THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE — Civil War author and Ward Hill Lamon impersonator Bob O’Connor will return to Arts in the Park this weekend.
O’Connor has participated for many years at events at the Lamon House in Lincoln Park during the event but missed last year.
Arts in the Park takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Park, off Logan Avenue in Danville. The Lamon House was originally owned by some of Lamon’s relatives, Joseph and Melissa Beckwith Lamon.
The house is maintained by the Vermilion County Historical Society. Alan and Rebecca Woodrum portray the house owners and will host Ward Hill Lamon and his wife for the event.
O’Connor has been portraying Lamon, Abraham Lincoln’s personal bodyguard, for nearly two decades. He also has appeared at the Presidential Museum in Springfield, historical courthouse in Bloomington, U.S. Naval Academy, Gettysburg, Penn., U.S. Marshal Museum in Fort Smith, Ark. and hundreds of other sites across the U.S.
Lamon was born in Summit Point, Va. (now West Virginia) in 1828. Summit Point is just a few miles from where O’Connor lives. Lamon moved to Danville at age 18, passed the bar exam, and was attorney on the 8th circuit. He was Lincoln’s law partner in Danville from 1852-1856.
“I really enjoy telling his story because most people don’t even know President Lincoln had a bodyguard. In fact, in most of the numerous books about Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Lamon gets about a sentence or two. Most people would think President Lincoln would have been protected by the Secret Service, but there was no Secret Service during Lincoln’s lifetime,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor has penned a novel about Lamon’s life — “The Virginian Who Might Have Saved Lincoln” and has edited the only book Lamon ever wrote — “The Life of Abraham Lincoln as President.” Both books will be available for sale at the Lamon House during the Arts in the Park event. The books are also available on the author’s website — boboconnorbooks.com or Amazon.com.
Lamon is erroneously credited with authoring two other books — “The Life of Abraham Lincoln From His Birth to His Inauguration as President” and “Recollections of Abraham Lincoln.” Though Lamon’s name appears as author of both books, he didn’t write them, according to O’Connor.
Jermiah Black ghost wrote the first book from notes provided by Lamon and Lincoln’s law partner William Herndon. “Recollections” was published by Lamon’s daughter, Dollie, from her father’s notes after his death.
Joining O’Connor for the event this year will be his wife, Pam, who portrays Lamon’s wife, Sallie, daughter of Springfield politician Steven Logan.
O’Connor also will be lecturing at 3 p.m. Friday at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St. The lecture will be about three of O’Connor’s latest books — “Little Known Facts About the American Civil War” volumes one, two and three.
Some of those facts include that Confederate General Robert E. Lee was not a citizen of the U.S. when he died; that the last state to ratify the 13th Amendment (ending slavery) did not officially ratify until 2013; and that both the Union and Confederate armies employed camels as pack animals.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
