidden Gems” back in January by the same magazine. The accolades began with recognition by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) for “Architectural Excellence” for the building’s restoration and reuse. Most recently, the Peekskill Historic Preservation Board recognized the museum as one of its two restoration award recipients.

The museum attracted visitors from far and wide. Most notable was a visit from Princeton University’s Dr. James McPherson, who gave great praise to the exhibit. Many special group visits were also arranged including class reunions, scouting groups, schools and organizations. The historic community also took notice when the Rockland Civil War Roundtable and The West Point Chapter of the Company of Military Historians acknowledged the important contribution the museum has made.

The museum was highlighted and covered by all the major news outlets of the region both printed and online. Local TV news outlets such as News12, Fios1 and RNN provided important exposure. The Westchester Business Journal went beyond highlighting the museum in its magazine by producing a “History on the Hudson” YouTube video about the museum. The museum has also been recognized as a model of historic preservation, adaptive reuse and sustainability. Representatives of “Sustainable Westchester” visited the museum to observe this impressive accomplishment and an independent documentary producer travelled from Australia to cover the museum’s success in building restoration and adaptive reuse. He will highlight the museum in a documentary set to come out on 2016.

A Center for Special Events

The goal of the Lincoln Depot Museum is to be a center of educational outreach and community involvement. One of the first collaborations was with the Peekskill Elks Lodge. They selected the museum as a recipient of a community donation by offering and installing the flagpole on the museum grounds. The organization also held their Annual Flag Day Ceremony at the museum for the past two years.

With the help of Peekskill’s Mt. Lebanon Baptist and Presbyterian Churches, the museum hosted the region’s first ever Official Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony in 2015. Popular special events included the 150th Remembrance Weekend commemorating the assignation of President Lincoln, Lincoln, the Civil War in Art hosted by sculptor Richard Mazloski and museum Director and artist Paul Martin and a showing of the critically acclaimed movie Saving Lincoln. The final event in 2015 was the museum’s Inaugural Reception, its main annual fundraiser. This year’s reception was of the theme, A Taste of Peekskill, where many local food related establishments participated in supporting the museum with their dishes.

Looking Ahead to 2016

The Lincoln Depot Museum Board of Directors have an even bigger year planned for the second season in operation. There will be new exhibits and additional artifacts installed to existing displays. A monthly Lecture Series will be announced as well as many new unique events and continuation of past annual events. The museum will publically announce the events early in the new year and the museum plans can be followed through their website (lincolndepotmuseum.org) and Facebook page (facebook.com/PeekskillLincolnDepotMuseum/)

Unfortunately, the biggest challenge for the museum operation continues to be the lack of progress by the City of Peekskill in constructing the additional support building on the site. Originally scheduled to be completed by 2010, the inability of the City to effectively move forward with the project has caused many who pass by the site to think the museum is not in operation. The NY State grants associated with the project were obtained in 2006 and are under the sole control of the City. Hopefully, the project will finally move forward in 2016 and the original vision of the complete historic site will finally be realized.

Presently, the season of the museum spans from April to December with the museum open to the public on weekends. Special events will be scheduled on weekdays as well as weekends. Individual groups can schedule private tours or rent the space for private events all year round. Memberships are available through the museum’s website and come with free or discounted admission to events and other benefits.

“We are elated by the reception the museum has been given by the public, and the recognition we have received by the historic community has been overwhelming,“ stated Board President John G. Testa. “We knew that our vision was unique and, if done right, would make the impact and impression we expected. It has done that and more. We will build on this success in 2016,” added Testa.