The Forgotten Manifesto — Lincoln's Secret

Lincoln was born in 1867 as Nebraska's capital, two years after the assassination of the president whose name it bears. Pioneer Courage Park, dedicated in 2005, immerses you in this genesis with Peter J. Toth's monumental sculptures. The 12-foot-high central group, weighing over 10 tons, commemorates the 1862 Homestead Act that drew 600,000 pioneers westward. These bronze families, frozen in their 1854 plains crossing, funded by over one million dollars in private donations, embody the pioneer spirit that forged Nebraska.

Lancaster County Courthouse, erected between 1908 and 1910 by architects Berlinghof & Deutsch, dominates downtown with its 150-foot height. Its Beaux-Arts style and Justice statue atop the dome testify to the ambition of a rapidly growing city. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, this courthouse has served as county government seat since 1911, housing courts and offices in architecture rivaling state capitals.

First Plymouth Congregational Church, founded in 1866, reveals Lincoln's spiritual evolution. While the current church, completed in 1992 to architect Bruce Goff's plans, displays modern architecture with its 160-foot tower and 1,200-seat sanctuary, the site preserves memories of abolitionist sermons from the Civil War era. This transition from 19th to 20th century illustrates a pioneer town's transformation into a modern metropolis.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, founded in 1869 under the Morrill Act of 1862, spreads its 260-acre campus near 14th and U Streets. With over 100 buildings including the 1899 Architecture Hall, it houses the Nebraska State Museum created in 1871, holder of North America's largest mammoth fossil collection. Its 25,000 annual students perpetuate the educational legacy of a state that bet on instruction to build its future.

Your investigation concludes at the Nebraska State Capitol, completed in 1932 to Bertram Goodhue's plans. At 400 feet high, this Art Deco governmental skyscraper, the world's second-tallest capitol, cost 10 million dollars. Its 30 mosaic panels tell Nebraska's story, while its legislative chambers have housed the United States' only unicameral legislature since 1937. You take from Lincoln a complete vision: that of a state that transformed pioneer spirit into lasting political innovation.