Close to 70 people attended the first event of the year for the Greene County Historical Society at the museum in Jefferson. 

Jefferson resident Jed Magee gave a presentation on the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Wednesday was Lincoln’s 211th birthday. Magee is a resident expert on Lincoln and began the presentation about his family’s history. Lincoln grew up in poverty and lived in a one-room cabin with seven other people during some of his childhood. The last living descendant of Lincoln died in the 1980’s. Some of the facts about Lincoln that Magee shared included being the first president with a beard and the first president to be photographed. 

Greene County Historical Society Board President David John said he was impressed with the turnout and having an event that highlighted Lincoln on his birthday. He described how the planning process with their program committee led to Wednesday’s event.

“So in one of our conversations, that was the idea was to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday because in a way Highway 30 has a connection to Abraham Lincoln. So we thought it was appropriate for us to do something and acknowledge his birthday right here in Greene County.”

Magee then shared parts of his collection that he donated and is on display at the museum. At the end of the program, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”