Chasing Abraham Lincoln, 1980 to 1981

Ed Steers, Jr., is the world's leading expert on the Lincoln assassination. He literally wrote the book, The Lincoln Assassination Encyclopedia, and other very readable histories. His skill as a meticulous researcher has led him into other Lincoln related areas to clarify mysteries and dispel myths about our 16th president. During a momentous period in the early 1980s, Ed and colleague Joan Chaconas (another of our illustrious former presidents) mounted an expedition to track down seldom seen Lincoln artifacts. These two intrepid explorers pulled every string from their well-connected friends to gain access to remote areas of public buildings where Lincoln artifacts were being stored out of view.

Who knew there was a Smithsonian storage vault in Union Station before the latest reconstruction? Steers and Chaconas found that it was used to protect the entire Osborn Oldroyd collection of around 3,000 Lincoln memorabilia items while Ford's Theatre was being restored.…