Billy Graham Library: Attendance up after namesake's death

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2010 file photo, Evangelist Billy Graham is interviewed at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The Billy Graham Library in North Carolina says it has seen a surge in visitors in the year since its namesake’s death. Citing a blog post on the library’s website, WLOS-TV reports that 214,000 people visited the Charlotte complex in 2018, up from 144,000 in 2017. According to the post, visitors came from 55 countries. Graham died Feb. 21, 2018, at age 99. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

The Billy Graham Library in North Carolina says it has seen a surge in visitors in the year since its namesake's death.

Citing a blog post on the library's website, WLOS-TV reports that 214,000 people visited the Charlotte complex in 2018, up from 144,000 in 2017. According to the post , visitors came from 55 countries.

Graham died Feb. 21, 2018, at age 99. He's credited with transforming American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history.

He's buried on the grounds of the library, alongside his wife, Ruth, in the prayer garden. The library was dedicated in 2007.

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Information from: WLOS-TV, http://www.wlos.com/