Gallaudet University celebrates a Lincoln-related milestone

This month marks 150 years since Lincoln signed into law a bill authorizing the  Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind to award college-level degrees.  The institution, located in the District of Columbia, was the forerunner of today’s Gallaudet University.  The college is marking the anniversary with a special history exhibit.

Recreating Lincoln’s last ride

An Illinois man named David Kloke is commemorating the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s assassination by building a full-scale replica of the president’s funeral train car. He hopes to recreate part of the 1865 funeral train’s journey, followed by an educational tour with stops across the country. You can learn more at the project’s official website.

Ken Burns on his upcoming Gettysburg Address film

In his latest project, The Address, the acclaimed filmmaker focuses on Lincoln’s most famous speech and the efforts of a group of young students to memorize and recite it. Burns recently talked to National Geographic about the documentary, which premieres April 15 on PBS.

Sketch of Lincoln in death is going on sale

As Lincoln’s body lay in state in New York on its way back to Illinois for burial, a Frenchman named Pierre Morand managed to sketch the dead president’s face. The owner of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop is putting Morand’s finished drawing up for sale, with an asking price of $175,000.

Liam Neeson on backing out of Lincoln

Liam Neeson, who was Steven Spielberg’s original choice for the title role in Lincoln, talked about his decision to back out of the project in an interview with GQ. The Huffington Post has an excerpt:

“We started reading this, and there was an intro, and then I see ‘Lincoln’: where I have to start speaking, and I just — a thunderbolt moment. I thought, ‘I’m not supposed to be here. This is gone. I’ve passed my sell-by date. I don’t want to play this Lincoln. I can’t be him,’” Neeson said. “It was a very strange feeling, and it was partly grief. I read very, very poorly by any standards, but then some people come up afterward and say, ‘Oh, you’re made to play Lincoln.’ I just was cringing with embarrassment.”

Possible new photos of Lincoln’s funeral procession identified

A historic photograph enthusiast from Maryland believes he has identified two previously unknown images of Lincoln’s hearse in New York. The photos show a crowd gathered in front of a church and a blurred vehicle draped in black. The Washington Post has the details.

2014 Lincoln Symposium at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) will host Lincoln scholars from around the country for the 2014 Lincoln Symposium April 4-5, 2014, in Harrogate, Tenn.

Entitled “Lincoln and the War,” the symposium will address issues facing Lincoln during his administration as a war president. Featured speakers include Warren Greer, director of Kentucky’s Lincoln Heritage Trail Alliance, Dr. Anne Marshall, professor of history at Mississippi State University; Dr. Brian McKnight, professor of history at University of Virginia at Wise; Dr. Daniel Stowell, director and editor of The Abraham Lincoln Papers; and Frank J. Williams, retired chief justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court.

The program will open with a banquet featuring McKnight as the keynote speaker on Friday evening. Saturday will open with a continental breakfast followed by the four remaining speakers and a panel discussion to close the symposium. Each speaker will discuss a different aspect of the Civil War and how Lincoln managed it.

Registration for the symposium is open. The cost to attend the entire program is $60, or $25 for the Friday banquet and $35 for the full-day session on Saturday. For more information or to register, contact Program and Tourism Director Carol Campbell at 423.869.6439.

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is located on the historic campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Housing one of the top five Lincoln and Civil War private collections in the world, the Museum is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about this and other programs at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, call 423-869-6235.