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Lincoln Depot Museum Gets Flagpole For Flag Day

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- The Lincoln Depot Museum finally has a flagpole, just in time for Flag Day.

A flagpole will join the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill.

A flagpole will join the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of John Testa

On Saturday June 14 at 3 p.m., Flag Day, the Lincoln Depot Museum will be celebrating the installation and dedication of its new 21-foot flagpole, a gift from the Peekskill Elks Lodge. 

“Flying the flag in the place where a former President of the United States visited and spoke just made sense to the Elks," Paul Crumb, president of the Peekskill Elks Lodge, said.

John Testa, county legislator and president of the Lincoln Depot Museum, said he was pleased and happy about the flagpole being installed.

The Lincoln Depot Museum commemorates President Abraham Lincoln's visit to Peekskill on Feb. 19, 1861, as he traveled by train from Illinois to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. It was Lincoln's only visit in Westchester.

The Peekskill Lincoln Society was founded in 1904 and is the single oldest continually active Lincoln Society in the United States. Testa believes the flagpole will be a big boost to the museum's profile. 

"It shows the museum is moving forward and is now active," Testa said. "We can show our patriotism and dedication to the community. We're excited about it."

The museum has been acquiring artifacts related to Lincoln and the Civil War and has hired a curator. Display cases will be created this year and Testa hopes for the museum to be open in the fall.

This weekend's event will also kickoff the museum's membership drive. Testa, a former mayor, said he is proud of Peekskill's historic legacy.

"Peekskill is one of the most richest communities for history," Testa said. "It is a centerpiece in the creation of our country."

Testa said Peekskill is one of the only communities where Lincoln, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton all had a significant presence.

"We have been the hub of history," Testa said. "I have always dreamed of having a historic cultural destination place to visit in Peekskill."

 

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