Live simultaneous reading of Lincoln speech will kick-off nationâ€™s Civil War Sesquicentennial observance -

Share with:

Live webcast in place to allow nationwide participation in February 11 world record attempt

Â Springfield, IL â€“ A live webcast has been set up to allow anyone in the nation to participate in the February 11, 2011 simultaneous reading of a famous Abraham Lincoln speech that organizers hope will set a new Guinness World Recordâ„¢ as part of the national kickoff of the Civil War Sesquicentennial.

Â Abraham Lincolnâ€™s speech as he departed Springfield, Illinois as president-elect on February 11, 1861 will be re-enacted on its 150^th anniversary at the Great Western Depot in Springfield, Illinois, and everyone in the nation is invited to join in and read Lincolnâ€™s Farewell Address at 11 a.m. Central, noon Eastern, 10 a.m. Mountain and 9 a.m. Pacific Time by accessing the following link:

http://www.state.il.us/streaming/hpa/hpa-live.asx

The link may also be accessed through the world record eventâ€™s website, http://extras.sj-r.com/r/depot, which has specific guidelines that must be followed in order to make a claim for the world record.Â The link is also available through www.presidentlincoln.org, the website of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Â According to Guinness World Recordsâ„¢, the record for the most people reading aloud from the same document simultaneously is 223,363 participants at 909 venues across the United States for an event organized by Walden Media on December 13, 2006.Â Since Guinness World Recordsâ„¢ requires the record-breaking reading to last at least five minutes, participants will read the Farewell Address several times until the five-minute threshold is met.Â

Â The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, GateHouse Media, the National Park Service, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, and the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition are co-sponsors of this Guinness World Recordâ„¢ attempt.Â The Great Western Depot, the site of the original Farewell Speech as well as the February 11, 2011 re-enactment, is owned and operated by The State Journal-Register, the GateHouse Media newspaper for Springfield, Illinois.

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The text of the speech to be used by readers on February 11 follows:Â Â Â Â

â€œMy friends â€“ No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting.Â To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing.Â Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man.Â Here my children have been born, and one is buried.Â I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington.Â Without the assistance of that Divine Being, who ever attended him, I cannot succeed.Â With that assistance I cannot fail.Â Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well.Â To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.â€

As of February 4, the following have been confirmed as locations where the public may participate in the simultaneous reading.Â Organizers anticipate many more locations will join the world record attempt in the coming days.Â In addition, any group of people may participate wherever they may be, with no need to register in advance.

ARKANSAS

Hot Springs:Â Lakeside High School Library.Â

CONNECTICUT

Norwich:Â Norwich Free Academy and Norwich City Hall.Â

ILLINOIS

Alton:Â Sts. Peter and Paul School

Beardstown:Â Old Lincoln Courtroom Museum

Belleville:Â Belleville Public Library

Bement:Â Bryant Cottage State Historic Site (reading to take place at local school gym)

Bishop Hill:Â Bishop Hill State Historic Site

Bloomington:Â David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, Northpoint Elementary School

Chicago:Â Prologue Early College High School, 1135 N. CleaverÂ

Collinsville:Â Collinsville Museum

Colona:Â Green Rock Free Will Baptist Church

Danville:Â Vermilion County Museum

Decatur:Â Macon County Museum

Elizabeth:Â Apple River Fort State Historic Site

Galena:Â Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site

Glen Carbon:Â Glen Carbon Centennial Library

Hartford:Â Lewis and Clark State Historic Site

Huntley:Â Del Webb Sun City-Drendel Ballroom

Jacksonville:Â Lincoln Land Community College, 32 North Central Park Plaza.Â

Lincoln:Â Lincoln College Museum, Central Elementary School

Lockport:Â Lincoln Landing (for inclement weather, inside the Gaylord Building, a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Mahomet:Â Museum of the Grand Prairie on Rt. 47 North

Mascoutah:Â Mascoutah Senior Services Program

Mattoon:Â Mattoon Middle School

Minier:Â Olympia West Elementary School

Mt. Prospect:Â Euclid School, 1211 N. Wheeling Rd.

Mt. Pulaski:Â Mt. Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site

Newton:Â Newton Community High School

Normal:Â Illinois State University Milner Library, Bone Student Center

Palmyra:Â Palmyra Elementary School

Pana:Â Pana Junior High School

Petersburg:Â PORTA Central School

Pittsfield:Â Pike County Farm Bureau

Polo:Â Polo schools

Rockford:Â Veterans Memorial Hall

Rock Island:Â Black Hawk State Historic Site

Savanna:Â West Carroll High School

Springfield:Â Great Western Depot,Â Illinois State Museum, National Museum of Surveying, Christ the King School, Grant Middle School, Blessed Sacrament School

Sullivan:Â Moultrie County Courthouse

Taylorville:Â Christian County Historical Society

Urbana:Â City of Urbana Building

Vandalia:Â Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site

Waterloo:Â Morrison-Talbott Library

Â INDIANA

Fort Wayne:Â 1,700 students at South Side High School

Lebanon:Â Lebanon Public Library

KANSAS

Fort Scott National Historic SiteÂ

MARYLAND

Frederick:Â Monocacy National Battlefield

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh:Â Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall

VERMONT

Milton:Â Milton Elementary School

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Davis Elementary School

WISCONSIN

Oshkosh:Â Winnebago County Historical and Archaeological SocietyÂ

Since each participating site must submit verification paperwork, it may take several weeks before organizers know if the event set a new world record.

Share with: