Abraham Lincoln's original Gettysburg Address comes to Illinois museum

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - This month marks the 160th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. 

One of five copies of the speech, written down by President Abraham Lincoln, will be on display in Natalie Bomke's hometown!

For two weeks only, the famous speech will be on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. 

It will be on display for just two weeks, Nov. 17 to Nov. 28, because any more than that would harm the integrity of the document. 

The 16th president delivered the address in 1863 at the dedication of a national military cemetery for the thousands of Union soldiers killed in the battle of Gettysburg. 

How did it end up in Illinois, you ask?

"It was a document that was purchased by the state in 1943 in fact, little school children raised their pennies and nickles to be able to purchase the Gettysburg address when it went up for auction. And they got a little bit of help from Marshall Field but they raised the bulk of the money which is pretty incredible," said Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Christina Shutt. 

They raised $50,000 in 1943. Field threw in an additional $10,000 to get the document here. 

The actual anniversary of the address, November 19th, will be free admission day at the museum.