Tagged: Abraham Lincoln

On July 7, 1865, Mary Surratt became the first woman executed by the federal government when she was hanged for her role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Surratt owned the boarding house in Washington, D.C. where many of the conspirators lived and met. Her own son John was an active participant in the plot. But the depth of her involvement was as hotly debated then as it is now.

A unique collaboration allowed Illinois residents to be a part of that debate and to rewrite a small part of history, if just for the night.

Winter hats mingled with stovepipe hats at the center of a nationwide effort to honor Abraham Lincoln and set a world record.

Hundreds of people gathered Friday in Springfield to recite the speech Lincoln gave when he left for the White House. At the same time, people across the country read the speech in hope of setting a new mark for the most people to read a document aloud simultaneously.

Lincoln delivered his heartfelt goodbye exactly 150 years ago.