Sweet Briar president will give 41st consecutive Lincoln lecture

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Staff Writer

Sweet Briar College President Phillip C. Stone will mark Abraham Lincoln’s birthday with his 41st annual lecture at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, in the Lincoln Family Cemetery in Rockingham County near Harrisonburg.

Stone, a noted Lincoln scholar and founder of the Lincoln Society of Virginia, will commemorate the life of the nation’s 16th president and call attention to his local family ties. Lincoln’s great grandparents, grandparents and father all lived in the Shenandoah Valley community. Five generations of Lincolns are buried in the family cemetery.

Each year since 1976, Stone has presented a program about the family’s Virginia connections and some aspect of Lincoln’s life or presidency. The program is free and open to the public.

The site is on State Route 42, approximately 6 miles north of Harrisonburg. Parking is available. The cemetery is located about 200 yards from the parking area. Warm clothing and good walking shoes are recommended.