Center at UIS hopes to steer Lincoln scholars to his life in Illinois

To fully embrace a historical figure like Abraham Lincoln, Anne Moseley said, you have to literally walk in his footsteps.

A prime example, said Moseley, the acting director of the Center for Lincoln Studies — which officially opens Friday — is walking into the House of Representatives at the Old State Capitol, the spot where Lincoln gave his "House Divided" speech in 1858 after he had accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination for U.S. senator.

"There is a presence you feel when you walk into (the Old State Capitol)," Moseley insisted. "To quote 'Hamilton,' 'It's the room where it happens.' Anyone who is passionate about Lincoln and passionate about studying his life and times, you have to come to Illinois in order to embrace Lincoln and understand him. That's how you make good scholarship."

The center, which is housed at the University of Illinois Springfield's Public Affairs Center, has a goal of getting researchers to look into Lincoln's life in central Illinois and "to discover the Lincoln we know and love," Moseley said.

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on Feb. 10, 2021.

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It’s a virtual grand opening for the Center for Lincoln Studies on Friday

The Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield will hold a virtual grand opening on Lincoln's Birthday Feb. 12, 2021.

WTAX's Joey McLaughlin talks with the acting director of the Center for Lincoln Studies, Anne Moseley, about the center and its virtual grand opening for the center this Friday.

The interview aired on WTAX on Feb. 9, 2021. Listen to a recording online.

Abraham Lincoln Birthday symposium to be held remotely

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of Coronavirus may speedily pass away,” said Abraham Lincoln Association President Michael Burlingame as he paraphrased the famous Lincoln quotation.

Burlingame made the statement while announcing that the annual symposium commemorating Lincoln's 212th Birthday will be held remotely this year, with the full slate of speakers available on-line.

The Symposium is named for Benjamin P. Thomas (1902-1956), the renowned Lincoln biographer and one-time Executive Secretary of The Abraham Lincoln Association. The symposium is supported by a generous gift of Thomas's daughter, Sarah Thomas, and her family to The Abraham Lincoln Association Endowment Fund. The event is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Springfield. For more information about the Abraham Lincoln Association, visit www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org.

This story appeared in the Canton Daily Ledger on January 28, 2021.

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UIS professor will be ‘invested’ in virtual ceremony Thursday

Graham Peck will be formally invested as the Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield on Thursday at 2 p.m.

The ceremony, which can be viewed on Zoom, was originally scheduled for March 19.

During the ceremony, Peck will receive a medallion that symbolizes his position as a distinguished professor. He will be entitled to wear the medallion at special university ceremonies, like commencement.

Peck will present a lecture, “Abraham Lincoln and the Making of an Antislavery Nation,” at the ceremony.

Peck is the author of the 2017 book “Making an Antislavery Nation: Lincoln, Douglas and the Battle Over Freedom” (University of Illinois Press). His scholarship focuses on antebellum American political history, and particularly on Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas and the origins of the Civil War.

A ceremony of investiture is held when an endowed chair or distinguished professor is installed. The ceremony, modeled after knighthood ceremonies, began in early English universities.

There are five other Distinguished Chairs and Professorships at UIS, including Michael Burlingame, the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies. A renowned scholar, Burlingame has published a dozen books on the life and times of Lincoln, including the award-winning two-volume biography, “Abraham Lincoln: A Life.”

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on September 19, 2020..

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UIS Sangamon Experience historic exhibition and Center for Lincoln Studies to be led by Anne Moseley

Anne Moseley has been selected to lead the University of Illinois Springfield’s new Sangamon Experience historic exhibition and Center for Lincoln Studies.

Moseley has joined today and started working as director of engagement and curator for Sangamon Experience and acting director for the Center for Lincoln Studies. Moseley is a UIS alumnus.

Sangamon Experience is a new on-campus exhibition space telling the history of the Sangamon Region of central Illinois. The Experience opened on Jan. 30, 2020 in the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS.

The Center for Lincoln Studies is expected to open later this year. That center will give new opportunities for learning about Lincoln and the impact of his contributions. “I am excited for this opportunity to help create a new way of experiencing the local history that surrounds us here in the Sangamon Valley area,” said Moseley.

Mosely was assistant director and curator of the Lincoln Heritage Museum for seven years before serving as director and curator of the Museum.

This story appeared in The Chicago Morning Star on April 13, 2020.

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