Lincoln honored at historical society gala

Milford - The Pike County Historical Society will devote its annual membership gala to a special presentation that honors Abraham Lincoln. “Our meeting will celebrate the greatness of Abraham Lincoln and the ten year anniversary of our prize artifact—the Lincoln Flag—which made news around the world in 1996,” said Richard Daddis, president of the Society. Ten years ago this June, the Associated Press and major news media across the country carried a news story announcing that a group of distinguished Lincoln scholars had concluded that the 36-star American Flag, long held in the collection of the Pike County Historical Society, had indeed originated in Ford’s Theatre the night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and is still stained with his blood. The story was carried around the world. The flag’s most ardent supporter, Joseph Garrera of Fredon, New Jersey, was the subject of news headlines that were carried by the London based BBC Worldwide Radio, the Times of London, the worldwide cable news network CNN, and the world press. The annual Gala of the Society will commemorate that seminal event on Friday evening, June 23 when Garrera, a nationally known authority on Lincoln presents the keynote lecture titled: Abraham Lincoln’s Transformation of America. Garrera is the Executive Director of the new 30,000 square-foot Lehigh Valley Heritage Center and Museum in Allentown. He is in his eighth year as president of The Lincoln Group of New York, a distinguished society of Lincoln scholars. He also serves on the board of the Lincoln Forum and in 2005 was appointed to the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Advisory Committee in Washington, DC. The Gala is open to the public and will be held at the Mt. Haven Country Resort in Milford. For reservation information, contact the society at 570-296-8126 or by visiting their website at www.pikehistory.org.