Tag: Abraham Lincoln

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Visiting Sarah Lincoln – Lincoln State Park, Indiana

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Lincoln State Park, Lincoln City, IndianaDirectly across the road from the Lincoln Boyhood National Monument in the aptly named Lincoln City, Indiana is Lincoln State Park. I paid the $9 out of state entrance fee and went to visit with Sarah Lincoln, Abraham’s sister.

Sarah was born two years and two days before Abraham. Their younger sibling, Thomas Jr., died a few days after his birth, so Abraham always looked up to and cherished his older sister, especially after their mother died and Sarah became for a time the woman of the family at age eleven. Sarah married Aaron Grigsby when she was eighteen, but died during childbirth a year and half later. 

So my visit was to see Sarah’s grave. Winding through the wood-lined roads of the State Park I found the Little Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church where the family attended services. Abraham served as church sexton, responsible for maintaining the church property, ringing the bell for services, and digging graves. Behind the church is Old Pigeon Cemetery, which holds the final resting place for many of the first families of the Little Pigeon Creek settlement. Sarah’s gravestone was one of the first in the cemetery, and one of the most prominent. It’s certainly one of the cleanest, maintained pristine for Lincoln pilgrims, who often leave pennies – featuring Abraham Lincoln’s profile – on the relief flower bough that adorns the center of the stone.

Lincoln State Park, Lincoln City, Indiana

Her husband Aaron Grigsby’s gravestone is there too. In contrast to Sarah’s, Aaron’s stone is a small obelisk darkened by age and lack of maintenance. I suppose the reflects their relative positions in American history.

On my way out of the park I stopped at an area I had spied on the way in listed rather unhelpfully as the “Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza.” The plaza was dedicated in 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. From the parking lot all you can see is trees, but as you follow the short path you suddenly find yourself viewing a small plaza with a semi-circular stone monument. With help from the ample signage, you realize that the roughened portions of the stone in front of you represents Abraham’s height for each of the fourteen formative years he lived in Indiana.

Around the back is another surprise. What seems like a circular monument on one side turns out to be only half a circle. The back side features a half statue of Lincoln in front of a wall engraved with the Gettysburg Address and the proration from his Second Inaugural Speech. On the statue’s base, the sculptor, Will Clark, explains the positioning of the hands:

Lincoln’s closed left hand symbolizes his desire to hold the Union together, and his open right hand symbolizes his desire for a strong, positive, post-war reconciliation with the South.

There is more to see in Lincoln State Park, including a Lincoln amphitheater and other areas related to Lincoln. After the park, I headed north. Tomorrow would be a research day in the library. More on that next. Meanwhile, for more on my Chasing Abraham Lincoln travels, follow the link and scroll down.

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 and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World 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 Boyhood National Memorial – Going Back in Time

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Lincoln Boyhood National MemorialDuring my Chasing Abraham Lincoln road trips this summer I covered areas where Lincoln was born, raised, became an adult, and debated the politics of the day. My last stop was in Rockport, Indiana. Today I move on to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana. This stop was truly going back in time.

The site, run by the National Park Service, consists of two distinct areas connected by a large wooded area lined with hiking trails. When you first enter the site you find a large curved memorial building. Inside is the park service information center, some informative museum displays, a tiny store, and a small theater where they show a historical movie of Lincoln’s boyhood in Indiana. The outside of the building is covered from end to end with a series of sculptured relief panels by E.H. Daniels marking important periods in Lincoln’s life. Selected quotes from Lincoln are also carved into the building.

Lincoln Boyhood National MemorialFrom here there is a short walk up a landscaped tree-line allee to the gravesite of Nancy Hanks Lincoln designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. Lincoln’s mother had died in 1818 of what was called “milk sickness,” later to be associated with cows eating the toxic white snakeroot plant. Her grave remained unmarked until a permanent marker was erected in 1879.

From here another short walk through the woods takes you to the Lincoln cabin site memorial. Researchers located and marked the site in 1917; another nineteen years passed before the State of Indiana excavated the site and found the remains of sill logs and a stone hearth. A bronze casting was created to fit the outline of the cabin’s foundation and that is what visitors can now see. Ironically, the Lincoln’s never actually lived in the cabin. This would have been the third cabin built by Thomas Lincoln and his family, but before it was completely he abruptly decided to leave Indiana and move to Illinois. The cabin was never finished.

Next is the second part of the two distinct areas – the Living Historical Farm. A log cabin, smokehouse, woodworking shed, and animal pens have been recreated and rangers dressed in period clothing perform a variety of activities typical of daily life during the time the Lincoln’s lived there. I spoke with several of the period performers who explained the ins and outs of life on the frontier farm. I learned that various tubers and squash are stored in the attic or buried, that candles could be made either from bee’s wax or rendered beef fat, and that mattresses were made from burlap bags filled with leaves or horsehair (or in some cases, wool). One man explained how pork was cured in the smokehouse; another showed me how various farm tools and furniture were made in the woodworking shed.

But I wasn’t finished. One of the many highlights is a walking trail called the “Trail of Twelve Stones.” It begins near the Living Historical Farm and winds through the forest, ending eventually near the pioneer cemetery. Along the trail you’ll encounter a series of twelve stones that have some significance to Lincoln’s life, all transported to this location and set with small bronze plaques explaining their significance. For example, there is a stone from Lincoln’s birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Another stone comes from the foundation of the Berry-Lincoln store in New Salem. There are stones from the White House, from Mary Lincoln’s home in Kentucky, from the Lincoln Cottage, from where he delivered the Gettysburg Address, and from a variety of other sites associated with Lincoln. The final stone of the twelve is a memorial to Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln.

To cap off my visit a park ranger excitedly hurried out to my direction as I returned to the visitor center. “Look up,” he yelled, pointing at a raptor soaring above the trees. “It’s a Mississippi kite,” he explained. “Very rare here in Indiana. We have a pair nesting in the park. There’s another pair nesting in the State Park across the road.”

And with that unexpected but thrilling end to my visit at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, I hopped back in my car and headed across the road to Lincoln State Park. I had a date there with Lincoln’s sister, Sarah Lincoln Grigsby.

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 and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World 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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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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Barack and Michelle Obama at the Portrait Gallery

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Barach Obama portrait galleryYesterday I visited the Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The Gallery shares a building (once the Patent Office) with the Smithsonian American Art Museum but because it sits several blocks off the National Mall it is often overlooked by tourists and locals alike. That’s a shame because the two museums house some of the most important and relevant art to our times.

My main focus was the “America’s Presidents” section where they display the official portraits from Washington to Obama. Most paintings are traditional, with dark tones and stoic poses. That is until you get to John F. Kennedy, whose painting is more abstract and modern (especially for 1963).

John F. Kennedy portrait gallery

Presidents Carter and Reagan start a more relaxed, but still fully suited up, set of portraits. George H.W. Bush is more austere, but George W. Bush sits tie-less in a more comfortable, homey setting. Bill Clinton is the most unique (okay, bizarre) with his official portrait, which is constructed as a mosaic of small squares with colorful inserts. Looked at from a distance it immediately looks different from the other portraits; up close it is positively peculiar.

But the most interesting was that of President Barack Obama. African-American artist Kehinde Wiley was chosen specifically for his cultural influence. Obama sits tie-less in a classical hardback chair partially embedded in a sea of leaves and flowers. The flowers have personal significance to Obama – chrysanthemums are the official flower of Chicago, the jasmine evokes Hawaii, and the African blue lilies refer to his Kenyan father. The effect is startling, which partially explains why his portrait attracted the largest crowds in the gallery.

From the presidents gallery I moved upstairs to the “Twentieth-Century Americans” hall that holds First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait. Michelle selected Amy Sherald, another African-American artist, whose unique style brings out Michelle’s blend of confidence and approachability. As with her husband, Michelle’s portrait was the star of the room.

Also in the “Twentieth-Century Americans” gallery were several other portraits of contemporaries one might not expect to see in a national gallery, including rapper/actor LL Cool J, Vietnam Wall creator Maya Lin (as a 3-D printed mini-statue), and to my surprise, ecologist E.O Wilson, an icon in my scientific field.

There is much more to see in the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, so next time you’re in Washington, DC, pull yourself off the Mall and have a visit. Not far away are also the Spy Museum, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, and Ford’s Theatre (where Lincoln was shot). All are worth a visit but so often missed by visitors who don’t stray far from the strip of Smithsonian museums between the Capitol and Washington Monument.

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.

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