Sampler Series: William Herndon, the Man Who Knew Lincoln
Office closed April 3 for Good Friday
Sampler Lectures - April 14 and 28
2015 Historical Society Sampler Lecture Series:
individual programs $10.
Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. – “The Man Who Knew Lincoln.” The Historical Society is partnering with the McHenry County Civil War Roundtable to bring Abraham Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, to the McHenry County Historical Society museum. After his friend’s death, Herndon (portrayed by Ron Halversen of the Kenosha Civil War Museum), undertook the enormous task of writing Lincoln's biography. The performance portrays Herndon after he conducted all his research on Lincoln. Much of the information he gathered came courtesy of Lincoln’s friends and family. Herndon discovered Lincoln’s earliest speeches, about navigating rivers, and an account of young Lincoln’s distain for slavery. After stumbling into a slave market during a boat trip to New Orleans, Lincoln vowed to abolish the practice should he ever get the chance.
Tuesday, April 28, at 3 p.m. – “The Journey to Mollie's War: WACS and World War II.” Speaker Cyndee Schaffer’s mother served overseas in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. This program details Mollie Weinsteini Schaffer’s experiences from basic training in Florida in October 1943 to the dramatic moment when the Statue of Liberty came into view upon her return in November 1945. It traces the footsteps of the women who served in Europe, following her and her fellow WACs who were stationed in London, England, before D-Day and during the post-D-Day German buzz bomb attacks. WACs were the first women other than nurses to serve overseas in World War II.
