Trivia Advent Calendar

[Eva Elisabeth]

Kudos, Joe - that is correct. Thus the score is as follows:
Laurie 7
Joe 5
Gene 4
Roger 3
Rogerm 2
Thomas 1

(I will probably have to find more Google-proof questions...)

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Mary Lincoln was in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1875. Is this the historic house where she stayed?

I've more than once tried to find a photo from the place she stayed to no avail. All I could find is the following:

Mary Todd Lincoln visited St. Augustine in the winter of 1875 and stayed on Whitney's Island in the San Sebastian River in West Augustine. Her host was the developer of that area, John Whitney. As a newspaper publisher, Whitney had also crusaded to get Congress to provide a pension for Mary.

I couldn't find his 1875 house (maybe Donna can help?), but maybe it was similar to Ortega-MacMillan House on 224 Saint George Street, Saint Augustine, which he owned from
1870-1873:
   
During her Florida stay, Mary (like Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas Edison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and other VIPs) did a popular steamaboat trip on the Ocklawaha River to Silver Springs. Here are some fascinating photos of the past:
http://studiohourglass.blogspot.de/2012/...a.html?m=1

John Hay BTW owned an orange grove in St. Augustine in the 1860s. It was in the northwest part of Lincolnville in the area of Sanford, Weeden, Bravo and Bridge streets. Hay later sold the grove to Gen. Henry Shelton Sanford, who had been Lincoln's chief diplomat in Europe and US Ambassador to Belgium from 1861-1869, and founded the city of Sanford, FL (which looks gorgeous to me, as does St. Augustine - if you Google pictures...).
       

[Thomas Kearney]

I think that's the Old Stone House. It is now a tourist attraction and museum. I've been there.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Sorry, Thomas, but Joe was correct about the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Alabama.

Today's question is linked to the assassination and to Christ-mas.

What do you think is #17?

  Guesswhat..jpg (Size: 2.65 KB / Downloads: 41)

[RJNorton]

Shortly before Christmas, 1883, Henry Rathbone killed his wife, Clara. Is this related to that tragic event?

[J. Beckert]

An assassination themed Christmas ornament?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Two excellent guesses, Roger and Joe, but it has to to with neither of these. Joe - it's much bigger than an ornament!

[RJNorton]

Two days before Christmas in 1864 Samuel Mudd met Booth in Washington. Does it have anything to do with Mudd's trip to Washington?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Another good guess, Roger, but, sorry, it doesn't. It has to do with Abraham Lincoln himself.

[L Verge]

Did Lincoln visit the Old Naval Observatory in D.C. near Christmas? That's what this reminds me of.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Laurie, as for the structure this is an excellent guess, although, sorry, not correct either.
Just to clarify - this is linked to Lincoln and the assassination, and despite a very little bit to Christ(mas), not Lincoln at (on?*) Xmas. ("At" sounds somehow incorrect, but "on" should be for "on Xmas Day"?!?)

[Eva Elisabeth]

An assassination themed Christmas ornament?

Hint #1: This existed (long) before the assassination.

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Is that the watch fob he was carrying on April 14th.? Maybe an earlier Christmas gift?

A very good idea, Joe, but not correct - it would have been difficult to wrap or carry. As a travel voucher maybe (and Mary would have loved to get).

[J. Beckert]

Part of the carriage that brought them to the theater?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Just love your ideas, Joe - very smart, but this is still much bigger.

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Hint #2: Like Xmas, this has to do with wishes.

[Gene C]

The disco ball at The Lincoln Inauguration Ball?

Is it in Washington DC?

Looks like it could be a church roof's dome

[Eva Elisabeth]

Hint #3: It's a place.

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The disco ball at The Lincoln Inauguration Ball?

Is it in Washington DC?

Love this guess, Gene - good question, no, this is not in DC.

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The disco ball at The Lincoln Inauguration Ball?

Looks like it could be a church roof's dome

PS: As for the disco idea - the gold is no fake.

Yes, it is a dome. Not a church though.

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Hint #4: This Dome is very famous and intended as a symbol for the entire "place".