Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels

[J. Beckert]

I think $25,000.

[Craig Hipkins]

(02-26-2013 02:59 PM)DannyW Wrote:  
Not exactly a Lincoln question!
Who is the only president to give his inaugural address w/o the use of notes. Also he had no turnover in his cabinet & was a friend of Jefferson Davis.

During the Civil War, ex-president Pierce from New Hampshire was suspected by many to be a copperhead due to his many friendly ties with the south. I believe that after Lincoln's assassination he was called out for not decorating his house with proper mourning material.

Craig

[J. Beckert]

Did I win, Laurie?

[Laurie Verge]

I really don't know, Joe. I was posing that question wanting an answer.

[RJNorton]

He's a winner, Laurie. Article here.

[L Verge]

Thanks Joe and Roger for the answer. I had posed the question after reading a piece on Brooks Brothers during the Civil War and reference was made to Donn's granddaughter offering the clothes to a variety of museums and historical societies in the 1930s for $50,000. There were no takers. The article then skips to the granddaughter renewing her offer in 1968 in the January 3 issue of The New York Times and Congressman Schwengle securing a donation from a trucking association to purchase it. No mention was made, however, of the cost to acquire the coat.

Schwengle was the founder and president of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. I met him several times before his death in the 1990s, and I cannot imagine that anyone would say no to the Congressman when he was twisting one's arm. Quite a forceful gentleman. I believe that there is a small college in Iowa that inherited his Lincoln collection.

[J. Beckert]

Who was "The Pilgrim"?

[LincolnMan]

Charlie Chaplin. But I suppose you're referring to someone other than him!

[L Verge]

Supposedly a reporter on John Surratt that we have not yet figured out who he was or if he existed. The late John C. Brennan did some investigating and writing on him for the Surratt Courier many years ago.

[J. Beckert]

Yes. So much for finding trivia questions in the books I bought at Surratt House.....

[L Verge]

Joe, I didn't write that article on Pilgrim, but I did put that whole trilogy of books together. Sorry. Next time, just tell me to butt out - but only on questions that come from something you think I had a hand in. I can be gracious some of the time...

[J. Beckert]

That's O.K., Laurie. I'm just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. I'm fishing for the Rebel weak spot.....

[L Verge]

This Rebel has lots of weak spots in this trivia game, so I'm diving to the bottom and avoiding your lures... One hint: I am absolutely horrible at identifying photos.

[J. Beckert]

You'll bite. I may have been foiled by the teacher's history prowess this time, but the marking period is far from over. See you when class is in session again. Good night, Mrs. Castoroil.

[L Verge]

Couldn't I be Pepto Bismol instead of Castoroil? I look prettier in pink...

Which reminds me of a Surratt House story: Those of you who have visited or seen pictures know that Surratt House is painted Yankee red (much to my disgust!). It's just an accepted fact that every Southern Maryland frame home built before 1950 is supposed to be white with green shutters...

During the restoration, the architect was able to determine that most of the weatherboarding was original and a paint analysis was done. The first coat of paint was red oxide - a typical barn primer of the day. There is also an 1865 description of the house by a reporter who describes it as appearing to be a red barn until he rode closer and saw that it was the infamous Surratt House.

When the restoration returned the house to its red appearance, the old-timers were quite upset -- especially since the long front porch of the late-1800s had also been removed. They were certain that their landmark was being ruined. Luckily, they were amenable to listening to the facts.

However, over the years, we had a continuing problem with the paint flaking off as fast as we could put it on. It was as if the Southern boards did not want to hold Yankee red paint. At one point, I actually asked if one of the original layers had been whitewash. Having been raised in an old home, I knew that whitewash is not friendly to other paint.

After about ten years of repainting the house every two to three years, we called in the higher-ups from Benjamin Moore Paints to consult. They recommended stripping all layers of everything off the house and starting over again. Yes, there was some whitewash present. They then supplied us with a top primer - which was Pepto Bismol pink. The house was painted with that and allowed to thoroughly dry for weeks before applying the red paint again.

Talk about a neighborhood that went up in arms! I could not go to the grocery store or church or the drug store without someone attacking me wanting to know if we were going to leave the house that color. It got to the point where I said, "Yes, and we're putting pink flamingos on the lawn!"