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How Did Lincoln Spend His July 4ths?
By Molly Cadwell The Lincoln family spent three summers living at the Soldiers’ Home. Each time their stay included July 4th. So how did Lincoln celebrate America’s birthday each year he was president? Communications Intern Molly Cadwell looks at Lincoln’s activities on July 4th, and also poses questions for discussion. In 1861, the Lincolns originally planned to stay in …
Read MoreGastronomical Abe
By Rae Katherine Eighmey and Erin Mast Along with their two youngest sons, Willie and Tad, Abraham and Mary Lincoln brought their Midwestern values, habits of charity, and penchant for personal interaction to Washington. The war-challenged city would benefit. In 1862, just over a year after Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration, reporter Noah Brooks wrote that there were “a little more than …
Read MoreMary Lincoln, Devoted Wife
By Rae Katherine Eighmey and Erin Mast Along with their two youngest sons, Willie and Tad, Abraham and Mary Lincoln brought their Midwestern values, habits of charity, and penchant for personal interaction to Washington. The war-challenged city would benefit. In 1862, just over a year after Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration, reporter Noah Brooks wrote that there were “a little more than …
Read MoreMary Todd Lincoln Reconsidered on C-SPAN
American History TV covered our April 2013 Cottage Conversation for C-SPAN. The Honorable Frank J. Williams, editor of The Mary Lincoln Enigma, guided a lively conversation on Mary Lincoln, America’s most controversial First Lady. View the full program here: http://www.c-span.org/video/?312253-1/mary-todd-lincoln-reconsidered
Read MoreSpreading Holiday Cheer—Lincoln Style
By Rebecca DownesWhat is your favorite part of the holiday season? Is it your brightly decorated Christmas tree or the glowing candles of your menorah? Perhaps it is the thrill of ripping open your holiday gifts and feasting on decorated gingerbread men. For me, the best part of the holiday season are the traditions that have been passed down through …
Read MoreThe Lincoln Fish
By Katie Needham On the Armed Forces Retirement Home’s campus (AFRH), where President Lincoln’s Cottage is located, two fish reside in the residents’ library. They swim about all day, watching the library visitors and keeping tabs on the daily occurrences. The first fish has a visible “bump” on his head, distinguishing him from the second fish. He seems content to …
Read MoreAbraham Lincoln Presidential China
The spring season brings relatives and friends together for holidays, graduations, and family celebrations, and the dining table is often set with a special selection of china for the occasion. The Lincoln family followed this tradition in their family and presidential homes. In one of her first official duties after becoming First Lady in 1861, Mary Lincoln ordered a full …
Read MoreMary Lincoln’s Seance at the Soldiers’ Home
By Erin Carlson Mast Starting with Willie Lincoln’s death in February 1862, Mary Lincoln began to engage in spirit circles. Spirit circles, or seances, were led by a medium who helped those gathered communicate with loved ones who had “crossed over.” Spirits communicated with the living by various means including sounds like rapping, scratching, and playing instruments and touches like tugging on hair …
Read MoreChildren’s Lincoln Book List
By Erin Carlson Mast, Callie Hawkins, and Jamie Cooper Welcome to the fourth installment of the President Lincoln’s Cottage Book List. Drawing from staff favorites and best selling titles in our Museum Store, we have created a list of Lincoln and Civil War books specifically for youth aged 4-12. We hope this list is useful for parents and grandparents, educators, …
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