Overview
- The Lincoln Memorial Undercroft opened in late June and is showing original 1860s copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment on loan from donor Kenneth C. Griffin through June 2027.
- Three unnamed National Park Service staff told reporters that light-shielding screens in the exhibit are defective and that temperatures inside display cases have repeatedly exceeded 80°F, and a reporter observed a fan pointed at a case.
- Conservation experts say 19th-century paper should generally be kept below about 75°F or in the 64–72°F range and warn that heat and poor humidity or light control can cause mold, embrittlement, yellowing and ink corrosion within months to a year.
- The National Park Service issued a brief statement that the documents are being “cared for” and that it is in regular contact with the donor and the National Park Foundation but has not released environmental monitoring data or detailed remedial steps.
- The items are extremely rare—one of roughly 27 known 1864 Emancipation printings and one of about 15 copies of the 13th Amendment—and the reports raise questions about stewardship, transparency and whether originals should stay on public display without independent monitoring.