David J. Kent's Blog

When Lincoln Spoke at Tremont Temple in Boston

Congressman Abraham Lincoln traveled to Massachusetts in 1848 to campaign for Zachary Taylor. The last stop on his two-week itinerary was Tremont Temple in Boston. There he would meet the man who became his most important political collaborator – and rival – William Seward. I thought of the Tremont Temple recently... Continue reading

The Big Reveal – Cover Art for Lincoln in New England

In my last post I teased “the big reveal,” the cover for my new book, Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours. The time has come for that reveal. As I mentioned, the cover is brilliantly colored. And it has a picture of Lincoln on it! Okay,... Continue reading

Of Abraham Lincoln Statues and Lincoln in New England Cover Reveals

How time flies! The list of Lincoln statues grows, I get interviewed for a documentary, more tasks accumulate, and the big Lincoln in New England cover reveal nears. And that’s just in the last week. Let’s start with the new Abraham Lincoln statue. Yesterday, September 22, on the anniversary of... Continue reading

Turn Right at Machu Picchu, Plus Galapagos

I finally made it to Machu Picchu! I had planned to go back in 2016, but that trip got punted in favor of a trip to Serbia instead (which I documented here). No problem, I thought. I’ll schedule it for the next year. That didn’t happen (I went to South... Continue reading

Lincoln in New England – The Two Forgotten Tours

Abraham Lincoln made two tours of New England. The first trip changed him. The second trip changed the country and sent us into Civil War. In 1848, Lincoln was a first-term US congressman. He had been a Whig Party leader in Illinois, but he was largely unknown in the influential... Continue reading

Lincoln in Hingham, New England (and Hingham, old England)

There stands a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Hingham, Massachusetts, New England. It’s immediately across the street from the Samuel Lincoln house. In Hingham, England, United Kingdom there is also a statue of Lincoln. But why? And who was Samuel Lincoln? The original Samuel was an Englishman who left his... Continue reading

Abraham Lincoln’s Connections to Edinburgh, Scotland

Abraham Lincoln never traveled outside the United States other than a few hours on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. While he had planned to after his presidency, he never traveled overseas. He definitely never went to Edinburgh or anywhere else in Scotland. And yet, Edinburgh has not only a... Continue reading

Update – Lincoln in New England Book Gets a New Title

Back in May I announced that I submitted the final manuscript for my new book about Lincoln’s two tours of New England. As the production process proceeds, I’ve been working with the editors to fine-tune the book. Most of that sausage-making is behind the scenes and won’t be noticeable to... Continue reading

In Search of Lincoln and Tad in Richmond (and Jeff Davis too)

The American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia once had a statue depicting Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad sitting on a park bench. As of this writing it is no longer there, and hasn’t been since 2023. So, where is it? I discussed Lincoln’s trip into Richmond in a... Continue reading

Lincoln is Nominated for Vice President. Wait, What?

Abraham Lincoln is best known as the sixteenth President of the United States, long before the POTUS acronym was invented. He was elected in November 1860 and by the time he was inaugurated in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded, with four more joining them just over a month... Continue reading