Lincolniana : Disneyland Displays Rare Artifacts of the Life and Times of Honest Abe

Move over Mickey and Donald --Honest Abe is moving in.

In what Disneyland officials termed a first, rare and valuable artifacts from the Lincoln presidency--ranging from original Lincoln letters to an 1860 ballot box in which the President cast his vote--went on display Tuesday on Main Street at the amusement park.

The artifacts, borrowed from the Lincoln Museum, Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. and the Forbes collection, are encased in glass at the attraction called “The Walt Disney Story, Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.”

The attraction also features a lifelike Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address.

The original Mickey Mouse ears, Zorro’s cape, Disney’s Oscars and other Disney memorabilia that used to be exhibited at the attraction have been moved to a warehouse to make room for the Lincoln treasures, Disneyland spokesman Bob Roth said.

“It’s a first for Disneyland,” Roth said. “We’ve never had original artifacts here, since it was never intended to be a museum. But the Lincoln artifacts add so much to the Lincoln exhibit that we’ve decided to display them.”

Roth called the artifacts priceless.

“There is no way you could put a price on these,” he said. “Their value transcends monetary terms. They are national treasures.”

Roth said the Lincoln collection will be displayed for one year. After that, the amusement park hopes to secure other Lincoln artifacts and show them for a year.

Rare works by Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, borrowed indefinitely from the National Archives and the Library of Congress, also will be displayed, Roth said.