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Paintings about Lincoln family to be unveiled

May 11, 2009

SPRINGFIELD -Â Two large-scale oil paintings, "The Ordeal of Sarah Mitchell" and "The Murder of Capt. Abraham Lincoln," will be unveiled at a public ceremony 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Washington County Judicial Center.

"The Ordeal of Sarah Mitchell" by Bradley Schmehl of York, Pa., illustrates the bravery and fortitude required by the Lincoln family and other early settlers crossing the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.

"The Murder of Captain Abraham Lincoln" by Mark Selter of Lebanon depicts the murder of President Lincoln's grandfather and the rescue of President Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, by Mordecai Lincoln.

Both paintings eventually will be installed in the original historic Washington County Courthouse as part of the collections for the proposed "Abraham Lincoln Ancestral Museum."

The Kentucky Arts Council, with funding from the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, awarded the Washington County Fiscal Court $3,450 and $2,500, respectively, to partially fund the commissioning of these paintings.

The Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission's mission is to commemorate, in conjunction with the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing Kentucky's contribution to his thoughts and ideals, and to serve as a coordinator of statewide efforts to convey Lincoln's Kentucky story and his legacy of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity for all.

For more information about Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln celebrations and events, go to www.kylincoln.org.

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