Category: Abraham Lincoln

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Reflections of a Science Traveler Five Years On

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Glacier National ParkIn the last quarter of my most recent 2000 mile road trip we met a lovely couple at a Montana rest stop. Gene and Jacque were sitting in foldable chairs next to their large RV camper when we pulled in to stretch our legs. As we talked about life I realized that very day – September 12th – was the 5-year anniversary of my science traveling life.

Five years ago I resigned from my well-paid environmental consulting position in Washington, D.C. My new life as a science traveler, writer, and Abraham Lincoln historian has been jam-packed with excitement, interesting locations, and mind-stimulating enrichment. I said then, and reiterate now, that it was the best decision I ever made.

Back when I was contemplating making the jump, I couldn’t help but worry about where and how much I might travel, whether anyone would read what I was writing, and how I would make ends meet financially. After all, I was giving up a good salary, adventuring into new intellectual territory, and traveling to places I never expected to travel. In some ways it was a big risk. And yet, as I wrote in my first anniversary reflections, “the stars aligned, angels’ voices rang down from the heavens,” so the risk wasn’t all that risky. I remind myself of this as my bank account and royalty check balances dwindle. 

There are times I think I’m not taking big enough, or fast enough, advantage of this post-salary time of my life. I could travel more, but that would mean less writing (I still haven’t mastered the art of writing while traveling). I could write more, but that would mean more obligation and less fun as I take on freelance jobs more for the money than the topic interest. I could do more with the Lincoln Group, but that greater responsibility comes with lessened flexibility. Overall, I think I’ve found a good balance.

So what have I been doing these five years? As the name of this website suggests, I’ve been science traveling. What does science traveling mean, you ask? Simple. I try to find the science in everywhere I travel, with science defined in the broadest sense. I don’t spend time in laboratories pouring chemicals (although I have been known to do that). And I don’t spend a week sitting on the same beach contemplating the same sand particles and clouds (some call this relaxing, to me it is stressful not to be moving). Instead, and with a career background ranging from marine biology to aquatic toxicology to environmental science to regulatory science I’m bound to find myself exploring the environmental aspects of my target location. For example, I was just along the Oregon coast where I noticed the similarities – and differences – between the rocky stacks there and the 12 Apostles off the southern coast of Australia. While in Crater Lake I marveled at the geology of the inside of a volcano. While in Pisa my mind wandered to the physics of Galileo dropping unequal weights off the Leaning Tower (not to mention the physics of what keeps the tower leaning and not toppling). Usually I try to read up on locations before visiting them, but I also do research on the locations once I return. I include these scientific aspects in my travel writing.

But my definition of science is broader than that. As a Lincoln historian I include getting to understand the local cultures (e.g., Serbian vs Croatian, Aborigine vs Maori vs Native American). As a science communicator – yet another interest in my diverse repertoire – I look for ways to best communicate the science to the public. Glacier National Park, for example, will soon have to be labeled “Historical Glacier National Park” as most of its glaciers have disappeared or shrunken to minimal levels. In contrast, the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina is one of only a few glaciers that is actually growing. Throw in a little Darwin and Patagonia becomes a much more interesting place than simply hundreds of kilometers of gravel roads. Mark Twain once said that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I aim to prove that is true.

My travels have taken me to over 50 countries, so far. This past 12 months alone I have been to nine or ten countries and several areas of the United States. There was Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Finland, the Aland Islands, and Sweden on the international front, with Hong Kong, Philippines, Brunei, and Singapore coming up soon. Domestically, I’ve been to New England several times in the last year, including Maine, plus Sanibel Island in Florida and my most recent road trip through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. With three corners of the country covered I’m looking to make a road trip in the southwest U.S. soon.

This has been a busy year for my Abraham Lincoln side as well. In May, I finished up my term as Vice President of Programs of the Lincoln Group of DC, responsible for booking speakers for our monthly dinner meetings. I considered taking on ultimate leadership responsibility but opted to make a lateral move instead because of my travel and writing schedule. I’ve driven three increasingly intensive road trips as research for my book in progress. First a long weekend in Newport News for a “Battle of Hampton Roads” conference. Then a week-long drive through Lincoln’s early life in Tennessee/Kentucky/Indiana, with a stop in Michigan to see the rocking chair Lincoln was sitting in when assassinated. Finally, a 9-day Chasing Lincoln zigzag around Illinois to visit the seven Lincoln-Douglas debate sites, the I&M Canal, Rock Island, and two dozen or more Lincoln statues. I even got to see Lincoln and Douglas debate in person thanks to George Buss and Tim Connors. In the coming months I’ll make a few short day trips related to Lincoln, plus a few days in Chicago to check out more Lincoln sites (plus the famed Art Institute of Chicago).

The year wasn’t always great; there were some downer times too. My trips to New England were in part because my father has repeatedly made hospital and rehab stays as his body slowly gets weaker in his 92nd year. Then my Lincoln mentor and friend John Elliff passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Other drags on life also creaked into existence during the year, but overall, it was a very good year.

My writing has been both a highlight and a lowlight this year. My first book on Tesla is into its 8th printing and several foreign translations. Edison is essentially sold out and has been translated as well. My Lincoln book released last summer is into a 2nd edition and is likely to get a 3rd plus translations. I’m also working on three books, two on Lincoln and one a travel memoir. The lowlights? I’ve spread myself a bit thin so none of the books is progressing as fast as I intended. I also planned to submit more freelance article work this year but haven’t put much effort into following through on it. I specifically dropped my reading goal from 100 books to 75 this year, intending to spend the freed time writing. I’m now 3 books behind even the lower goal and haven’t shifted the time into writing as much as I planned. Some of this is because of traveling, and with a heavy travel schedule continuing through at least next summer, I’m not sure whether I’ll improve my reading or writing pace much in the near future. Still, I am writing. I just need to write more and faster.

As I reflect on five years of post-salary life it strikes me that I get two kinds of reactions. One is envy, as people who want to quit/retire/travel/write think the grass is greener on my side of the fence. The other is inspiration, as they see promise of greater fulfillment even while they are working. It simply takes making the time to do what you want. After five years I can still say I have no regrets about my decision.

No regrets whatsoever.

See my previous “Reflections” for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. This will be the last of these annual “Reflections” pieces unless something marvelous happens to warrant a special one. Of course, if one of my books becomes a million seller I won’t need to write these updates as you’ll be seeing me all over television and the internet. 🙂

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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John Elliff – Abraham Lincoln Scholar

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John ElliffIt is with deep regret that I mark the sudden passing of John Elliff. John was an Abraham Lincoln scholar and in many ways my mentor in the Lincoln field.

I first met John only in January 2012 but I feel I’ve known him much longer. I was attending my first meeting as a new member of the Lincoln Group of DC and John was one of the first people I met. I fondly recall him standing up to announce that he was reading Bill O’Reilly’s then new book Killing Lincoln “so we don’t have to.” [The book is poorly researched and contains many factual errors] In that one sentence, John displayed both his intellectual fortitude and his good humor.

As the years have passed since then it was John who encouraged me to become more active in the Lincoln Group of DC. I joined the Lincoln Group’s book discussion club because of John, and it was John’s inspiration that led to me becoming a member of the Lincoln Group board. Through these years I marveled at John’s incredible command of facts, understanding, and insight into Abraham Lincoln’s life. No matter what aspect of Lincoln we were discussing we could always count on John to have knowledge that would expand our understanding. I looked up to John’s leadership and I knew that everyone else in the group did as well.

John was also a leader in other Lincoln groups as a board member of the Abraham Lincoln Association based in his native Illinois, the Lincoln Forum, the Illinois State Society, and as a volunteer docent at Ford’s Theatre. He was a dominant presence at our monthly Lincoln Group of DC book club and only a few months ago finished his two-year term as President of the Lincoln Group of DC after many years in other leadership roles. All the while he was, as fellow friend and Lincoln scholar Bob Willard noted, “Lincolnian in character – honest, smart, hard-working, empathetic, curious.” Everyone in the Lincoln Group of DC appreciated these characteristics. He was a true leader.

My heart reaches out to John’s family, especially to Linda, whom I’ve known and cherished since that first day I met John. I am a better person and Lincoln scholar because of John Elliff. May he rest in peace and the knowledge that he has inspired so many others. He is, and will always be, deeply missed.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, people consider making a donation to the Lincoln Group of DC.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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Chasing Abraham Lincoln is now on YouTube

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Abraham Lincoln is everywhere it seems. And now he’s on YouTube.

For those that follow me on my Facebook author page, I posted a series of videos from my recent Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour of Illinois. At each of the seven Lincoln-Douglas debate sites I showed the monument – usually some sort of statue of the two debaters – and talked a little about the history of the site and the debates. Here’s just one example:

In addition to the seven debate sites I did a few other videos. I’ll be posting additional videos from this and past trips, plus will be creating “on the road” videos on future tours. In the future I’ll also be producing a series of videocasts on Abraham Lincoln-related topics; the intention is to create an informative and entertaining series on Lincoln’s life and the lessons we can learn from him.

So bookmark and/or subscribe to the YouTube page and check back periodically for new videos. Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

 

 

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Rockport, Indiana – Where Lincoln Began His Flatboat Trips to New Orleans

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In my last Chasing Abraham Lincoln post I checked in on the Lincoln’s arrival in Indiana at Sandy Creek Landing (now Grandview). Today I’ll move on to nearby Rockport, Indiana, where Lincoln began his first flatboat trip to New Orleans.

I was looking for the rock and plaque that I knew marked the spot but had no idea how to find it. As I’ve discovered during my travels, a good place to start is often the local public library. I found more than I expected at the Spencer County Public Library main branch in downtown Rockport. After meeting all of the four delightful women working the desk and genealogy departments, I spent two hours pouring through their Lincoln collection materials. I found many books and pamphlets I hadn’t known about, and photographed quite a few documents useful for my research. I even purchased a small booklet written in the 1930s that describes Sandy Creek Landing and the Lincolns. Then they showed me how to find the monument, which was only a few blocks away (not surprisingly since Rockport is tiny, harboring a population less than 2,500).

The monument commemorates one of Lincoln’s most interesting (to me) achievements – his first flatboat trip down to New Orleans – which started here in Rockport. Hooking up with Allen Gentry soon after the devastating death of his sister Sarah, Lincoln helped build the flatboat, loaded it with corn, pork, potatoes, hay, apples, and other commodities, then traveled 1,200 miles down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to sell their wares. While in New Orleans he was introduced to the issue that would dominate much of his later political life – slavery.

Also in Rockport is something called the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum. Like most artifacts of Lincoln’s life, this isn’t the original; it was built as part of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” programs in the 1930s, then renovated in the 1980s and was undergoing yet another partial renovation while I was there. The Village had opened for the season only the week before so the guy working it seemed a bit shocked to see me walk though the front door. He had grown up in Rockport and was excited to get a job curating the small museum of pioneer life.

As I walked around the village alone I stopped to watch some workers recreating a couple of the log cabins. At one point they began moving furniture back into the “Lincoln cabin” representing what the Lincoln family lived in when they had moved into the country from Kentucky. Around this time the curator came running out to ask if I wanted to see an old hearse that had been used in the 1955 movie The Kentuckian, starring Burt Lancaster, that had been filmed in part in the Village. He was so excited that I of course said yes. Unlocking a building that was temporarily being used for storage during the renovations, he led me into a dark, dusty corner where the hearse stood. He told me about the movie and how the town was honored and thrilled to have Lancaster and up-and-coming star Walter Matthau in their midst.

I rummaged around the rest of the Village, checking out the period furniture in a variety of log cabins. Some were single room, others a kind of duplex with a central porch, and still others set up as law offices, school houses, and inns. A replica of the Little Pigeon Creek Baptist Church was undergoing renovation but could be seen from the outside. The “Gentry Mansion” showed how the Gentry’s were the most prosperous family in the neighborhood (keeping in mind that “mansion” is a relative term).

Overall this was a nice glimpse into the life of pioneer villagers of Lincoln’s time. And of course the science traveler in me was thrilled to see the area where Lincoln and Allen Gentry began their flatboat touring. As I continued my tour I would see more of the frontier life during Lincoln’s most formative years in Indiana. More on that in future posts.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Monuments to the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates

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It’s been a busy week. With over 2900 miles covered, I’ve seen dozens of Abraham Lincoln statues throughout the state of Illinois. Here’s a sampling of the seven Lincoln-Douglas debate monuments. I’ll have more when I return.

 

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Chasing Abraham Lincoln, Part 2

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Lincoln Douglas debateNow that I’ve recovered (not) from my recent overseas trip, I’m off on the second part of my Chasing Abraham Lincoln road trip. This part takes me into Illinois, the Land of Lincoln. For stories and photos from Part 1, click on Chasing Abraham Lincoln and scroll down for more.

Once again I’m driving there and back again from the Washington DC area. The first day of driving will take me on much the same route I took at the beginning of Part 1. This time I’ll stop at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, which I waved to from the highway the first time. By the end of the day I should be somewhere around Knoxville, Tennessee. The next day I’ll make the rest of the trip to Jonesboro, Illinois. And then the fun begins.

Jonesboro was one of the seven sites for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. I’ll hit all seven sites on this road trip. All have some sort of statue or two commemorating the event. Some like Charleston have more extensive museums. As I zigzag around the state, I’ll stop at many little towns that have some connection to Lincoln, and thus have some sort of statue to draw in tourists. I’m looking forward to the statue of Lincoln with the pig. Another has him all set to fight the Black Hawk war. Then there is the giant pair of statues 30 feet high in full color where a dapper Lincoln appears to be giving directions to a Perry Como-like tourist. There are many more, all with their particular style and viewpoint. And of course, I’ll visit the statues and other monuments in Kent, IL.

I won’t be stopping in Springfield or the city of Lincoln (complete with a statue of a watermelon) on this trip as I saw them a couple of years ago. I’ll have enough on my plate, as two fellow Lincoln aficionados raised in Illinois were quick to tell me today when I showed them my map. I won’t even be going to Chicago itself (though I’ll be on its outskirts); that will be a separate trip where I fly in for a few days.

Besides the debate sites and the miscellaneous statues I have two other focused locations I am specifically targeting. One is Rock Island (Illinois) and Davenport (Iowa) right across the river. This is the spot where the famous Effie Afton case occurred. The Effie Afton was a steamboat that accidentally on purpose ran into the newly built railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River. The steamboat caught fire and both it and the bridge were severely damaged. Afterwards, the steamboat company sued the railroads for putting up an obstruction. I won’t give away the ending, but Lincoln played a key role in the lawsuit. A large statue was added to the Iowa side of the river just a few years ago.

The second targeted area is the Illinois and Michigan Canal towns. As part of its internal improvement program, the state legislature agreed to fund many infrastructure projects, including a canal from Lake Michigan in Chicago to the beginning of navigable Illinois River. Doing so would increase commerce by connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf. In large part the I&M Canal is why Chicago grew from a tiny village to a thriving metropolis so fast. Lincoln played a large role in making the canal happen. Today there are few parts that still exist, but several towns along the route have canal-related activities and monuments.

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join in a special Lincoln-Douglas debate reenactment in Freeport. George Buss and Tim Connors play Lincoln and Douglas and will perform a unique variation on the debates while I’m there. I’ve known George for many years and met Tim earlier this year when they did their debate at the National Archives in Washington, DC. I’m looking forward to seeing them again.

I’ll post as much as I can from the road, so stay tuned to this spot for updates.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln Moves to Indiana – Ferry Crossing and Grandview

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As I continue my tour of Abraham Lincoln’s early life (see Chasing Abraham Lincoln and scroll down for several articles), I follow Lincoln’s path across the river into Indiana. Okay, technically I didn’t follow his exact path because 1) it’s not entirely known for sure where he crossed, and 2) there is no longer a ferry. But soon after driving over the modern bridge I came across Lincoln Ferry Park.

As parks go I can safely say this one appeals mostly to Lincoln buffs. It consists of a small parking lot and a picnic shelter, both of which have seen better days. On the day I arrived the shelter was occupied by a sleeping homeless man and his menacingly large bulldog. Nestled alongside the small Anderson River, a merely creek compared to the massive Ohio River into which it flows, the park offers Lincolnophiles a glimpse at the river where Lincoln once worked as a hired hand to James Taylor. Lincoln did basic farm work, butchered hogs, and operated Taylor’s ferry. It was also here that Lincoln earned his first dollar by rowing two men out to a steamer in the middle of the Ohio River. [It was also his first court case; he was sued by a ferry owner on the Kentucky side. Lincoln won the case.]

Finding a cache of recently dead fish behind a tree, and with the shelter inhabitant waking up to something out of a Stephen King novel, I decided to drive along the river to Grandview. This is where the Lincoln’s actually first touched down in Indiana.

Grandview was simply known as Sandy Creek Landing at the time. Long-term reconstruction of the state road forced me into a long detour, but eventually I found my way to the location. And there it was. Here the seven-year-old Abraham, his sister Sarah, and parents Thomas and Nancy were ferried across from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River to Indiana.

Again, there wasn’t much there. A historical marker on a pole told me this is where they crossed, and that was pretty much it. Today the site is a working boat ramp, but you can get a feel for the width of the Ohio River they had to cross.

From here I was on to Rockport, Indiana, where I met four of the nicest ladies of uncertain age you can imagine. More on that in the next post.

If you missed them, follow this link and scroll down to see previous Chasing Abraham Lincoln articles.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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A Shrine for Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace

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Part 1 of my Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour (click and scroll for several articles) took me to Lincoln’s birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky. My last piece highlighted the museum and statues in downtown Hodgenville itself; today we visit Lincoln’s birthplace.

“My earliest recollection…is of the Knob Creek place.” – Abraham Lincoln

We’ll get to Lincoln’s actual birthplace in a moment, but my route first took me past the Knob Creek Farm to which the Lincoln’s moved when Abraham was just a toddler. Today it’s a unit of the Birthplace National Historical Park. Not much is there these days; even the inn was boarded up and a sign warned against a growing nest of wasps. But there is a field where the farm stood, plus a log cabin and a 2-3 hour hiking trail. The cabin is actually that of the Gollaher family, moved here from a few miles away. Nearby is Knob Creek where Austin Gollaher had saved Lincoln from drowning. Presumably the spot where that happened was a distance away as the spot near the farm is barely deep enough to wet your shoes.

Moving on from Knob Creek, and passing through Hodgenville, you eventually come to Lincoln’s birthplace at the Sinking Spring farm. Here on February 12, 1809 the future president and martyr would join his older sister and parents in this world. Today the site is a bit surreal. After touring the grandparents cabin and other rustic sites, the birthplace is like something out of ancient Greece. In fact, it is the Greek style temple that first captures your eye.

There are 56 steps leading up to the temple, one for each year of his life. It’s hard not to think of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. as you walk up the steps. That’s on purpose. For Lincoln buffs, entering the building is like entering a shrine. Therein stands the symbolic birthplace cabin. The real deal. Well, sort of.

It’s a long story but basically the budding park service purchased the logs of what was believed to be Lincoln’s birthplace cabin. An entrepreneur had been touring the United States a year after the assassination with a cabin he claimed to be the Lincolns’. He also had a second cabin he claimed to be that of Jefferson Davis. Putting the logs together at each stop, the guy made a fortune displaying the birthplaces of the two Civil War presidents. Of course, this story wasn’t known by the park service when they bought the logs, which had been stored in a warehouse for decades. It was only after they started putting them together that they realized they had too many windows, too many doors, and too many logs. Some research led to the discovery of its history.

Hence the “symbolic” designation. Some purists insisted the cabin couldn’t be called the original birthplace because, well, it wasn’t. Recent tests on some of the logs show they were cut sometime in the 1850s or 60s, too late to have been the cabin in 1809. The park service used the best logs of the “two-cabins-worth” they had at their disposal and settled on “symbolic” as the best description for a trimmed down version of the cabin that fit in their temple. To be honest, the lack of original cabin shouldn’t be a surprise. The Lincoln’s moved several times and most likely they would have used some of the logs and hewn boards as materials for wagons and for firewood as they prepared to leave.

One of the best parts of touring to these sites is the personal contact with knowledgeable people. I mostly had the cabin to myself and spent some time chatting with William Ozment, the park ranger on duty. Through him I learned first-hand about the history of the cabin, its construction (including the use of straw or horse hair to strengthen the daubing mud, much like rebar in concrete), and even the kinds of logs used for walls and roofing shingles. This information will be in my next book.

There are two other spots in the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park you must visit. One is Sinking Spring itself, which still exists. A short walk down narrow steps at the base of the memorial shrine takes you to a tiny waterfall leaking over the side of a small depression. Here is where the Lincoln’s got their water. Not far away is the site of the boundary oak, a huge oak tree that sat on the western edge of the farm. Probably 25-30 years old at the time of Lincoln’s birth, it remained until its death in 1976. Eventually cut down in 1986, there isn’t much left to see, but it’s worth the short walk into the woods nonetheless.

Of course, there is also a small museum, gift shop, and theater. Take the 12 minutes to watch the introductory movie and check out the historical displays. Look at the map showing the amount of industrialization in the North and the percent slave population in the South (e.g., South Carolina and Mississippi had more slaves than white people, and other states are close to 50%, hence why the South wanted to protect and expand slavery). In the lobby there is a statue featuring the Lincoln family – parents Thomas and Nancy, sister Sarah, and the young Abe.

Abraham Lincoln BirthplaceLike the Lincolns, my Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour (Part 1) takes me next into Indiana and the farm where Lincoln spent the next 11 of his most formative years. Alas, it’s also where he lost both his mother and his sister to eternity. Stay tuned.

If you missed them, follow this link and scroll down to see previous Chasing Abraham Lincoln articles.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln Book Reviewed in Civil War Times Magazine

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Lincoln: The Man Who Saved AmericaMy book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, has been reviewed in Civil War Times magazine. Civil War Times is the “go-to” magazine for Civil War enthusiasts, and with a circulation of over 100,000, it’s the Number 1 magazine in its category. They also have a wide-ranging online presence. I’m a long-time subscriber myself. Each issue has maybe four books reviewed, so getting a review is a big deal.

Which is why I was happy to see in the August 2018 issue a review of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America by one of the nation’s preeminent Lincoln scholars, Jonathan W. White, author of several books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (several of which are on my shelf).

Jonathan White review of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved AmericaAdmittedly, the review is a little hard to find, as I discussed in this article. You can pick up a copy at newsstands or check it out at your local library, then go straight to Page 69.

As you can see, the review is quite positive. White notes that the book “succeeds admirably” in reaching out to a broader audience, which was the goal of the book. He highlights the graphics (“paintings, lithographs, newspaper prints, cartes de visite, tintypes, maps, documents, and mid-20th-century comics”) and says that the writing style “should engage readers.”

The book has enjoyed great success and the second printing is already in Barnes and Noble stores nationwide. My earlier books on Tesla and Edison have been translated into several foreign languages so I’m expecting the same shortly for Lincoln.

This isn’t the only honor Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America has received. Late last year it was nominated for the Abraham Lincoln Institute book award (losing out to famed Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine), and recently was nominated for the 2018 Lincoln Group of New York’s Achievement Award. It was also the overwhelming choice as the first book to be reviewed on the Railsplitter Podcast program (three episodes) and recently was selected as resource material for the LEAD: Spirit of Lincoln Youth Leadership Academy program in Springfield, Illinois.

You could say I’m very happy with the reception the book has received from the general public and Lincoln scholars alike.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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The Forgotten Hodgenville, Kentucky – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace

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Hodgenville, Kentucky is where Lincoln was born, though the town seems forgotten by all by die-hard Lincolnophiles (call it a guilty pleasure). As I wrote in my book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America:

When Nancy was heavily pregnant with Abraham, Thomas moved to Sinking Spring Farm, a 300-acre tract near Hodgenville, Kentucky, named after a spring bubbling up from a sunken cave. He quickly erected a one-room log cabin, barely in time for Abraham’s birth on February 12, 1809. The Lincoln family likely believed this would be an ideal location to raise their growing family, as it had plenty of acreage and was only a few miles from Nancy’s aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and Thomas Sparrow.

Within two years, however, the Lincolns were on the move again. While initially idyllic, Sinking Spring turned out to be poor farmland and subject to a legal dispute over the title. After losing his land and his investment, Thomas sought to restart by purchasing 230 acres of land about ten miles away at Knob Creek Farm. Here Thomas was his most prosperous as a Kentucky farmer.

Both the Sinking Spring and Knob Creek farms are now part of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park run by the National Park Service. Both are well-visited and I’ll talk more about them later. Today we focus on the town of Hodgenville itself, which virtually everyone passes through on the road between the two farm sites, but too few stop in. That’s a mistake.

Hodgenville, which was originally simply Hodgen’s Mill, is tiny. It’s 3000 or so residents are squeezed into an area less than 2 square miles. From a visitor’s point of view it consists of a traffic circle surrounded by buildings sporting the Lincoln name. One of those buildings is the Lincoln Museum and it is not to be missed. The main part of the museum is a series of life-size wax figure vignettes of Lincoln’s life. Here you’ll find him growing up in the log cabin, tending a general store, making his name as the railsplitter, courting Mary Todd, preparing bills as a congressman, debating Steven A. Douglas, having his photo taken by Matthew Brady with Tad, being sworn in at his second inaugural, and after a quick look at Grant and Lee at Appomattox, relaxing on that fateful night at Ford’s Theatre. Photos of the scenes are in the slide show below.

Upstairs in the museum you’ll find period clothing, furniture, accessories, and a wonderful art gallery. Back on the main floor is a gift shop filled with souvenirs and books.

After visiting the museum, look both ways (and down the side streets), then hop over to the center of the traffic circle. Here you’ll find not one but two statues of Abraham Lincoln. The first one you’ll notice is a traditional seated Lincoln in all his presidential grandeur. Sculpted by Adolph A. Weinman as part of the centennial celebrations of Lincoln’s life, it was dedicated on March 31, 1909.

Facing it on the opposite side of the circle is a much more recent addition. Dedicated on March 31, 2008, the small bronze shows a youthful Lincoln with his dog “Honey.” Created by the Daub-Firmin-Hendrickson Sculpture Group, it represents Lincoln as he would have appeared shortly before leaving Kentucky for Indiana.

If you missed them, check out my previous posts from my Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour. Much more to come so check back regularly.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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