On October 25, 2025 the Lincoln Depot Museum participated in a special 100 year Anniversary of the Lincoln Exedra in Peekskill. The Lincoln Society in Peekskill planned the event as part of their mission as they were involved with the creation on the exedra in 1925. Museum President, John Testa, participated in the ceremony and helped bury the time capsule that was compiled for the event. Testa’s great-uncle Bruno Grenci’s company was owner of the quarry and his family had kept items made from the granite as well as various spoils from the manufacturing process.
The program continued at the museum where historian Ted Widmer made an outstanding presentation based on his book Lincoln on he Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington when President-elect Lincoln left Springfield and traveled on his inaugural journey to his taking office, stopping at Peekskill along the way.
The Lincoln Exedra was created to commemorate the Lincoln stop of 1861. It is located on South Street in Peekskill and provides a direct line for viewing the original train depot (now the Lincoln Depot Museum lincolndepotmuseum.org) below to the West. The land was donated by John Smith Jr., a veteran of the Civil War and a President of the Lincoln Society from 1917-1918. It was designed by Peekskill architect Gilbert H. Anderson and his artist brother Victor C. Anderson. Antonio S. Renza built the structure with granite furnished by the Grenci & Ellis quarry. The center of the exedra contains a bronze portrait tablet of Lincoln that was created at the Tiffany Studios in New York City.
