The new website is divided into three main sections: Explore, Visit and Connect. A level down,History, Exhibits, Multimedia, Public Programs and Newsroom are among several blog-style pages that provide fresh content. (In addition we have standard pages on Plan a Visit, Education, Support and of course Tickets.)

We’d like to thank all of our loyal readers of this blog. It was the Cottage’s first real presence on the web, before our main website  really took off, and several years before we started our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

As always, please feel free to contact us to ask any questions or share your thoughts on our online prescence via commentating on our website, posting to social media, emailing us at LincolnsCottage@savingplaces.org, or calling us at 202-829-0436.

Thank you,

-President Lincoln’s Cottage Staff

You might be wondering why we haven’t posted much to this blog recently (our newsletter notwithstanding). It’s not because there hasn’t been plenty of Lincoln news and anniversaries. Instead, we have something exciting to announce (in addition to the fact that a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln is going to be on display in the Cottage from September 22 until February 2013!!!)

For the last two months we’ve been undertaking a complete redesign of our website, www.lincolncottage.org. The  website combines all of the wonderful content dozens of staff members have written for this blog, with a refreshing, sleek look that is easily navigable. The result is a brand-new website that will make it even easier to: explore detailed information about the history of the Cottage, plan a visit to Lincoln’s summer retreat, and connect with us to make your President Lincoln’s Cottage experience even more meaningful. (Once the site is fully live and navigable, we’re going to shut down this blog since the current site will be routinely updated with press releases, new research, event announcements and a whole lot more.)

We’re in the middle of launching the revitalized website, with the same address of http://www.lincolncottage.org. So stay tuned and bear with us as we start an exciting new chapter of President Lincoln’s Cottage’s online experience.

If you have any questions, please contact us at LCottage@savingplaces.org. Thanks!

• The Letter from the Director
• News about the Emancipation Proclamation at the Cottage
• An announcement of our First Annual Family Day
• Updates on new site rental Special Event Packages
• Information regarding scheduling class field trips at the Cottage
• The schedule for the 2012-2013 Cottage Conversations season
• Burrus M. Carnahan’s article on Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux trials
• Updates from our development department on the Cottage’s sustainable future
• News about sweet treats for sale in the online shop
• A review of Can You Walk Away?, our groundbreaking exhibit on modern slavery and human trafficking from Former First Lady Laura Bush

Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Trials: Page One

Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Trials: Page Two

Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Trials: Page Three

Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Trials: Page Four

Lincoln and the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Trials: Footnotes

As we move through the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, 2012 has already seen the anniversary of the bloodbath at Shiloh, and of the meat-grinder known as the Seven Days Battles. This fall, Antietam and Fredericksburg will effect commemorations worthy of the soldiers who fought and died there 150 years ago. Inextricably linked to the events at Antietam and Fredericksburg will be the commemoration of Emancipation, as Antietam provided the victory Lincoln needed to announce his proclamation to the public, while the disaster at Fredericksburg led many to wonder if Lincoln would follow through with his redefinition of the war. Amid all the celebration and thoughtful reflection, the anniversary of Lincoln’s first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet on July 22^nd should not be overlooked. Although it marked neither the beginning, nor the end, of a profound revolution in American society, it was nonetheless a critical moment in the translation of slave agency into federal emancipation policy.

As we pause to remember what this mid-summer moment meant for the slaves still toiling on Southern fields, for the soldiers who would provide much of the Emancipations Proclamation enforcement, and for generations who struggled with the meaning of freedom in the war of the Civil War, let us also reflect on why Soldier’s Home proved so critical to the Emancipation saga. Gaining a respite from the crush of office seekers and social obligations of the White House, while enjoying the cool hillside breezes gave Lincoln the opportunity during those critical summer months of 1862 to fully consider the breadth, scope, and ultimately, the entire meaning of the Union war effort. Consequently, as you (hopefully) visit our site this weekend, this summer, or even this year, take a moment to picture Lincoln wandering these same rooms and grounds exactly 150 years ago, contemplating and crafting a document that would change the nature of the Union war effort, and ultimately, the nation as a whole.

Mr. Ackerman is a Historical Interpreter at President Lincoln’s Cottage.