Almanac note · History and culture
Redlands has a Lincoln shrine tucked beside Smiley Library
The Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands is a city-connected museum and research place dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
Redlands is known for citrus, old homes, the Bowl, and a handsome downtown. Then you find the Lincoln Memorial Shrine beside A.K. Smiley Public Library, and the city gets another layer.
The shrine was given by Robert and Alma Watchorn in 1932. Its original octagon was designed by Southern California architect Elmer Grey, with Bedford, Indiana limestone on the outside and words from Lincoln’s speeches built into the walls. Later additions expanded the space while keeping the same material feel.
The location matters. This is not a huge national mall monument. It is a local library-connected museum and research place in an Inland Empire city. That makes the story more surprising and more useful: Redlands kept a serious Civil War and Lincoln collection in a place people can actually reach from downtown.
Pair it with Smiley Library or the nearby Bowl area, and the stop feels less random. Redlands has a civic memory layer that is easy to miss if you only pass through on the freeway.
Where to see it
Lincoln Memorial Shrine at 125 West Vine Street in Redlands, beside A.K. Smiley Public Library.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 1, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
Related notes
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