Historian to present program on Lucy Webb Hayes

NORTH BALTIMORE — The North Baltimore Ohio Area Historical Society, 229 N. Main St., will welcome historian Joshua Dubbert at 2 p.m. June 21. Dubbert is the historian at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. He will present a program on First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes. Hayes lived just 57 years, but they were years full of learning, hardship, tragedy, love, adventure and remarkable achievement. Her lifetime roughly spanned the Victorian Era, 1837-1901, which was a time of immense change and the Civil War. Yet through all of her personal and public trials, she maintained her bearing, poise and geniality. The program discusses Hayes' many roles and accomplishments, including serving as her husband's confidant in war and politics, as a nurse to Union soldiers, as mother of an ever-growing family, as First Lady of the United States, and as champion of a number of causes including temperance, veteran affairs, children's welfare, poor relief and education for African Americans." Following the presentation, Dubbert will answer questions. Refreshments, including lemonade, will be served to honor the first day of summer and Hayes' nickname, "Lemonade Lucy." The event is free and open to all. The historical society will be open from 1-4 p.m. that day for the public to tour the historic house and collection. Dubbert's research focuses on Victorian America, particularly its culture, artists, architecture and the era's presidents. He lectures on various nineteenth-century American topics such as Currier & Ives, Victorian architecture, the Gilded Age, Emily Dickinson and others. He also performs dramatic readings of the work of Edgar Allan Poe.