By Heather Chapman
LEXINGTON, KY (WUKY) – First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln has just turned 192, and curators at the Mary Todd Lincoln House celebrated in style last night. The birthday girl was in attendance, too--sort of. Glenna Holloway, who has been impersonating Mrs. Lincoln for the past four years, gave tours and displayed the new gold commemorative coin just issued by the U.S. Mint in honor of Mrs. Lincoln.
Instead of gifts, attendees brought nonperishable goods to be donated to a local food bank. Holloway says it's the perfect gesture.
"I think that is very much in the spirit of Mary Todd Lincoln, helping the overwhelmed or the underprivileged."
She says that sensational stories about Mrs. Lincoln's mental instability often overshadow reports of her generosity.
"Mary did a lot of good things. She raised money for the freed slaves who showed up in Washington without jobs, without money, without a way of support. And she also took food and made special entertainments for wounded soldiers in the hospitals there in Washington."
Local Civil War history buff Phil Hite, who braved the weather to attend, says that Mrs. Lincoln had a fascinating life story.
"A tragic figure, such a tragic life, I mean, all the deaths in the family, and, you know, her husband being president of the United States and half her family supporting the Confederacy. I mean, how do you not get interested in something like that?"
Click here for more information about the Mary Todd Lincoln House.