There's Hope Yet....

[L Verge]

For those of you who, like me, sometimes despair that American history - and especially Abraham Lincoln and the details of his assassination - are not reaching future generations, I am happy to say that there may be hope yet.

This past Friday, Surratt House was visited by 31 very bright youngsters who are participating in a summer camp at one of the nearby African-American churches. They had spent Thursday touring Ford's Theatre, the Petersen House, and the Education Center next door.

Their camp counselors had planned the history around a current, popular theme today -- forensic science. Their visit to Ford's ended with a discussion of how investigators handled the crime scene compared to what modern police have to work with. What faced the first doctors on the scene? How would it be handled today?

Their visit to Surratt House culminated in our mock trial on Mary's guilt or innocence. When they left the museum about 2:30 pm, they were headed back to the church hall for a sleep-over with all activities revolving around the study of forensic science.

The first thing I thought about when I heard what they were doing was, "Where is Dr. Blaine Houmes when I need him!!!" Blaine's talks on the forensic side of the Lincoln assassination at previous Surratt conferences have wowed the audiences. I can only imagine what he could do with these eager young minds.