Harold Holzer, America’s leading authority on our 16th President and a distinguished Lincoln scholar and author, will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 gala Sunday brunch of the Lincoln Society in Peekskill on Sunday, March 30. The event will focus attention on Holzer’s recent book entitled Brought Forth on This Continent. It documents the amazing story of the ethnic brigades formed by German-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and Irish-Americans who volunteered to fight and die for the Union cause during our Civil War (1861-1865). Mr. Holzer has written or edited 50 books on Abraham Lincoln and/or the Civil War, is a recipient of the prestigious Lincoln Prize awarded by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History and now serves as Chairman of The Lincoln Forum based in Gettysburg.
The brunch will take place at Cortlandt Colonial Manor at 5714 Albany Post Road in Cortlandt Manor from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM. This annual celebration and fund-raiser marks the 122nd anniversary of the founding of the Lincoln Society in 1903. It was organized to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s only speaking stop in Westchester County during his lifetime before a crowd of 1,500 people at the old Peekskill railroad depot in 1861 during the train journey to his Inauguration in Washington, DC. This aging site was later rescued, renovated and opened to the public in 2014 as the Lincoln Depot Museum. Today, it is the only Lincoln-related museum in the State of New York.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Lincoln Society’s gala and tickets can be purchased on its website, which includes a credit card and PayPal link: lincolnsocietyinpeekskill.org. The $75 ticket price includes a deluxe selection of breakfast foods served with champagne, mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, OJ and soft drinks – which also features cold antipasto, chilled shrimp cocktail, a carving station with prime rib of beef and assorted desserts served with coffee and tea. This event will include a silent auction area and a book signing station.
Following Holzer’s presentation, a medley of Civil War-era songs will be performed by Emily Lapisardi and Alyssa Martin. The RSVP deadline for this event is March 19, 2025.
Rob Kaplan, president of the Lincoln Group of New York, will be honored at this celebration as the recipient of the Champion of History Award that is conferred annually by the Lincoln Society in Peekskill upon a history advocate, institution or organization.
The Lincoln Society in Peekskill is a non-political, non-partisan historical and educational organization that is dedicated to promoting the life and legacy of America’s 16th President. It is the only Lincoln group in Westchester County, which is now headed by William K. Schmidt and is governed by a distinguished Board of Directors.
