Students Build Lincoln Shrine

The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 is more than a passing fancy for a group of Knox College students, who have created a "Lincoln Shrine" in their residence hall this year.

On one of their living room walls, the nine seniors in the Peterson House have assembled Lincoln items, from the profound to the lighthearted. A sign on the wall proclaims "The P-House Lincoln Shrine" -- the word "Lincoln" appropriately spelled out with 64 pennies.

The project began last summer, when three residents of the house -- Alexandra Clark of Bloomington, Illinois; Ashley Konicki of Oak Lawn, Illinois; and Shannon Liston of Sterling, Illinois -- worked as counselors at Camp Abe Lincoln, a YMCA summer camp for children and young adults in Blue Grass, Iowa.

"We started with Abe pictures over the summer," Clark says. "Then we found a cologne bottle shaped like a bust of Lincoln in a thrift store, and ever since then we've been collecting things with Abe on them."

The other residents of the house are Hayle Gosnell of DeKalb, Illinois; Kate Latshaw of Downers Grove, Illinois; Whitney Mackie of Williamsfield, Illinois; Elizabeth McPhail of Issaquah, Washington; Kimberly Mullvain of Beloit, Wisconsin; and Megan Quick of West Des Moines, Iowa.

Last October, the students drew Lincoln's likeness on pumpkins and Latshaw dressed up as Lincoln for Halloween. They've made it a point to collect pictures and posters from Lincoln-related events that have happened on the Knox campus. Events have included several visits from Lincoln impersonators and the Lincoln-Douglas Reunion Tour debate performance last October outside Knox's Old Main, the only building that remains from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

The students have spent a grand total of just $3.64 on the shrine -- 64 pennies for the sign, 200 pennies glued to a picture frame and $1 for the Lincoln-bust cologne bottle.

The shrine features enlarged texts of Lincoln speeches, including the Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address.

"At Camp Abe Lincoln, we talked a lot about the core values of the YMCA -- caring, honesty, respect and responsibility -- and we admire those same qualities in Lincoln," Konicki said.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's 'Old Main' is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Students of Knox College's Peterson House pose in front of their "Lincoln Shrine." From left, Kimberly Mullvain (with candle), Alexandra Clark (with Lincoln-bust cologne bottle), Elizabeth McPhail, Whitney Mackie, Megan Quick, Kate Latshaw (with pipe and hat), and Ashley Konicki (top right); not pictured, Shannon Liston and Hayle Gosnell.