News release from the Forbes House Museum
Replica of Lincoln Cabin at the Forbes House
Join the festivities for Lincoln Day 2013! There will be drills and demonstrations by the B Company 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the United States Sanitary Commission Boston Branch (the 22nd Massachusetts ladies civilian group).
A rededication ceremony will take place for the newly restored Lincoln Cabin lead by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. A commemorative, limited edition postcard, featuring historic photos of the cabin, will be distributed to visitors. First Lady Lincoln will also mingle with guests and inspect and address the troops.
Museum Educator, Giampaolo DiGregorio, will give a talk on the Emancipation Proclamation, delving into its meaning and effect on the Civil War. A special exhibit, highlighting the 1939 visit of Carl Sandburg to Forbes House, will be on view. Hot chocolate will be served in the tradition begun by Mary Bowditch Forbes in 1924. Suggested donation for Lincoln Day is $5 per family.
The FHM Lincoln Cabin was built by Dorchester native Thomas Murdock, who ventured in 1923 to Hodgenville, KY, the location of the original Lincoln birth place cabin. He obtained the exact 16 x 18 ft. specifications to build a replica in Milton. The construction was commissioned and financed by Mary Bowditch Forbes (1878- 1962), descendant of China Trade merchants, who collected President Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia for 50 years.
Upon its completion, Ms. Forbes held celebrations on an annual basis at the cabin; citizens of Milton and Greater Boston, Civil War veterans, celebrities, and local school children were invited on site for speeches. The Museum continues this tradition today, holding its annual Lincoln Day celebration every February.
The Museum held a two-day cabin restoration project in July 2012. The roof of the 1924 structure was replaced, and the chinking (red clay mortar in between the hewn logs) was repaired. Two hundred and thirty five hours of labor were contributed to the project. The volunteer team of experts included Anthony DiOrio, of Bearfort Lodge, NJ, a historic builder and expert in log cabins. DiOrio provided essential information for preservation of the cabin and construction of its new roof, and created a chinking recipe especially for use in the New England.
Debra DiFranco Andrade, right, of the US Sanitation Commission Boston Branch,
giving a presentation on 19th century attire at the 2012 Lincoln Day