New Cast Member

Keagan Kojo Baah joined the cast of Lincoln's Trial & Tribulations this year.  He is six years old and caught the acting bug while performing in the Wizard of Oz production at Oakland High School in the Spring of 2014.  Keagin lives in Hindsboro with his mother, Renee Fonner, who can be heard mornings on WMCI. 101.3 in Mattoon, IL.

 He plays the role of Robert Noah Bryant, the son of Jane and Anthony Bryant.  Robert was one of four of Jane's children who were imprisoned and whom the Matson Slave Trial freed. Coordinator, Renee Henry explains, "the presence of a child visually reminds the audience of how this family was going to be torn apart and Keagan does a wonderful job portraying a child who is just a pawn in a sad and serious grown-up game."


The Bryant family adults, Jane and Anthony, are portrayed by Michelle Mimms-Duchan and LeVelle Harris, who are members of Freetown Village of Indianapolis.  Freetown presents a living history of the black experience by recreating life for African-Americans in post Civil War Indianapolis. They have partnered with T & T for all six years.

Also pictured in the bottom photo are the two Oakland abolitionists who helped the Bryants: Gideon "Matt" Ashmore and Dr. Hiram Rutherford portrayed by Roger Ashmore and Kim McGee.

Final Program for 2014 Quickly Approaching

Only 18 days left before the final program for 2014?  Do you have your tickets yet?

Purchase tickets online at www.matsontrial1847.org.

We have sold twenty-five tickets for the June 29th performance.  That is half of the tickets.  You may want to get your reservations in soon.  See our homepage to order on-line or call 217-508-9113.

Auction Saturday for Five Mile House

Another event in the Charleston/Oakland area that might be of interest to people attending Lincoln's Trial & Tribulations this Saturday.  This article was in the Charleston Times Courier.

CHARLESTON (JG-TC) — A barbecue and auction at the Coles County Fairgrounds Saturday will benefit projects and programs at the Five Mile House.

The event will take place in the fairgrounds’ Merchants Building from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 and younger and can be purchased at the door.

The menu will consist of barbecue or chicken sandwiches, potato salad, green beans, dessert and drinks with take-out orders available. Items offered during the silent auction include a painting by local artist Paul Sargent, antiques, collectibles, art, household items and merchandise from local merchants.

The Big Blue Mountain Band will provide entertainment during the event.

The Five Mile House is located at the intersection of Illinois Route 130 and Hutton Road southeast of Charleston and is one of the oldest structures in Coles County.

Another Coles County Activity to do while attending T & T

 
Lincoln Log Cabin State Park is hosting a Civil War Muster the same weekend as Lincoln's Trial & Tribulations.  

By 1862 posters like this one would have been commonplace throughout the union as states sought new volunteers fill their quotas.
 
Alfred Hall, nephew to President Lincoln will answer the call and join Company I of the 123rd Illinois Infantry this coming week-end at Lincoln Log Cabin's Muster event. 

It's your opportunity to answer your countries call as well, join us for enlistments, drilling, and other activities on Saturday and Sunday, Sept 15-16 from 10-4 daily.

This is something else you could do in the morning and then go to Lincoln's Trial & Tribulations in the afternoon!

 

If you want something else to do while you are here in East Central Illinois you might consider this event.  Danville is just 1 hour and 20 minutes from Oakland.

 

 

"Behind the Tombstone" in Danville

 Doctor and Mrs. Fithian invite everyone to attend the fourth Spring Hill Cemetery tour to meet the residents.  Visitors will be meeting several individuals in the cemetery who live "Behind the Tombstone."  The grave diggers, Luther and Abigail, will be returning to this year's event.

Tour times are Friday, September 14, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  On Saturday, September 15, the tours will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the last tour at 2:00 p.m.  As a special treat, two Saturday evening tours have been added at 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.  

The following Sunday's hours are from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Tour slots are limited, so attendees are encouraged to purchase their tickets and book their favorite time slot early.  Parking will be available adjacent to the cemetery entrance on English St. in Danville, Illinois, or in the back portion of the YMCA lot on Jackson St.  A shuttle will be available to carry visitors to and from parking to the start and stop points.

Tickets can be purchased at the Vermilion County Museum Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Tickets purchased in advance are $12.00 per person.  Walk-ups are welcome the days of the event to fill any open time slots at the cost of $15.00 per person.  Proceeds from the event help to sponsor programs and events for the Vermilion County Museum and the Red Mask Players, Inc.

For more information, please call 217-442-2922

This is the overview of last year's program. Hope you will join us this year!

Did you notice our new logo for this year?  We are very excited to unveil it!  You might also have noted that we added Lincoln to the program title to make it clearer why this important.  Thanks to Rodney Ash for designing it for us.

South Mountain Expeditions Samples Trial & Tribulations

A national tour group of 20 people on the Lincoln Country tour hosted by South Mountain Expeditions visited Oakland on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 for a sampling of Trial & Tribulations.  Their guide was Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, Ed Bearss. Frank Crawford, a Rutherford descendant and a member of the tour, arranged to have the group stop in Oakland after getting a positive impression of Trial & Tribulations last September.

Oakland was included in the tour between their visits to Charleston and Springfield.  The group met Mary Corbin Matson played by Marylee McGee at Independence Pioneer Village and toured some of the cabins with Traci Montgomery, Rob and April Lee.  Then they moved downtown and met Dr. Hiram Rutherford (played by Kim McGee) and Gideon "Matt" Ashmore (Roger Ashmore in real life) in the Meeting House where the air conditioning kept everyone fairly comfortable. Following that conversation they toured the Rutherford Home and Doctor's Office with Caroline Coon, Hap, and one of their young tour guides.  Each participant was given a copy of the Souvenir Booklet produced and donated by Greg Baker.

As you can tell from the photos the event was a big success.  The group felt it was well worth the extra miles to stop in Oakland to learn about this lesser known Lincoln event.  They were all invited back to the September 17 event.

Trial & Tribulations Ends with Praises for Second Year

Thanks to dozens of members of the community, Trial & Tribulations completed its second year with praise from all quarters. From all reports and the evaluations, the consensus is that the program improved from last year.

The Lincolns, the trolley on Saturday, the meal from Lincoln Springs Resort, and the play were all different this year and were appreciated by those attending.  The highlight of the meal was the bread pudding dessert.  Words like “interesting,” “informative,” “enjoyable,” “excellent,” show up often in the evaluations to describe the interpreters, the play and historic site format.

Six schools and 168 people visited during the school tours on Friday morning.  Two hundred and thirty people enjoyed the public evening programs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Two-fifths of the audience came from Oakland-Hindsboro; another fifth from the Champaign/Urbana and Charleston/Mattoon areas; one-fifth from about a thirty mile radius; and the last fifth from all over the state including western Illinois and the Chicago suburbs.  From comments on the evaluations, it seems that there was a large number of people who returned from last year.

The program required the help of more than sixty volunteers to staff all the sites and various activities.  The support of the Oakland community was critical to its success and is much appreciated.

The event is sponsored by Independence Pioneer Village, Oakland Historical Foundation, Oakland Landmarks, Oakland Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Oakland. It is made possible in part by grants from the Ruth and Vaughn Jaenike Access to the Arts Outreach Program of the College of Arts & Humanities, Eastern Illinois University, and the Oakland-Hindsboro Foundation.  Visit the website to leave a comment on this year’s program in our guest book: www.matsontrial1847.org .

Scenes from 2010 Trial & Tribulations

School Groups Enjoy Trial & Tribulations

We had 150 students tour the two historic sites and the historical museum this morning, meeting the seven characters and touring the Rutherford Home.  One homeschooled boy was heard saying "I liked that!" as he was leaving the Lincoln's.  A couple of kids tested Mary Corbin's new found patience when they picked apples from her tree (they did discover she still has a temper- all as part of the fun of the program).  One of the teachers said he used to teach theater and that our interpreters were excellent!  The public will get to meet the same seven characters this evening from 4-8:30 p.m. and tomorrow from 2-8:30 p.m.  Tickets are still available.  And we'll be sure to tell Mary Corbin, it's o.k. to pick her apples...

Thursday Night Program Begins T & T 2010

The program went well tonight! A homey and devoted crowd that included two Rutherford descendants. The word is the dinner is wonderful - better than last year! And the play has a different feel about it, not as heavy. We had half the audience from Oakland and the rest from Decatur, Champaign and Urbana.

Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Welcomes T & T Participants

The old Oakland depot for the Pennsylvania Central Railroad has been given new life by Landmarks, Inc. to serve as the welcome center for Trial & Tribulations.  The historic building is on the north side of State Route 133 as you enter Oakland.  Participants in the program next Thursday, Friday and Saturday will park on the south side of the depot and purchase or pick up tickets to the event in the depot. 

The Welcome Center is being staffed by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce one of the sponsors of the Trial & Tribulations program.  In addition, Bill Chandler, who is a retired railroad man will be inside the depot to talk about it's history from his first-hand experience from working in it. 

Greg Baker, a member of Landmark's board of directors and publication chairman for Trial & Tribulations, has put in the lions share of the work to clean, paint, and repair the rooms so they will be ready for the public.

Independence Pioneer Village Gets Refreshed by Tennessee Group

Mt. Gilead Baptist Builders / Disaster Relief and their youth group, Example 13:15, from Tennessee were at Independence Pioneer Village this weekend to do some heavy cleaning and sprucing up. Thanks to them the village looks great! And they got to learn and practice skills they use in their mission trips while dipping into some history.

Keith Coffman, their leader notes, "We are looking for ways to teach our youth about missions and teach them some skills along the way.  I feel we accomplished that this weekend.  Most of our youth met new friends, learned a little about History, took part in something they haven't done before, got to take part in a Great Drama Presentation and had fun doing it.  Thanks again for the opportunity and for the hospitality."

The Lee Family that owns the Village is also very appreciative to have had the groups' assistance.  They were able to accomplish things like repairing a chimney and flooring in one of the cabins, cut down a large dead tree, and clean out overgrown brush.  In the family's words, "The Village looks awesome!"  It is a beautiful setting in which to meet Mary Corbin, Lucy Dupee, Jane and Anthony Bryant to hear their stories.  We will have four cabins, the general store, and the church/school open for visitors to tour during Trial & Tribulations.

Play Rehearsals Continue

The cast of 11 have been working hard with Dr. David Jorns, writer and director.  This photo was taken by Amy Rose, writer for the News-Gazette for her upcoming article.  Saturday they were able to practice for the first time with Ed Adams who is playing the new role of Frederick Douglass.

Harriet Tubman Comes to Life on Saturday

Trial & Tribulations is honored to have Kathryn Harris joining us with her presentation of Harriet Tubman on Saturday, Sept 18, at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. at Independence Pioneer Village.  While Harriet is not part of the Matson Slave Trial story, as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, she represents the only route to freedom for many slaves. This presentation compliments the Bryants story by highlighting the struggles that many other slaves endured to achieve freedom.

Harriet Tubman was born between 1820 and 1823; having been born into slavery, there are no written records of her birth. In 1849, destined for freedom, she escaped to Pennsylvania with the help of abolitionist friends. Harriet made her first trip back to the south to free other slaves just two years later.

Harriet eventually conducted numerous trips on the Underground Railroad and led some 300 people to freedom. Following the Civil War, Harriet was a part of the Freedman’s Bureau, which worked to teach former slaves to read and write, present themselves for work, and be their own masters.

Although Tubman's travels and activities didn't bring her to Illinois, she does have a connection to Abraham Lincoln. In the 1850s, Tubman was given land by William H. Seward, then the governor of New York. Seward would later become a member of Lincoln's cabinet.

About a decade ago, Harris was asked by a colleague to join in an outreach project of bringing history into the schools. So when she was approached by a colleague and asked if she would give it a try for an upcoming program, she agreed.  "I've always been a bit of a ham," Harris says.
                                              
To prepare for her portrayal, Harris read every book on Tubman she could find. She read encyclopedia entries, books about the Underground Railroad and even children's level biographies. "It became a passion," Harris said.
                                              
Phil Funkenbusch, director of the shows division at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, said Harris is a natural when it comes to her portrayal of Tubman. "It's almost like she channels her," Funkenbusch said. "She gets inside her own skin."

All told, Harris estimates she does about 30 Harriet Tubman performances a year. Along with schools, she goes to churches and civic groups. Harris explains, “My goal is to give people a better understanding of slavery and how one person can make a difference.”

Kathryn M. Harris serves as Library Services Director at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL), formerly the IL State Historical Library (ISHL), in Springfield, IL.  Harris joined the ISHL staff in 1990 as the Supervisor of Reference and Technical Services and was named ISHL Director in 1996.  With the opening of the ALPL in 2004, Harris assumed her current title.  Harris says that the highlight of her professional career was being involved in the planning and construction of the ALPLM.  

She is active in  various library and history-related organizations and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, Springfield YWCA Women of Excellence Award, the Webster Plaque and the President’s Award from the Springfield Chapter NAACP.

Harris has appeared on stage as “Sadie Delany” in local productions of “Having Our Say” and she has also portrayed “Elizabeth Keckley” in “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln”, both performances having been presented in the Union Theatre at the ALPM. 

Christian Author sheds light on Matson Slave Trial

Christian author, Robin Lee Hatcher, a descendant of Gideon Ashmore recently shared a family letter with Roger Ashmore who portrays Gideon in the upcoming Trial & Tribulations program that reveals the depth of relationship between Gideon and the Bryant family.

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family and her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet. Robin's many awards include the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian fiction and the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance.  Her blog is WriteThinking.

Roger explains, “I am always doing research on the Ashmore family and I discovered Robin’s blog where she mentioned that Gideon was her great great grandfather.” After e-mailing and contacting her on Facebook, she shared a letter written by her grandmother about the Matson Slave Trial. Her grandmother, Madge Ashmore Johnson, was a storyteller and she wrote the letter submitting this family tale for a storytelling event in which she wanted to perform.

There were several new pieces of information contained in the letter, notes Roger. According to this story, Gideon did not immediately agree to help the Bryants. After talking to a tearful Anthony, he rode to Charleston and spoke with attorney Orlando B. Ficklin to see if there was a case that could be won. Ficklin agreed that Jane and the children should be free and said he would donate his services if Gideon would cover the actual costs. They planned to have the Bryants come to Oakland and to protect them so that Matson would have to go to the law and start the legal proceedings. The Bryants also wrote to Ashmore from Liberia expressing their thanks.

Johnson mentions in the letter that the story can be corroborated in Sandburg’s and Beveridge’s published biographies of Lincoln. Several sections of the letter actually reflect the influence of these works, but the above-mentioned facts are new. There are also small errors in some details that hint at the oral recounting of the tale over three generations – from Gideon to his son Mark and then from Mark to his daughter Madge. Trial & Tribulations coordinator, Renee Henry, comments “Its like playing the party game, Telephone, what you start with usually isn’t accurately recounted at the end of the game.”

The new information will be incorporated into Roger Ashmore’s portrayal of Gideon in Trial & Tribulations: The Story of the 1847 Matson Slave Trial program that will be in Oakland on September 16, 17, and 18. The innovative event combines first-person interpretation at two Oakland historic sites, an 1847 meal, and the performance of Three Fifths of a Man, an original drama.

Cast for Play Deep Into Rehearsals

Trial & Tribulations: The Story of the 1847 Matson Slave Trial program will be in Oakland Illinois on September 16, 17, and 18.  The innovative event combines first-person interpretation at two Oakland historic sites, an 1847 meal, and the performance of Three Fifths of a Man, an original drama.

Dr. David Jorns of Oakland is the writer and director of the play. He states, “We have a great group of dedicated individuals for the play this year.”  They are all working hard to make the production memorable.

Four cast members from last year are back: Jacob Norris, Benny Lee, and Bill McBurney (all of Oakland) are recreating their roles as Lincoln, the patient, and Matson respectively.  Stefanie Borntrager, Oakland, is also returning, but has an expanded part this year as Interlocutor #1 and Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Borntrager notes, “I loved doing the play last year and had to come back. I love acting and working with Dr. Jorns.

Stefanie is also responsible for recruiting Brittany Olinger, Oakland, who is playing Interlocutor #4. “I really liked watching the play last year, and I’ve been in some of the musicals at the high school, so when Stefanie talked to me about it, I figured I’d give it a try.

Another former cast member recruited April Noel of Kansas to play Interlocutor #2 and Mary Chestnut.  In fact, their first names are the same (April Lee was the recruiter) and they’re playing the same character.

Tracy Flesner, Oakland, rounds out the females in the cast by playing Interlocutor #3 and Mary Corbin.  She is sure to give a feisty rendition of the woman who started the whole issue with her temper.

Four new men have joined the cast. David D. Biggs, of Westfield, portrays Rutherford, and his son David M. Biggs of Newman is lawyer, Orlando B. Ficklin.  Both men have had experience acting in community theater which has been helpful in preparing for these roles.  Randy Walters, Hindsboro, is taking his career talking in front of people as a minister into a new venue by taking on the characters of William Gilman and Joe Dean.  The final man is Ed Adams of Round Lake Heights in suburban Chicago.  Ed attended the program last year and has volunteered with the steering committee this year and agreed to create a new role, Frederick Douglass, for this year’s production.

Public presentations of the program are Thursday and Friday evenings from 4-8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 2:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Participants should plan to attend the entire time to take advantage of the many activities that shed light on this trial and all its participants.  Tickets are $25/person and are limited, so advance purchase is encouraged.  Groups of ten or more will receive a discounted admission price.  Call 217-508-9113 or e-mail trial.tribulations1847@gmail.com to reserve tickets.