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July 2018 Newsletter
DIRECTOR’S LETTER Dear Friends, Welcome to our July issue of The Proclamation! Every July, we consider the work Lincoln was immersed in while living here at the Cottage. Whether he was developing the Emancipation Proclamation, contemplating major battles on the field, or looking at his bleak prospects for reelection, he spent his time here wrestling with fundamental ideas about our democracy …
Read MoreStaff Spotlight: 10 Questions Kids Ask About Slavery
People often shy away from talking to children about tough, complex subjects like slavery. Working at a Civil War site, those topics are pretty much unavoidable. We polled our front-line staff, including our Museum Program Associates (MPAs), who give guided tours, work with school groups, and field tough questions every day. We wanted to know, what questions have students asked …
Read MoreTeam Lincoln: Seth Kaller
Starting in July, President Lincoln’s Cottage is displaying a July 11, 1776 print of the Declaration of Independence. The piece is on loan from Seth Kaller Inc., and for this month’s Team Lincoln spotlight, we thought it fitting to get to know more about the namesake behind the collection company, Seth Kaller. Tell us a bit more about the work …
Read More10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lincoln the Lawyer
By Blake Harris To honor both Lincoln’s noble profession — July was lawyer month at the Cottage — and our 10-year anniversary, we created a list of Ten Things You Might Not Have Known about Lincoln the Lawyer. 1) Lincoln represented a slave owner In October 1847 Robert Matson brought several enslaved people from Kentucky to work on his farm …
Read MorePreservation Update: VEC Doors and Windows Project
A year after first beginning, a project on the doors and windows of the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center concluded this month. Read Preservation Manager Jeff Larry’s account of how we determined what colors to paint the trim, the challenges of faux graining, and why the Visitor Education Center does not represent any particular time period. A restoration project that …
Read MoreA Noble Dream: Abraham Lincoln and the Middle East
A Noble Dream: Abraham Lincoln and the Middle East by Jason H. Silverman The story of Abraham Lincoln’s self-education is a well-known one. A voracious reader from a very young age, Lincoln devoured whatever books he could get his hands on. Indeed, he once told his friend, Leonard Swett, that as a boy “he borrowed and read every book he …
Read MoreHomecoming 2018
For the second year, we’re combining our two popular events, the Freedom 5K and Family Day, into one full day of racing and family fun: Homecoming. During the Civil War the Lincoln family called the Cottage home. This year we welcome everyone back “home” to join us for a full day of activities where you can run, walk, and play like …
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