Dr. Martha Hodes, Professor of History at New York University and author of Mourning Lincoln, will be the keynote speaker at the 2019 Gala Dinner of the Lincoln Society in Peekskill on Saturday, April 13th.
Her book was awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History in 2016.
The event will take place at Victoria’s on the Lake, 489 E Main Street in Jefferson Valley (formerly Ceola Manor). Hodes is a national authority on how Lincoln was mourned by everyday Americans, using 19th century letters and diaries.
The event will mark the 116th anniversary of the founding of the organization, one of the oldest Lincoln groups in the United States. Lincoln made his only speaking stop in Westchester County to a crowd of 1,500 people at the old Peekskill railroad depot in February 1861 during the train journey to his Inauguration in Washington, DC.
Jeff Canning of Cortlandt Manor will be honored at the dinner celebration. He is the 2019 recipient of the Lincoln Society’s Chamption of History Award for his outstanding support of the history community. Canning was the long-serving president of the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society, served on the Board of Trustees of the Westchester County Historical Society, and has organized many events that celebrate the Revolutionary War heritage of northern Westchester County.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Lincoln Society dinner gala and tickets for the black tie (optional) event on April 13th can be purchased on their website that includes a PayPal link. The $100 admission ticket includes: open bar (all night), cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, dinner and dancing, and a buffet of desserts with coffee, tea and cordials. The event features a book signing station and silent auction area. Raffle tickets for a two-night stay at the famous Gettysburg Hotel in Pennsylvania will be available for purchase at the dinner event.
The 2019 dinner gala will be hosted by Lincoln Society president Theresa Knickerbocker, who currently serves as mayor of Buchanan.
The Lincoln Society in Peekskill is a non-partisan and not-for-profit historical society that is dedicated to promoting a greater awareness of the life and legacy of our 16th President.
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