Park Ranger Speaker Series

The Department of the Interior Library is proud to present a series of programs on the background and history of sites of interest in the Washington, D.C. region. The 45-minute programs, presented by National Park Service Rangers, are held monthly in the training room of the DOI Library.

Additional programs will be posted as they are scheduled. Please check this page regularly for changes or updates.

The Lincoln Assassination
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 is considered to be one of the most heinous crimes in American history. Much has been written and discussed about the events of that evening but few know how the events of that day led to the murder of the President. These events created a perceived opportunity for a small group of southern sympathizers who, led by Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth, hoped that their actions might inspire the resurrection of the fallen Confederacy.

Please join Park Ranger Eric Martin for a look at events of the day and evening of the Lincoln assassination. Ranger Martin will look at the major figures involved in the events of that fateful day, examine the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s death, and follow the pursuit and demise of John Wilkes Booth.

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword: Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman
Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

Shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg, fought principally on December 13, 1862, Walt Whitman, author of Leaves of Grass (1855), would come to Washington, D.C., in search of his wounded brother Capt. George Whitman. He would quickly find his brother (who had fortunately suffered only minor wounds) but his stay in the Nations’ Capital would last the next ten years. Walt Whitman was profoundly changed by his experiences in Washington during the American Civil War. In Specimen Days (1892), Walt Whitman would write that “The real war will never get into the books.” In many ways he would spend the rest of his life trying to prove himself wrong and attempt to explain both in poetry and prose what the experience had really been like.

Please join Park Ranger Eric Pominville as he takes a look at famed poet (and former Interior Department employee) Walt Whitman's experiences in Washington during the Civil War and how it influenced his later writing. Ranger Pominville will also examine the impact that President Lincoln, whom Whitman saw in passing nearly every day during the war, would have on the young writer and his subsequent works.