Think & Drink: Ichabod Codding & The Fight for Freedom

We’re excited to announce our first Think & Drink of the year, and it’s a special one.

Our February Think & Drink will feature Lindsey Minas, whose research on 19th-century abolitionist Ichabod Codding forms the foundation of our newest Story Wall exhibit, Ichabod Codding: Lockport’s Forgotten Voice of Freedom (details below). Lindsey is a recent graduate of Lewis University and a graduate student at the University of Chicago. Her work explores Codding’s role in the abolitionist movement, his ties to Lockport and Illinois, and his influence on Abraham Lincoln and the political coalitions that helped shape the era.

Although Codding is little-known today, some people have called him the most nationally significant person to have lived in Lockport. We’re honored to share Lindsey’s student research on Codding with the wider public.

We’re also thrilled to welcome Dr. Larry McClellan, a leading scholar of the Underground Railroad aabolitionist activity in the Midwest, who will open the evening with a short presentation before introducing Lindsey’s talk. His perspective helps place Lindsey’s research within the broader story of abolition and resistance in northern Illinois.

Registration is encouraged to gauge audience size.