Program Location: Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 950 North Lombard St., Mahomet, IL 61853

Join us as history comes to life with another event in the 16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series! The theme of this year’s series is “Voices of Our Past'' and will feature first-person interpretations of African-American voices present during the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Ann Bradford Stokes worked aboard the Navy’s first Hospital Ship “Red Rover” of Mound City, Illinois. She worked with sick and wounded soldiers aboard the United States Naval Hospital Ship throughout the Western Theater of the Civil War on both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries.

She volunteered with the Sisters of the Holy Cross and Naval ship officers working as “first class boy,” cook, laundress, mender- anything to get food to eat. Eventually, Ann assumed the role of a nurse, leading to the beginning of a profession that would last generations. She was the first woman to earn a pension for her work with the U.S.N. Red Rover. After 18 months as an African American Civil War nurse, she left service in November 1864. Several years later, Ann learned to read and write. She settled, remarried, and remained in Southern Illinois for the rest of her life. In a fascinating reenactment, Marlene Rivero will breathe life back into Ann Bradford Stokes story, captivating audiences and informing new learners.

FREE. For more info: (217) 586-2612 or pcain@ccfpd.org.

This event is co-sponsored by the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail and Forest Preserve Friends Foundation.

For more info on the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, please visit https://ccafricanamericanheritage.org/

For more info on the Forest Preserve Friends Foundation, please visit https://www.ccfpd.org/illinois-forest-preserves/foundation