Kentucky Historical Society
Mary Todd Lincoln is the Focus of December Programs at KHS

Kentucky native Mary Todd Lincoln will be the focus of several programs in December at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort.

Programs include “A Silent Cry: Mary Todd Lincoln’s Last Days,” a Brown Bag History discussion featuring historian Randolph Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth will discuss the hardships Mrs. Lincoln endured after her husband’s death.  The discussion is free and will take place at noon on Wednesday, December 3. For more information, contact Erica Harvey at 502-564-1792, ext. 4461.

In addition, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) Museum Theatre team will offer live performances of Back to the Bluegrass: Mary Todd Comes Home, a play about how the educated woman coped with the tensions of being Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. This Museum Theatre performance is free with admission to the museum and will take place at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout December. For more information about the play, contact Greg Hardison at 502-564-1792, ext. 4454.

If fashion is your cup of tea, join KHS for lunch and a discussion of Mrs. Lincoln’s wardrobe at noon on Wednesday, December 10. The event, “Fashionable First Lady: The Victorian Wardrobe of Mary Lincoln,” is part of the Society’s Tea Time Tour program. Tea Time Tour events occur monthly and provide patrons the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon tea and insightful and historically relevant discussions. At this month’s program, Donna McCreary, author of Lincoln’s Table, will provide commentary on Mrs. Lincoln’s fashion sense and lend insight into the former first lady’s personality.

Tickets for “Fashionable First Lady: The Victorian Wardrobe of Mary Lincoln,” which include lunch and beverages, must be purchased by December 5 and are $18 for KHS members and $23 for all other patrons.  For more information, contact Julia Curry at 502-564-1792, ext.4414.

While you’re learning more about Mrs. Lincoln, make time to also visit the state’s signature exhibition in honor of the Lincoln bicentennial, Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln. Beyond the Log Cabin is now on display at the Center for Kentucky History.

To find out more about these and other Kentucky Historical Society events, visit the Web site at www.history.ky.gov.