Trivia Advent Calendar

[Eva Elisabeth]

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...).

I found this photo online, taken during the CW:
   
To my regret not I, just my camera took these photos of the historic district in St Augustine, precisely St. George Street - built sometime after 1702 when the British burned the city. There's also the oldest wooden school building in the United States, which first appears on tax records in 1716 - Mary certainly saw it:
       
St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement within the borders of the US. It was founded on September 8, 1565, by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He named the settlement "San Agustín", as his ships bearing settlers, troops, and supplies from Spain had first sighted land in Florida on August 28, 1565, the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo, the patron saint of his home town of Aviles.

[Thomas Kearney]

Just 1 1/2 weeks away from the 2016 version of the Trivia Advent Calendar. Get excited people!

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thomas - it may be a bit different this year. Due to workload and tests (I have started studying vetmed, and it's quite a hard challenge, especially after over a decade of "absence" from serious natural sciences) I am afraid I will not be able to do all alone. Herr Beckert, however, has (sometime ago) kindly offered to assist (and I hope the offer still stands).

My alternative idea/suggestion is a "Xmas break" or Twelve Nights" calendar (Xmas Eve until my birthday, Jan.7) because then I could do easily and myself, too, enjoy the game. I get so little sleep, learning (working) till 3AM most nights, and the last test before the break is Dec.22 (and Dec. 23 I will be busy flying home + shopping for Xmas...). I would really, really prefer the Xmas-break-variant, but feel obliged when it's less appreciated...Maybe y'all could give a feedback - thanks! (Just to illustrate - I spent an average of 40 minutes each Calendar day on doing it nicely, this would delay my sleep to about 4PM...)

[L Verge]

Thomas - it may be a bit different this year. Due to workload and tests (I have started studying vetmed, and it's quite a hard challenge, especially after over a decade of "absence" from serious natural sciences) I am afraid I will not be able to do all alone. Herr Beckert, however, has (sometime ago) kindly offered to assist (and I hope the offer still stands).

My alternative idea/suggestion is a "Xmas break" or Twelve Nights" calendar (Xmas Eve until my birthday, Jan.7) because then I could do easily and myself, too, enjoy the game. I get so little sleep, learning (working) till 3AM most nights, and the last test before the break is Dec.22 (and Dec. 23 I will be busy flying home + shopping for Xmas...). I would really, really prefer the Xmas-break-variant, but feel obliged when it's less appreciated...Maybe y'all could give a feedback - thanks! (Just to illustrate - I spent an average of 40 minutes each Calendar day on doing it nicely, this would delay my sleep to about 4PM...)

As much as we enjoy learning with your calendar, Eva, I think we all agree that your studies - and your health - come first. If the calendar doesn't get done this year, it doesn't get done. The holidays are hectic for everyone who works, goes to school, or takes care of a family. You deserve the break!

[J. Beckert]

As much as we enjoy learning with your calendar, Eva, I think we all agree that your studies - and your health - come first. If the calendar doesn't get done this year, it doesn't get done. The holidays are hectic for everyone who works, goes to school, or takes care of a family. You deserve the break!

Oh, it's gonna get done, my Little Rebel Pal. It may not be what you're used to, but it's gonna get done.....

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thomas - it may be a bit different this year. Due to workload and tests (I have started studying vetmed, and it's quite a hard challenge, especially after over a decade of "absence" from serious natural sciences) I am afraid I will not be able to do all alone. Herr Beckert, however, has (sometime ago) kindly offered to assist (and I hope the offer still stands).

My alternative idea/suggestion is a "Xmas break" or Twelve Nights" calendar (Xmas Eve until my birthday, Jan.7) because then I could do easily and myself, too, enjoy the game. I get so little sleep, learning (working) till 3AM most nights, and the last test before the break is Dec.22 (and Dec. 23 I will be busy flying home + shopping for Xmas...). I would really, really prefer the Xmas-break-variant, but feel obliged when it's less appreciated...Maybe y'all could give a feedback - thanks! (Just to illustrate - I spent an average of 40 minutes each Calendar day on doing it nicely, this would delay my sleep to about 4PM...)

As much as we enjoy learning with your calendar, Eva, I think we all agree that your studies - and your health - come first. If the calendar doesn't get done this year, it doesn't get done. The holidays are hectic for everyone who works, goes to school, or takes care of a family. You deserve the break!

I'd really enjoy it during the break.

[J. Beckert]

Good afternoon and welcome back to what I know is the highly anticipated return of our dear friend Frau Eva's annual Yuletide trivia contest, The Advent Trivia Calendar!!

While Eva is very busy preparing her bid to run for Chancellor of Germany, she has asked me to fill in until she has time to return. So, with much pride in her faith in me and some technical assistance from the politest man on the internet, I plan to make this an Advent Trivia Calendar to remember!!

In keeping with Eva's tradition of posting photos that need to be deciphered, here's the first one. Good luck to all of you. Especially the Non Germans. You folks will need it the most.

What is this mess?????
   

[RJNorton]

Joe, THANK YOU for helping out with this wonderful column!

OK, to my aging eyes it looks like a table with one of its legs coming loose. So I will say this is a table from the Lincoln Home which has a partially dislodged leg when it was hit by young boys - probably Willie and Tad - roughhousing inside. Abraham enjoyed roughhousing with the kids so he may have been involved, too.

[Thomas Kearney]

I don't know. But I'll go with Roger's answer

[J. Beckert]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5X8qDDMC-o

[RJNorton]

Can you say if it's from Springfield?

[J. Beckert]

It is not from Springfield, PMOTI, but it can still be found today in it's original location. On the East Coast.

[RJNorton]

One more try today. To me it looks like damage to something (don't have any idea what), so I'll guess damage from the 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter?

[J. Beckert]

Very good, Roger. It is damage, but not to Fort Sumter.

Hint #1 - This thing is a "silent witness".

---

Hint #1.5 - It's a silent witness to the assassination.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks much, Joe, for taking over respectively assisting!!!!
I am confused - a witness to the assassination in its original location? The assassination happened at Ford's, but Ford's isn't original anymore?!?