Extra Credit Questions

[RJNorton]

A person mentioned frequently on this forum lived here. Whose house was this?

[Eva Elisabeth]

I have zero clue other than that the house looks Italian/Mediterranean to me. Anyone with ties to that party of the globe?

[RJNorton]

(06-24-2017 12:20 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I have zero clue other than that the house looks Italian/Mediterranean to me. Anyone with ties to that party of the globe?

Nope.

Hint #1: This was the very first home this person owned.

[Gene C]

Is this house in the DC area?

[RJNorton]

(06-24-2017 01:58 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Is this house in the DC area?

Nope, not in the DC area.

[Gene C]

Is this the residence of a conspirator, politician, family friend or relative, or non of the above?

[mbgross]

Is it in New York?

[J. Beckert]

Robert Todd Lincoln's Lake Shore Drive Chicago home?

[RJNorton]

You are correct, Joe. Kudos. Also, kudos to Blaine Houmes who sent the same answer as Joe in an email (his password was malfunctioning). Joe and Blaine, you both win free tickets to Hildene.

I need to apologize as my hint was wrong. This was not Robert's first home. In 1869 he purchased a much smaller home at 653 Wabash in Chicago.

The Lake Shore Drive home was built in 1893, and Robert lived there for 18 years. The address was 1234 N. Lakeshore Drive. Here is a another photo of that home:

Here is a photo of the den inside Robert's home:

[L Verge]

I guess that it's silly to ask if the home still stands? Is this the home where Mary Lincoln was staying when they viewed the great Chicago fire?

[RJNorton]

The Lake Shore Drive home no longer stands. Mary was staying at Robert's Wabash Avenue home at the time of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. John Hay was also visiting Robert at that time. Flames came within a few blocks of the home.

[L Verge]

(06-25-2017 11:09 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  The Lake Shore Drive home no longer stands. Mary was staying at Robert's Wabash Avenue home at the time of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. John Hay was also visiting Robert at that time. Flames came within a few blocks of the home.

Thanks, Roger. If I had paid attention to the date of the Lake Shore home, I would not have had to ask if they were at that home during the fire. Another reason for carefully reading everything...

[Anita]

Do any photos of the Wabash home exist? There was so much tragedy in the Lincoln family prior to the fire I always forget that the Chicago fire was added to the list and must have been especially frightening to the already fragile Mary. Robert's law office was destroyed in the fire.

[RJNorton]

(06-26-2017 04:12 PM)Anita Wrote:  Do any photos of the Wabash home exist?

Anita, I have never seen one. There is a misleading caption for a photo on p. 162 of the Kunhardts' Looking for Lincoln. The caption seems to indicate the home pictured is the Wabash Avenue dwelling, but it's actually a photo of the Lake Shore Drive home. I used this photo on p. 162 for my trivia question. The numbering system in Chicago has changed over the years, and the location where Robert's first home stood is now 1332 South Wabash. A tall building of condos stands on that spot today. Robert's first home was not far from (nowadays) the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, and Soldiers Field.

[RJNorton]

Abraham Lincoln only made one visit to this city during his life. He stayed in the hotel pictured below. What is the name of the city?