Events

Meet the Lincolns at historic sites throughout the city. Enjoy historic portrayals at locations such as the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the Lincoln Herndon Law Office, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and the Lincoln Tomb. Listen to Lincoln deliver some of his most famous speeches at the Lincoln Depot, and enjoy live music and an ice cream social at Edwards Place.

You’ll have a front row seat as Civil War battles rage all weekend long. Armies of both the Union and the Confederacy will battle it out along the shores of lovely Lake Pittsfield. Explore the encampments surrounding the battlefield for a rare glimpse into the life of the soldiers, officers, doctors and others who served on the front lines of the War Between the States. Watch as the Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery conduct their practice drills. Witness a vintage baseball game, and talk with Lincoln, Grant and Lee. Plus, enjoy a ladies’ fashion show, children’s games and crafts, and be part of a Sunday morning period church service.

Abraham Lincoln's oldest and only surviving son Robert lived his adult life in the public eye. As a public man, he could have had any elective office he wanted, up to and including president of the United States. Unlike his father, Robert had no interest in being a politician; he did believe in the duty of a citizen, however, and held multiple appointed offices in federal and state government. Even in his private life as lawyer and businessman Robert faced various issues that resonated in the public arena. While today Robert Lincoln's life is relatively obscure, he was a respected man during his lifetime who showed himself to be a worthy heir of one of the greatest Americans, and today is considered one of the most successful presidential children in US history. Lincoln historian and Robert Lincoln biographer Jason Emerson will examine Robert Lincoln's public life and show how and why the oldest Lincoln child was exactly the kind of man his father wanted him to be.

Jason Emerson is the author or editor of nine books, including Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln, The Madness of Mary Lincoln, and Lincoln the Inventor. Learn more about him on his website at www.jasonemerson.com.

This program will livestream on Looking for Lincoln's Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The event is FREE. Please do not click on any links that take you to pay page. Our free Facebook events will never ask you for a credit card. If you have trouble finding the event, check the main news feed on the page, and do not click on links in the comments. 

Lincoln’s Last Speech…Lincoln’s last speech was interpreted as optimistic by African Americans across the nation, but for the free Black community of New Orleans there was a special connection. Brian Mitchell's presentation tells the story, not only of the last speech, but also of the south’s road to military occupation and universal male suffrage.

Brian Keith Mitchell is a native of New Orleans and was formerly an Associate Professor of History at the University of Arkansas Little Rock and an Associate Faculty Member at the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity before leaving in the Spring of 2022. Mitchell currently serves as Director of Research and Interpretation for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. A graduate of the University of New Orleans, Mitchell is the winner of the 2021 Phyllis Wheatley Award for Monumental: Oscar Dunn and his Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana, 2021 Louisiana's selection for the Library of Congress' "Great Reads from Great Places", Finalist for the Organization of American Historians' Civil War and Reconstruction Book Award, The National Council of English Teachers' Orbis Pictus Bronze Medal, and the American Association of State and Local History's Excellence in History Leadership award. He is the author of numerous papers, book chapters, and books, and is nationally recognized for his public history and digital humanities projects which often explore difficult and forgotten histories. His research has been covered by CNN, Atlas Obscura, the New York Post, the Guardian, National Public Radio, New York Times, Washington Post and the Associated Press.

This program will livestream on Looking for Lincoln's Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The event is FREE. Please do not click on any links that take you to pay page. Our free Facebook events will never ask you for a credit card. If you have trouble finding the event, check the main news feed on the page, and do not click on links in the comments.

Step back in time to the 1800s at the Log Cabin Village. Learn how felt hats and rugs were made, what church was like, and visit with the ladies who will be having tea. Other activities  include wool spinning, chair caning, music and games. Food will be available for purchase, and stop by the Clat Adams cabin/store to see what’s new. Frontier Day is held on Quinsippi Island, just past All America Park.

On the 165th Anniversary of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Jonesboro will be celebrating the event at Lincoln Memorial Park. The program will include a 21-gun and cannon salute by the Long Knives Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and a minute of bell-ringing to mark the occasion. Guest soloists and speakers will present an intriguing program, and essay content winners will be asked to read their entries. Children’s games, music, and food begin at 4:30 pm, with the program commencing at 09/165:30 pm. This event is a great opportunity to explore this beautiful, but often overlooked part of Illinois.

Come celebrate the arrival of autumn at the Harvest Frolic. The event is free and open to the public. Don’t miss experiencing 19th-century life on the farm. Activities will take place at both the Lincoln and Sargent farms and will include children’s games, crafts, hearth cooking, and activities. A number of artisans will be on site demonstrating their crafts including, spinning, pottery, broommaking, blacksmithing, embroidery, and many other 19th-century crafts.