The Night Before Gettysburg
Feb 25th, 2024
At 4 p.m.

Where:
Northwest Montana History Museum
124 Second Avenue East Kalispell, Montana

Description:
What was Abraham Lincoln thinking?
It’s November 18, 1863.
Tomorrow is a momentus day: The Gettysburg National Cemetery is being dedicated. Abraham Lincoln has been asked to make “a few appropriate remarks.” It’s bedtime, and his speech isn’t done. It’s been a bone-wearying day that began in Washington and ended in Gettysburg. “Abraham, you can’t afford tired, you need to finish!” he says to himself in his bedroom.
He is “torn asunder” as he works on the speech. Racism, slavery, war carnage and the deaths of two of his children tear at his soul. “The Night Before Gettysburg” takes you inside the mind of Abraham Lincoln, as he asks himself, “What is slavery? Why is slavery? Why are men enslaved?” As he answers the questions, you see Lincoln the man, who he was, what he stood for and the burdens he carried.
Lincoln invites you to join him on a journey back to 1863. You’ll absorb history on your journey…and you’ll learn about a man who worked hard to reunite America.
Playwright-actor Chuck Johnson of Minnesota comes to perform this unique piece of theater, which he has performed in Gettysburg, Penn., and at the recent occasion of the 160th anniversary of the address. Please join us for this free special event! Limited seating; first come, first serve.
Doors open 3:30 p.m.