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November 2018 Newsletter
DIRECTOR’S LETTER Dear Friends, “An old woman who once had been a slave left her home on a pilgrimage last week to pay humble tribute….” So begins a December 1936 piece in the Washington Post. The “old woman” in question was Mrs. Anna Harrison Chase, a 92-year-old who had arrived in Washington, DC in the spring of 1862 as a “contraband” …
Read MoreChasing History
By Curtis Harris On a late December day in 1936, Anna Harrison Chase walked from her home near Logan Circle to the Soldiers’ Home. The longtime Washington resident was intent on visiting the place where President Abraham Lincoln had deliberated and constructed the Emancipation Proclamation. Her pilgrimage that winter day was one of many arduous journeys in Chase’s life. Born …
Read MorePreservation Update: A Tale of Two Conferences Preservation Trades and Technology
A Tale of Two Conferences: Preservation Trades and Technology by Jeff Larry During this past weekend’s closing reception for the International Preservation Trades Workshop (IPTW) in Frederick, MD, I was seated for dinner at a table with a diverse bunch. There were recent graduates from the Building Preservation and Restoration Program at Belmont College, and National Park Service employees from …
Read MoreTop Ten Things the Lincolns Saw at the Soldiers’ Home
This year the Cottage is celebrating ten years of being open to the public. As part of #10YearsofPLC, we’re bringing you various top ten lists related to Lincoln and the Cottage. With the recent news that the Cottage is unveiling new spaces for site rentals, we’re focusing on the beautiful grounds of the Soldiers’ Home (today know as the Armed …
Read MorePreservation Update: West Balcony
For this month’s preservation update, Senior Preservationist Jeff Larry explains how we’re currently restoring a balcony on the Cottage’s western elevation. The balcony is inspected twice yearly and was lasted prepped and repainted in 2014. Upon its most recent inspection, water damage was detected. It seems appropriate that I am writing this month’s post from Buffalo, New York where …
Read More10 Top Things Lincoln Saw on His Commute
This year the Cottage is celebrating ten years of being open to the public. As part of #10YearsofPLC, we’re bringing you various top ten lists related to Lincoln and the Cottage. This month, we focused on Lincoln’s commute, including a biking tour. Curious about what he would’ve seen? Here’s a comparison of then vs. now with the top ten things Lincoln …
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 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 …
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