Lecture

“The Lincoln Assassination – Myth and Mysteries”
The Hoover Presidential Library Museum and the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
host a lecture on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
by Dr. Blaine Houmes, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

In collaboration with the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (IALBC), the Hoover Presidential Library Museum in West Branch, Iowa, will host a lecture by Dr. Blaine Houmes, “The Lincoln Assassination – Myth and Mysteries”. The event will take place March 19, 2009, 7:00-9:00pm. Dr. Houmes’ presentation deals with the conspiracy, the assassination, medical aspects, the aftermath, and comparisons with our current war on terrorism.

Guests are encouraged to come early to enjoy the exhibit, “Collecting Lincoln: Three Collectors' Perspectives”. This exhibit will be on display until March 22, 2009. For this one-time-only event, the museum will waive admission fee. Along with the Bollinger and Hoover items on display will be some of the artifacts collected by Dr. Blaine Houmes. Dr. Houmes is a physician by profession and an active Lincoln collector. He continually is seeking out new items for his collection which numbers in the thousands. Dr. Houmes has loaned some of his prized items in this unique exhibit

The Hoover Presidential Library is located in historic West Branch just off Interstate 80 at Exit 254. The presentation will be held in the reading room.

“Iowa is proud to recognize Abraham Lincoln as being among the greatest presidents of the United States, embodying equality, freedom, and opportunity for all individuals,” said Walter Reed, Jr., IALBC chair and Director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights. Reed also is Iowa’s representative to the Governor’s Council of the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in Washington, D.C.

Iowa joined the 49 other states last year in kicking off a two-year series of state and national celebrations of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Some of Lincoln’s ties to Iowa are:

PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS – Lincoln appointed Samuel F. Miller of Keokuk to the United States Supreme Court, and James Harlan of Mt. Pleasant as U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

BRIDGE AT DAVENPORT – The First bridge across the Mississippi River, built in 1856, connected Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport and was a major breakthrough for western travel and commerce. Lincoln played a key part in a lawsuit between riverboat interests and the railroads over the bridge.

VISIT TO COUNCIL BLUFFS – TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD – Lincoln traveled to Council Bluffs in August 1859 and met with Grenville Dodge, who convinced him the transcontinental railroad should be routed through Council Bluffs.

HARLAN-LINCOLN HOUSE, MOUNT PLEASANT – Lincoln’s son, Robert, married the daughter of Iowa Sen. James Harlan, whom Lincoln appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1865. Robert and Mary Harlan wed in 1868. The family spent considerable time at Sen. Harlans’ house in Mt. Pleasant.

LINCOLN’S IOWA LAND HOLDINGS – Lincoln’s military service in the Black Hawk War of 1832 led him to assuming ownership of two tracts of land in Iowa, one in Crawford County and one in Tama County.

SPEECH AT BURLINGTON – In the midst of the legendary Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, Lincoln made a side trip to Burlington to make a political speech.
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Members of the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission include: Chair Walter Reed, Jr., Des Moines; Vice-Chair Cyndi Pederson, Des Moines; Christopher Rossi, Iowa City; Mike Miller, Des Moines; Mary Sundet-Jones, Des Moines; Rudy Simms, Des Moines; Alan Kemp, Des Moines; Grant Veeder, Waterloo; Cheryl Mullenbach, Des Moines; Pam Rees, Des Moines; Blaine Houmes, Cedar Rapids; Gary Lawson, West Des Moines; Rep. Helen Miller, Ft. Dodge; Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, Wilton; Sen. Dennis Black, Grinnell; Sen. David Johnson, Ocheyedan.

More information about the events in Iowa commemorating Lincoln’s life and legacy can be found online at www.iowalincoln200.org and information regarding the National ALBC is available at www.lincolnbicentennial.gov. The Hoover Presidential Library and Museum website is www.hoover.archives.gov