Mary Todd Lincoln as presented by Anne McEvoy (Living History Nights)

Join First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln on Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 PM in the library's Riverside Room as she recounts her life both before and after the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

Local musician Nick Stephens will be performing acoustic guitar tunes from 6:15 - 6:45 PM.

Anne McEvoy's living history portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln will begin at 7:00 PM. A Q & A session will follow the performance. Questions can first be asked to Ms. McEvoy as Lincoln, and then to McEvoy as herself.

Refreshments will be available for a donation from 6:00 - 6:45 PM and after the Q & A session.

If at all possible, attendees are asked to park in the gravel lot directly across from the Library on Spruce Street.

What is "Living History Nights"? Performances that bring history to life. Each night a scholar/living historian will assume the role of a notable historical figure and perform a monologue based on the life of that individual. This will be followed by an audience Q & A session with questions addressed to both the character and the scholar/living historian.

This event, presented by the Gallipolis Living History Nights Committee, is suitable for all ages and is free and open to the public.

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882): Mrs. Lincoln, as she preferred to be called, remains the subject of robust study, conflicting opinions, and imaginative speculation, as found in countless books (novels and non-fiction), films, documentaries, podcasts, and stage plays that continue to flourish. The 2022 Broadway play "Oh, Mary!" was so popular, it had to be extended. Twice!

So what IS it about this woman -- repeatedly vilified in her lifetime - that's etched her in history as so endlessly intriguing? Certainly being First Lady during the Civil War and the grieving widow of America's first assassinated president offers only a whisper of an answer. Those dramatic circumstances were beyond Mary's control. Yet they DID serve to intensify the harsh spotlight of public opinion already focused on the idiosyncratic, controversial, and often inexplicable aspects of her complicated life. Today, even as recent studies have brought new facts to the conversation, the contrasting theories, polar arguments, and unanswerable questions continue to flourish.

But what is the story Mary would tell about herself? That's a question few seem to be asking and yet it seems an equally essential one. It certainly would have been one for this brilliant woman who had experienced a lifetime of tragedy, beginning at age six when her mother died and was hastily replaced by an ill-equipped stepmother. Never at a loss for words, Mary had much to say about it all, including her opinions about the people, politics, history, and events she experienced in her lifetime. (courtesy of Anne McEvoy)

Anne McEvoy is a professional actor/director based in NE Ohio where she's performed at the Beck Center, Cleveland Play House, Dobama, Great Lakes Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, None Too Fragile - Akron, Seat of the Pants, NaCl-NY, and others, including the Contemporary Theatre of Columbus.

In 2019, she directed the world premier of Lisa Langford's Rastus and Hattie at Cleveland Public Theatre. She currently serves as Vice President of Women in History Ohio with whom she's been performing since 2000. In addition to Mary Todd Lincoln, Anne portrays 20 other characters.