Due to the immense popularity of The California Museum's With Malice Toward None: Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit, visiting hours will be extended to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the original 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The extended hours apply to the last 10 days of the exhibit, from Aug. 13 to Aug. 23.

When museum staff observed the high turnout, they wanted to give potential visitors more opportunity, so the extended hours and the extra day of Aug. 23 were added.

"No one's complained about lines or overcrowding—we just noticed that crowds were gathering at 9:30 a.m. to get in, and people have stayed in the museum right up until we close the door at 5 p.m," said California Museum Communication Manager, Ashley S. Robinson.

The exhibit has seen an influx of 27,000 guests in the past six weeks, said Robinson. She said it has averaged to about 600 people per day, which is an extraordinary number for the museum. The Lincoln exhibit's popularity has been beneficial to both the museum and its visitors.

"If it's too crowded, [visitors] might have checked out the rest of the museum," Robinson said. "A lot of the people who are coming to the exhibit have never even been to the museum before. So this has been a great opportunity for them to check out what other kinds of programs and exhibits they can see here."

Pieces of the exhibit that have generated interest among those visiting have been the inaugural Bible, which President Barack Obama used during his initiation ceremony, as well as the contents of Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated. An artifact that has been surprisingly well-received, Robinson said, is First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's jewelery.

"It's from Tiffany's and they are pearls," Robinson said. "I think people were expecting a lot of documents, and here is this beautiful jewelry. At one point she spent $2,000 on a gown; we converted [the monetary amount] and it's the equivalent of $46,000 today. People don't know that much about Mary Todd, so it is cool for them to see that little bit of her."

This Saturday the California Museum will hold a free admission day for Wells Fargo members. Visitors should bring their Wells Fargo ATM cards to receive a free day of exhibit-combing.

Robinson said on average the exhibit takes about two hours to view. The largest crowds are in the mornings, she said, and recommended anytime after noon as a less congested time.

For more information and for future California Museum exhibits click here.
The California Museum is located at 1020 O Street.
 

All images courtesy of the Library of Congress.