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CARTHAGE, ILL. -- Tuesday marked the 204th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

At the Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum visitors get a chance to find out about the connection of the nation's 16th President to the county and the community of Carthage.

Lincoln once tried and lost a murder case in the community. But the highlight of the tour is this recreation of Lincoln's casket.

The museum also features models of his funeral train and examples of the receptions the casket received as it traveled from town to town.

Tom Tomlinson is the President of the Board of the museum and says that it's important for people to understand what life was like for their ancestors.

"It gives you a basis in history. And I think as we grow older it becomes more important to know who we are and where we came from and I think that the claim to a basis is knowing that Lincoln was part of this area and part of how we grew up," Tomlinson said.

The Lincoln display is part of the larger museum that tells the story of how people lived in the area from the frontier to the early 20th century.