Central Church is delighted to be participating in the exciting events to be held during the 39th Annual Galesburg Railroad Days. All of our activities will be held on Saturday, June 25. We hope you can attend these outstanding events.
LUNCH ON THE LAWN
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Have lunch with us! Burgers and brats, sides and beverage. Seating provided. All proceeds go towards preservation of our historic building.
PRESENTATIONS
Railroading in the Prairie State
The Origin of Illinois Railroads: Failure to Triumph
Auditorium, 10:30 a.m.
Illinois Railroads in the Twentieth Century: From Profits to Despair and Renaissance, Auditorium, 1:30 p.m.
A rapid run through the colorful, surprising, and important history of the railroad industry in Illinois, from original failure to unprecedented success to near-extinction and then unexpected renaissance. Part 1 at 10:30 a.m., Part 2 at 1:30 p.m. A book signing will follow each presentation.Simon Cordery is the author of The Iron Road in the Prairie State: The Story of Illinois Railroading (Indiana University Press, 2016) and chair of the nominations committee of the National Railroad Hall of Fame.
Dr. Simon Cordery was recently named chair of the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.
Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon
South Room, 12:00 noon
Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon takes place in her Blue Room on April 4th, 1865. Mr. Lincoln and their youngest son, Tad, are at City Point, Robert, their eldest, is with General Grant in pursuit of Robert E Lee and Mary is alone in the Executive Mansion. The audience is invited to reminisce with Mrs. Lincoln about her childhood, her days in Springfield and her children as she celebrates Tad’s 12th birthday, and the end of the Civil War. Drawing from her own letters to friends, family and political figures of the era, Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon paints a picture of Mary Lincoln that is both sympathetic and truthful.
Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon is a 30 to 45 minute presentation with a question and answer period afterward.
Debra Ann Miller is a professional actress, vocalist and voice-over artist with over 30 years of experience as a performer for live audiences, television and film. Debra has balanced her career between commercial and educational theater since graduating from Michigan State University’s Department of Theater in 1981. Since 1997, she has toured the country with Michael Krebs as one of our nation’s more controversial First Ladies, Mary Todd Lincoln. In recent years she has focused on writing and producing one-woman plays in which she portrays important historical figures such as Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott and others, including Mary Todd Lincoln in “Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon.”
BUILDING TOURS
Broad Street entrance, 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
Join us for a free guided tour of the beautiful Central Congregational Church, built in 1898 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours begin on the front steps of the church.