Who, When, Why What

[Lincoln Wonk]

Jim,
It was a relic, not a person, that inspired me. I saw the deathbed pillow when I was a child. That single relic was much more moving than a multimedia museum display.
That's why Ford's and Surratt House and Mudd House are heritage tourism treasures. You can still see Atzerodt's tie or Booth's key ring or the settee where Dr. Mudd examined Booth. You can look out the tavern window and imagine Booth waiting on his horse.
I'm committed to seeing my research through. I feel fortune to be able to spend 3-4 days searching down a single fact.
In the meantime, I'm making zero money and will be a bag lady in my retirement, but it's a life's-too-short thing. We're all uncovering history.
In my everyday life, the best byproduct of the research has been meeting so many kind people who care very deeply about the same things I care about.
I haven't had so much fun since the 80s when I was a dinosaur docent at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. It's always a kick to be in a place where people get excited about the same things you do. It creates great synergism.
Kathy