Classic Americana

A Tool Used by Abraham Lincoln

The museum's collection also includes an iron tool used by President Abraham Lincoln when he was a rail splitter in the 1830s. "His iron will, I think, is represented here, and the fact that he led the country during a tremendous crisis," Dr. Glass says.

"We collect things like this to give people a real experience, an experience with authentic American treasures," he says. "People come to the Smithsonian and to the American History Museum to connect with the larger world of art and history and science."