Lincolns Birthday
Lincoln’s Birthday is a legal holiday in some U.S. states including Illinois, Connecticut, California, Missouri, New York, and Indiana. It is observed on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth on February 12, 1809 [1]. The earliest known observance of Lincoln’s birthday occurred in Buffalo, New York, in 1874. Julius Francis (d. 1881), a Buffalo druggist, made it his life’s mission to honor the slain president. He repeatedly petitioned Congress to establish Lincoln’s birthday as a legal holiday.[2] Francis’ extensive collection of Lincoln memorabilia is housed in the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society,[3] which has been hosting Lincoln Birthday observances for over a century. The day is marked by traditional wreath-laying ceremonies at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Kentucky, and at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The latter has been the site of a ceremony ever since the Memorial was dedicated.
