Dubois County Historical Society Hosts Joshua Claybourn on Lincoln, Declaration

The Dubois County Historical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at the Dubois County Museum, 2704 N. Newton Street, Jasper, for a program featuring Joshua Claybourn and a catered dinner priced at $25; reservations are due by March 4 and may be made by calling Tom Fierst at 812-630-8882 or by using the obfuscated email token provided in notices. The public is invited to attend the program and the meal.

The evening’s presentation is titled "Abraham Lincoln, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Idea." The program will be drawn from Claybourn’s forthcoming book Lincoln’s Compass; notice copy states that, "drawing from his forthcoming book Lincoln’s Compass, Claybourn traces Lincoln’s lifelong engagement with the Declaration, from his frontier youth to his final presidential speeches." The announcement adds, "The talk shows how Lincoln treated equality as a guiding principle for self-government and why his reading of the Declaration still speaks to the demands and limits of constitutional democracy."

Claybourn is listed in event materials as "recently elected president of the Abraham Lincoln Association in Springfield, Illinois." The society’s announcement, made Feb. 23, 2026, positions the talk as part of local commemorations of the nation’s semiquincentennial and connects the museum presentation to wider County activity around the 250th anniversary.

Some notices of the meeting used different time-zone labels; one item listed the start as 6:30 p.m. EST while another listed 6:30 p.m. EDT. Because daylight-saving time begins March 8, 2026, the correct local designation for the Jasper event on March 17 is 6:30 p.m. EDT.

The meeting agenda will also include an update on the Dubois County Historical Society’s "Revolutionary Rendezvous Dubois County" reenactment, set for April 10–12 at Ferdinand State Forest. County materials captured in public records note that "The United States will celebrate the Semiquincentennial of its founding on July 4, 2026, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence," and one excerpt records that "The Dubois County Historical Society was approached by the [...]" in connection with semiquincentennial planning. A social-media fragment adds that "The America 250 Committee, led by the Dubois County Historical Society and recognized by Indiana's State Semiquincentennial Commission, has been" involved in related activities.

Practical details for attendees: "A catered dinner will be served." The cost of the meal is $25 and "Reservations are due by March 4." For reservations call Tom Fierst at 812-630-8882 or use the obfuscated email token included in the announcement: (/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4632202f23343532063231256825292b). The meeting will take place at the Dubois County Museum, 2704 N. Newton Street, Jasper, Indiana 47546.

The society’s March meeting and the April Revolutionary Rendezvous mark local programming tied to the county’s semiquincentennial observances; interested residents should reserve a place by March 4 to secure the catered meal and to attend Claybourn’s presentation.