Insanity Retrial of Mary Lincoln October 1, 2012

Insanity In 1875, a Cook County, Illinois jury found Mary Lincoln, widow of martyred President Abraham Lincoln, insane. She was immediately taken to Bellevue Sanatorium in Batavia, Illinois. She spent four months at Bellevue before her release to her sister Elizabeth Edwards in Springfield. In 1876, another jury restored her status as a sane person. On October 1, 2012, Mary Lincoln will receive a hearing on the status of her mental health in a modern court setting with expert testimony for and against her. The re-trial of Mary Lincoln will use modern-day lawyers and judges in a courtroom setting to give Mary Lincoln a hearing regarding her alleged insanity using current laws. Actors portraying Robert Lincoln and Mary Lincoln, in period costume, will testify, as well as an expert witness--a mental health professional--for each side. The audience members in both the Museum and the Library will serve as the jury to engage them in the process, even though juries do not currently decide mental competency hearings.