About the Commission

The Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (KALBC) was established by executive order in 2004 to organize and coordinate the state's commemorative activities in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln.

Its mission is to ensure that Lincoln's Kentucky story is an essential part of the national celebration, emphasizing Kentucky's contribution to his thoughts and ideals. The commission also serves as coordinator of statewide efforts to convey Lincoln's Kentucky story and his legacy of freedom, democracy, and equal opportunity for all.

1. Positioning: Establishing Lincoln as a Kentuckian on both a state and a national level, by relating the critical role that Kentucky and Kentuckians played in his life and career.
2. Education: Incorporating the relevance of the Lincoln story into educational programming across Kentucky.
3. Cultural Infrastructure: Strengthening the long-term legacy of Kentucky's Lincoln sites and museums.
4. Tourism: Enhancing Kentucky's heritage-tourism industry.

The KALBC has accomplished many noteworthy goals and projects. Among them:

• Invested more than $4 million in Kentucky communities from 2006-2009 through the grant programs of the Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Humanities Council, the Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Heritage Council, the African American Heritage Commission, and the KALBC
• Provided Lincoln-related classroom resources to all Kentucky schools at every grade level
• Co-sponsored the Kentucky Historical Society’s travelling exhibition Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln
• Sponsored preservation initiatives including the Joseph Holt house in Breckinridge County and the Austin Gollaher cabin in Larue County
• Sponsored KET’s “Lincoln: I, too, am a Kentuckian,” a special episode of Kentucky Life, hosted by Dave Shuffett
• Produced an array of promotional materials including a Lincoln focus in the 2008 Kentucky Visitors Guide, a “Passport” map brochure featuring the Lincoln Trail, and a regional advertising campaign
• Provided matching funds for the creation of the new Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail, administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council
• Sponsored major public art in Springfield, Louisville and Hodgenville, Kentucky
• Sponsored major Lincoln theatrical performances by Kentucky Repertory Theatre to tour in Kentucky and in neighboring states
• Created the “Birthplace of Lincoln” specialty license plate through the Transportation Cabinet
• Established a merchandising program consisting of products relating to Lincoln and Kentucky
• Established an Intercollegiate Task Force to plan and coordinate Lincoln-related activities at institutions of higher learning in Kentucky
• Commissioned and completed a survey of Lincoln sites throughout the commonwealth
• Sponsored an educational area at the 2008 Kentucky State Fair that was visited by more than 16,000 fairgoers
• Co-sponsored the Kentucky Historical Society’s HistoryMobile which took the Lincoln story to thousands of Kentucky school children
• Co-sponsored performances of “Our Lincoln” in 2008 and 2009

The KALBC is administered by the Kentucky Historical Society. It is guided by input from appointed commission members as well as an advisory council.

Granting agencies of KALBC funding are the Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Heritage Council, Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Humanities Council, and the African American Heritage Commission.