Keystone Lincoln

Keystone Lincoln Engaging portrayal of the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, dedicated to historical education and civic commemoration across the Keystone State.

East Broad Top Goes to War 5-16-26East Broad Top Railroad
05/18/2026

East Broad Top Goes to War 5-16-26
East Broad Top Railroad

Camp Songer at Bellefonte Civil War WeekendBellefonte Historical and Cultural Association (BHCA)
05/03/2026

Camp Songer at Bellefonte Civil War Weekend
Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association (BHCA)

General Robert E Lee’s surrender echoed all the way to Williamsport through the music of the Repasz Band, founded in 183...
04/09/2026

General Robert E Lee’s surrender echoed all the way to Williamsport through the music of the Repasz Band, founded in 1831 and still carrying its legacy today whose notes marked the closing chapter of the Civil War and later rang out at presidential inaugurations and national ceremonies, a tradition that now lives on at the Kenneth L. Cooper Band Shell in Brandon Park, where history, community, and music continue to stand.

Long before today’s concerts in Brandon Park, Williamsport had already built a deep-rooted musical tradition, The Repasz Band, performing not just for entertainment, but for civic pride, military support, and national unity. Through generations, the band has remained entirely community-driven, with local musicians carrying forward a tradition that has never gone silent.

That legacy finds a fitting home at the Kenneth L. Cooper Band Shell in Brandon Park. The park has evolved through over a century of public investment, volunteerism, and care, transforming into one of Williamsport’s central gathering places. The band shell stands as a focal point where music, history, and community intersect, and the sound of live music still fills the same air that has hosted generations before.

Photos: 4-9-26

Watsontown Address:Two centuries and fifty years ago, within the borders of this very Commonwealth, our fathers brought ...
02/19/2026

Watsontown Address:

Two centuries and fifty years ago, within the borders of this very Commonwealth, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great, enduring test, measuring whether that nation, having survived the fires of civil war, can long survive the quiet passage of time.

We are met today not on a great battlefield of conflict, but in a sanctuary of peace. We are met here in Watsontown, a small town in the heart of the Keystone State, to mark the two hundred and fiftieth year of our life as a people.

Lincoln spoke of the brave men, living and dead, who struggled to save the Nation. In this town, we remember the sons of this soil, the men of the 131st Regiment, who left the safety of these river banks to stand in the breach for their country.

But today, it is fitting that we honor the quiet citizens who struggle to keep what those soldiers saved.

The soldier protects the house, but it is the citizen who builds it. It is the neighbor, the worker, and the believer who act as the true Keystones of this Republic.

The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say in this quiet church, but it can never forget what communities like this represent. It is not the marble halls of Washington that hold this nation together. It is the spirit found here.

It is for us, the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work of peace. It is for us to be the mortar that binds this nation, building it stronger, brick by brick, neighbor to neighbor, and heart to heart.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored years we take increased devotion to that cause of unity, that we here highly resolve that the sacrifices of the past were not in vain.

That this nation, born in Philadelphia, saved on the fields of Pennsylvania, and sustained by the faithful of Watsontown, shall have a new birth of freedom.

And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth, but shall stand for two hundred and fifty years more.

Keystone Lincoln
February 15th 2026
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Watsontown, PA

I’ll be presenting Lincoln at the Lutheran next Sunday in Watsontown.On Sunday, February 15, from 2:00–4:00 PM, I’ll be ...
02/10/2026

I’ll be presenting Lincoln at the Lutheran next Sunday in Watsontown.

On Sunday, February 15, from 2:00–4:00 PM, I’ll be appearing as Keystone Lincoln at First Lutheran Church as part of a special program celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

The program will include a historically faithful recitation of the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, followed by a thoughtful breakdown of the address into its core elements, liberty, equality, sacrifice, national purpose, and the responsibility of the people to carry the nation forward.

It’s an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been as a nation, where we are now, and what it means to be “dedicated to the unfinished work” in our own time.

The event is free and open to the public.
Celebrate 2026 w/Watsontown
First Lutheran church, 400 Main St., Watsontown
I hope to see friends, neighbors, and fellow history lovers there 🇺🇸

Merry Christmas and Happy 250th New Year from Bellefonte, PA as the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society, Centre Count...
12/20/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy 250th New Year from Bellefonte, PA as the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society, Centre County Commissioners, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau unveils a Bells Across PA bell by artist Holly Foy and James Farrah at the Chamber of Commerce in Talleyrand Park that features a photo of Keystone Lincoln.

Ringing in the Anniversary of AmericaKeystone Lincoln was honored to join the community at the Eagle Iron Works and Curt...
11/22/2025

Ringing in the Anniversary of America

Keystone Lincoln was honored to join the community at the Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village today for the unveiling of their new commemorative Bell. 11-21-25

This beautiful monument is part of the Bells Across PA mission from America250PA, placing at least one bell in every county to mark the 250th anniversary of the USA. The program reminds us of the nation's founding principles.

"I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence." - Abraham Lincoln, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, February 22, 1861

The bell celebrates what founded our country and also honors the industrial heritage of Centre County. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the talented artist, Elody Gyekis, whose weeks of work resulted in a stunning historic scene around the bell, depicting the historic site of Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village. Elody's artistry is truly inspiring!

Thank you to everyone who attended, including:
Members and volunteers of the Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village
Members of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau
Centre County Commissioners: Mark Higgins - Centre County Commissioner, Amber Concepcion, Centre County Commissioner, and Steve Dershem

We encourage everyone to visit the historic Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village and see this inspiring symbol of history and community!

From an 1863 letter to George Opdyke and others, Lincoln specifically praises the courage and dedication of those curren...
11/11/2025

From an 1863 letter to George Opdyke and others, Lincoln specifically praises the courage and dedication of those currently serving with "Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause."

Lincoln's First Inaugural Presidential Address was given by Keystone Lincoln at the First Annual Civil War Weekend in Be...
10/27/2025

Lincoln's First Inaugural Presidential Address was given by Keystone Lincoln at the First Annual Civil War Weekend in Bellefonte on June 6th 2025. General Grant and Sherman were also present as well as many other historical enthusiasts and reenactors.

Gettysburg Photography
10/27/2025

Gettysburg Photography

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Williamsport, PA
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