Honest Abe Postcards Subject of Talk at UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 12, 2010) − The public is invited to learn more about a collection of postcards related to Honest Abe at an event featuring the collection's owner, Lincoln historian Carl Howell.  The postcards are currently being presented as an exhibition by the University of Kentucky Special Collections and Digital Programs in the Margaret I. King Building. The special program about the Carl Howell Lincoln Postcard Collection will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 25, also in the Margaret I. King Building. The program and exhibition are free and open to the public.
 
At the March 25 talk, Howell will discuss his extensive collection of rare Lincoln memorabilia. Howell is recognized as having the largest vintage Abraham Lincoln postcard collection that features all aspects of Lincoln’s life, from his birth and early years through his assassination. In addition, Howell will be joined by Professor Mark Summers, of the UK Department of History, who will give a talk on the nation's 16th president.  A reception will follow the program.
 
Carl Howell is a native of Hodgenville, LaRue County, Ky., the birthplace of Lincoln. A graduate of Georgetown College and UK College of Law, he is a former special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who returned to his home county, where he has practiced law since 1969. Howell is a featured speaker at historical society events that celebrate Abraham Lincoln and maintains an extensive collection of rare Lincoln memorabilia. 
 
Howell is a nationally known postcard collector whose collection contains more than 20,000 pre-1920 Kentucky postcards. He also is co-author of three books that feature some of his postcards and provide a glimpse into the early history of many of the counties in central Kentucky. For several years Howell's postcards have provided one of the major attractions in each monthly issue of The Kentucky Explorer magazine. 
 
Individuals can peruse the Lincoln postcard exhibition throughout the month of March from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the M.I. King Building.
 
For more information on the program featuring Carl Howell or on the Lincoln Postcards exhibition, contact UK Special Collections and Digital Programs at (859) 257-8611.