First-person portrayals bring famous people to life at Naper Settlement

Even a president as revered as Abraham Lincoln wasn't above playing to the crowd when he was running for election.

At least that is what Stephen A. Douglas will argue when he takes on his longtime rival at a re-created Lincoln-Douglas debate, the first program of the season in Naper Settlement's 2008-09 History Speaks Lecture Series.

Veteran actor Terry Lynch will take the role of the Little Giant and Lincoln impersonator Michael Krebs that of the rail-splitting politician at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, in Naper Settlement's Century Memorial Chapel, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.

Lynch said he and Krebs will challenge each other in the fifth of the seven famed 1858 debates that propelled Lincoln to national attention. Douglas successfully defended his U.S. Senate seat, but Lincoln won the presidency two years later, triumphing over Douglas and two other rivals.

But in the Senate race, Douglas was the better known of the two candidates.

"This was the nationally known politician in Illinois until Lincoln came along," Lynch said of Douglas.

In the debate given in Galesburg, Douglas, a states' rights Democrat, accused Lincoln and the Republican Party Lincoln represented of changing their platform based on the crowd they were addressing. Lincoln talked more about the superiority of the white race in Southern Illinois and more about equality in north, Douglas claimed.

"It's really kind of eye-opening. Douglas gives a very convincing argument for not believing anything Lincoln says," Lynch said.

Of course, one has to go to the debate to hear Lincoln's rebuttal. Lynch said the debate will follow the format Lincoln and Douglas used but has been edited to fit into an hour program.

"Most of the debates went two to three hours," he said.

Lynch, a return performer to Naper Settlement, said this is the first time he has worked with Krebs. At 6 feet 4 inches, Krebs is the same height as the 16th president and has portrayed Lincoln nationwide.

"We're good friends and we're going to be tearing each other down," Lynch said.

First ladies

Jenny Riddle of Elmhurst will be the second performer in the History Speaks Series when she gives a one-woman show dramatizing First Ladies Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy at 7 p.m. Nov. 9. Riddle, a newcomer to Naper Settlement, changes hats and accessories as she portrays her different roles.

"People are fascinated by these three women so they never go out of style," she said.

Different as these three first ladies were, they shared some parallels in their lives, Riddle said. Jackie Kennedy entered the White House exactly 100 years after Mary Todd Lincoln. Like Mary Lincoln, Jackie Kennedy worked at refurbishing a White House that had become frayed in appearance, but she was spared the ridicule and criticism her predecessor endured.

Riddle said she portrays Mary Lincoln in her earlier years before tragedy and harsh publicity wreaked its emotional toll.

"She was well-educated and articulate. She was the belle of the ball," Riddle said.

Before marrying, Mary Todd had many suitors, including Stephen A. Douglas - Lincoln's later political rival.

Eleanor Roosevelt wasn't much concerned with fashion or decorating, but she shared with Jackie Kennedy the painful knowledge of their husbands' infidelities. Both women chose to stay with their husbands for their own reasons and the program deals with that subject, Riddle said.

"It's a more personal look at them," she said.

In a surprise twist, a contemporary first lady enters at the end of the program and comments on her predecessors.

A former teacher, Riddle said she enjoys the positive response the first lady program receives.

"People say to me, 'that was so entertaining and I learned so much,'" she said.

Rest of series

Now in its fifth year, the History Speaks Lecture Series enjoys a faithful following and drew audiences of about 90 last year, said Barbara Rimmer, museum educator at Naper Settlement.

"We're excited about it. It grows every year and a lot of it is word-of-mouth," she said.

With the 2008 presidential debates still raging, this year's series was a good time to mark the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Rimmer said.

The series also pays respect to the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth in 2009 in "An Evening with Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln" at 4 p.m. Feb. 8. Well-known local impersonators Max and Donna Daniels of Wheaton portray the presidential couple. The program is scheduled earlier than the usual 7 p.m. time to follow a bicentennial birthday party for Lincoln earlier in the day.

"Usually when we have something like Lincoln or Washington, we get a lot of schoolchildren," Rimmer said.

Washington, in a return appearance by Lynch, will visit at 7 p.m. Jan. 11.

For the first time, the settlement also is bringing a program on the underground railroad it developed for schoolchildren to the general public at 1 p.m. March 8. Groups from the audience travel from building to building in the settlement, where they are exposed to different viewpoints on the slavery question and meet a runaway slave.

"There is a fixed number of people we can accommodate, so people absolutely have to reserve their place for this one," Rimmer said.

Seeking to offer variety in its History Speaks series, the settlement mixes in some lighter programs to balance the more serious presentations, Rimmer said.

So for nostalgics, art historian Jeff Mishur will take a look at Norman Rockwell at 7 p.m. April 19. Rockwell's illustrations graced the pages of the Saturday Evening Post, Look and Life magazines.

"He's a favorite artist of many people," Rimmer said.

Then in time for Mother's Day, French sensation Coco Chanel discusses her fashion theories, reveals her business secrets and candidly talks about the men in her life at 7 p.m. May 3. Actress Anne Baldwin portrays Chanel's lively and frank personality.

The History Speaks series also has added a program that is a departure for its first-person portrayals of historical characters. Author Rochelle Pennington will discuss her book, "The Historic Christmas Tree Ship," over hot cocoa and cookies in the Pre-Emption House Tavern at 7 p.m. Dec. 7.

History Speaks Lecture Series

All programs are in Naper Settlement's Century Memorial Chapel, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville, unless otherwise noted. Advance tickets for most of the hourlong programs are $6 for adults, $5 for students, youth and Naperville Heritage Society sustaining members; tickets at the door are $7 for adults, $6 for students and youth. Tickets for the "Underground Railroad" presentation and "An Intimate Conversation with the Author" are more. For details, call (630) 420-6010.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates: 7 p.m., Oct. 12

First Ladies: 7 p.m. Nov. 9

Rochelle Pennington: The author of "The Historic Christmas Tree Ship" talks her work in "An Intimate Conversation with the Author" at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 in the settlement's Pre-Emption House Tavern. Tickets are $16, $14 for Naperville Heritage Society members.

George Washington: 7 p.m. Jan. 11

An Evening with Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln: 4 p.m. Feb. 8

The Underground Railroad: Two-hour program starts at 1 p.m. March 8 in Century Memorial Chapel with participants walking to other buildings on the grounds. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for Naperville Heritage Society Sustaining members and students.

Art of Norman Rockwell: 7 p.m. April 19

Coco Chanel: 7 p.m. May 3