“Lincoln and the Election of 1864”

The Auglaize County Historical Society will host the presentation “Lincoln and the Election of 1864” with Professor Dr. Brian Dirck on Thursday, October 3, 7 pm, at the St. Marys Community Public Library, Chestnut Street, St. Marys. The event is free and open to the public and is presented in conjunction with the traveling exhibit “One Life: The Mask of Lincoln” now touring throughout Auglaize County.    The Smithsonian Institution-created exhibit will be on display at the St. Marys Library during the week of September 30.

Brian Dirck is a Professor of History at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Holding a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas, Dirck’s scholarship has focused on the American Civil War era, in particular, the life and career of Abraham Lincoln. His first book, Lincoln and Davis: Imagining America, 1809-1865, analyzed the two Civil War presidents. He has since published Lincoln the Lawyer, a study of Lincoln’s legal career which received the Barondess Award from the New York Civil War Roundtable as the best book on Abraham Lincoln published in 2007.

In 2012 Dirck released two books, Lincoln and the Constitution, and Abraham Lincoln and White America. Lincoln and Indiana, his study of Lincoln’s childhood years, received an Award of Achievement from the Illinois State Historical Society. In February 2019 he released The Black Heavens: Abraham Lincoln and Death, which examines the various ways in which Lincoln encountered death and mourning throughout his life and career. Dirck is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, and has taught courses in U.S. history at the University of Tokyo and Kyoritsu Women’s University.

States Historical Society director Rachel Barber, “Professor Dirck is a fascinating and engaging speaker, and we always enjoy his visits to Auglaize County. We know that many area residents will want to join us on October 3.”  Dr. Dirck’s visit and the traveling exhibit are made possible, in part, through the support of the Midwest Electric Community Connection Fund.

ABOUT THE AUGLAIZE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Founded in 1963, the Auglaize County Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Auglaize County, enriching lives by connecting people and communities to the past and to each other.

For more information, please contact auglaizecountyhistory@bright.net or 419/738-9328. The Auglaize County Historical Society is also on Facebook.