Dozens Of Abe Lincolns Descended On This Small Town In Illinois (HBO)

Once a year, somewhere in the United States, dozens of men dress up as President Abraham Lincoln — and a few women as Lincoln's wife — and descend on one town or city for the largest gathering of Abe Lincolns in the world.

It’s the annual convention of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, and this year’s conference was in sleepy Freeport, IL: the site of one of the original and most pivotal Lincoln-Douglas debates, from his failed run for Senator. Local librarian Laura Keyes is spearheading the conference, and has been playing Mary Todd Lincoln for over a decade.

Around 70 Abes showed up, along with about a dozen Marys. They spent the weekend learning about Freeport’s Lincoln history and learning from each other: The best place to find a stovepipe hat; how to handle tough questions on Lincoln’s legacy.

Some of the Lincoln presenters, their preferred title to “impersonators", do it because they admire Abe Lincoln. Some do it simply because they look like him. But most do it because they’re history buffs, and they want to keep Lincoln’s legacy alive — like Homer Sewell, who’s been presenting as Lincoln for 43 years.

“Is the world a better place because Mr Lincoln was here? Is it a better place because Homer Sewell was here? I hope so,” Sewell told VICE News.

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