Archives
Preservation 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 MoreMemorial Day Tours of the USSAH National Cemetery 2018
Commemorate Memorial Day with guided tours of the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery. Visited by President Abraham Lincoln, the Soldiers’ Home National Cemetery is notable for being the first national cemetery (est. 1861) and for serving as the final resting place for John Logan, who formalized Memorial Day celebrations in 1868. Tours of the cemetery will highlight the …
Read MoreVisitor Impact Study
By Erin Carlson Mast The “Lincoln shiver” is the term we used to describe a certain feeling people said they experienced at President Lincoln’s Cottage, even during the capital project when it felt more construction site than historic site. The shiver came at different times for different people, and came when story and place collided. For example, some experienced it …
Read MoreOverlooked: Forgotten Obituaries of Women during the Civil War
On March 8th, 2018, for International Women’s Day The New York Times launched “Overlooked,” a series of obituaries of notable women in history who never received their due. They noted that “since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times had been dominated by white men. Now, we’re adding the stories of remarkable women.” In the spirit of the The New …
Read MoreCottage Madness 2018
Last year we unveiled #CottageMadness, where we pitted 16 people against each other to determine who had the Best Civil War Name. (Congrats again to PLEASANT UNTHANK.) As the 2018 NCAA basketball tournament kicks off, we’re doing it again, but narrowing our focus. This year, we’re asking you to decide who the “Best” member of Lincoln’s cabinet was! A …
Read MoreLincoln Ideas Forum 2018
Towards the end of his Second Annual Message to Congress in 1862, Abraham Lincoln implored his countrymen to remember that future generations would be looking back at the Civil War era: “Fellow-citizens, we can not escape history,” he wrote. “We of this Congress and this Administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.” This year, those stirring words serve as …
Read MoreTeam Lincoln: Ginny Cobo
Abraham Lincoln always loved his “angel mother” as he allegedly referred to her. For this month’s Team Lincoln spotlight, we’re featuring a mom that’s closely tied to the Cottage. A retired teacher, avid history buff, wanna-be Museum Program Associate (ha), habitual Proclamation reader, and proud member of Team Lincoln all the way from Shreveport, Louisiana, meet Ginny Cobo: I am …
Read MoreFilling the Void: President Lincoln’s Cottage at Ten Years
Both before and after our Grand Opening exactly ten years ago this month, we’ve been fortunate to work with dozens of wonderful scholars. Working with scholars across many disciplines, we’ve certainly had a stronger interpretative and thematic foundation thanks to their assistance. For our ten-year anniversary, we asked our Scholarly Advisory Group the following prompt: In a few sentences or so, …
Read MorePreservation Update: Keeping it in the Family
As part of our ten-year anniversary, we’re asking Senior Preservationist Jeffrey Larry to reflect on the history of preservation at President Lincoln’s Cottage. In this installment, he looks at various family-owned businesses with whom we’ve worked over the years. There are certain people in life that once you find them you hold onto them. A good barber. The right dentist. …
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