Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Baltimore presents all types of learning opportunities and the Village Learning Center is one of the avenues.

I arrived at the Village Learning Center around 17:00 for a 19:00 presentation because I had the wrong time on my calendar. It was great seeing Michael McPhatter again. We worked together at the General Wolfe School for the Y of Central Maryland. I also signed up for a library card and I used their computer while waiting for the program to begin. This was done when I returned after doing some shopping in the area.

The Village Learning Center has quite an array of programs. I did not see the garden out back because it was dark. But I was impressed with what I did see. As far as I know, when one uses the computers, there is no restriction against playing games. Thus, when I am there I can work on my chess skills.

Jeff Levy gave a presentation on the cottage where President Lincoln lived during the summer. The presentation was excellent and it made us aware of some of the problems that people faced every day 150 years ago.

Here are my notes. They are rough and I will appreciate any corrections.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Phyllis: A part of the reason for the Village Learning Center is to have a meeting place where people can meet their neighbors. This is the second “Second Wednesday.” It is free. There is lots of food. We are always interested in new ideas. This is our third year. In warmer weather we will be having many of these program sin the garden behind the library.

We are talking about President Lincoln’s summer cottage. We will talk about the architect and history and his family life.

Jeff Levy is presenting. He is the Presentation Manager.

President Lincoln lived there from 1862-1864.

Jeff:

This was a time when the cottage saw the personal griefs and joy of Lincoln. The cottage is a historical site. It is on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, formerly known as Soldiers’ Home. In 1973 this and three other landmarks were designated as historical landmarks. This was the last of the original three military asylum established in 1951 for disabled soldiers. The National Trust began work on a seven-year $15 million restoration. The cottage was open to the public in 2008 for the first time.

The next phase will be to establish a center for the study of Lincoln’s presidency. The only major campaign was the addition of the south porch. There were many repairs also. The south porch was entirely removed and a new porch was reconstructed to show the original design. All the stucco was removed and reapplied to the entire building. The asphalt was also removed. Windows and doors were restored.

A paint analysis was done to determine the appropriate color. All the rooms were returned to the Lincoln era lay-out. Period appropriate fixture was installed. Gas lights were removed, of course. The library is the only room in which they did a complete paint removal. They are leaving the paint in the other rooms until they can determine what it originally was.

There are very few pieces of furniture there because we don’t know what was there.

Beginning in the 1840s a architectural style was promoted. It was the unique choice of design for Washington homes. ON 3 July 1942 William Riggs presented his style. John Skirvey was his partner. He was a master brick layer, an engineer, and artist. The cottage was built three miles north of the city [at the time].

Around 1848 a section was added on the left. They thought that it was later. A carpenter found the date. The decided to write over the date with chalk.

The cottage was built for George Washington Riggs, the co-founder of Riggs Bank. He had a 256-acre property. It was sold to the Federal Government in 1861 to build a military asylum.

General Winfield Scott and Senator Jeff Davis and another person pushed legislation for this. Jefferson Davis vetoed a similar one for the Confederate States. IN 1852 the first inmates moved in. IN 1857-62 they housed a ___________ [rla or sla] list of combined members and officers.

Andrew Jackson Dainey wrote the architect of Country Homes. Lincoln moved in there in July 1862. His son died of typhoid just a few months earlier. His wife Mary could not carry on the duties of the first lady. In April a radical Republican fled [or flood] the ___________ [meas] in DC. In July 1882 there was a second _________ [kfskj]. Lincoln did not believe in slavery but he also did not believe that the Constitution allowed him to bother where it already exists. He also did not believe that blacks were equal to whites. He did not want to go against the constitution and he did not want to go against the four northern states where slavery was practiced.

On 22 July 1862 he presented his first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet. It was decided to announce it after a significant victory. On 1 June 1863 he signed it into law.

Between November 1862 and June 1863 he went through four generals: McClellan, Bassminde, Hardr, and Meade. A victory at Vicksburg gave the Union control of the area around the Mississippi.

The first military draft was in 1863. Most of the draftees in New York City were poor Irish immigrants. There was a riot. Blacks found outside were beaten to death and a black ________ [prfsz?] was burned. In August 1863 Lincoln met with Frederick Douglas and he agrred to help him with ____________ [rk-].

In the summer of 1864 we saw more victories on the battle field. In the summer of 1864 Lincoln rode out to Fort Stevens for a battle. He was in the fort when it was first attacked. A soldier ordered him to get down or he would hav ehis head knocked off.

Evenings and weekends were spent at the cottage. In those days almost any one could and did walk up to the front door and asked to see the president. Lincoln was well known for his story telling. He found comrades with the soldiers in the home. He continued working at the White House while living at the cottage. His major commute would take him 30 minutes and he often went unescorted. In 1863 24,000 arrests, more than three times in Brooklyn, three times its size. There were at least 450 whore houses and 5,000 prostitutes in Washington. His staff was worried about his safety. Lincoln did not see the need for this. He was more afraid of being shot by accident than any attempt on his life.

Walt Whitman was impressed by Lincoln, but not by the soldiers guarding him.

Lincoln was last seen at the cottage on 13 April 1865.

The tours of the cottage are guided tours. The director of the Lincoln cottage lives there and so do some of the staff. Soldiers’ Home is an active retirement home. You are not allowed to go out and walk around the grounds.

DC was a hot, muggy place in which to live during the summer. After the assassination Mary did not return. She went back on the train with Lincoln’s body.

One reason that he was assigned a guard is that there was an attempt on his life and the person hit the top hat. When he returned home, a guard noticed that he was not wearing the hat and retrieved it. There was a bullet in it. Lincoln told the guard not to tell his wife.

The 1850s were pretty early for gas lighting which is up in there. They have not found the out house. The Lincolns had a staff to cook for them. There are inventories that were taken when furniture was moved. It is in the records that it was plainly furnished.

Before he was assassinated there were attempts to capture him and take him to Richmond. There were people along the road but he did not take that route those days.

Lincoln drafted the early version of the Emancipation Proclamation at the cottage.