MultiVu Video Feed: Smithsonian Uncovers Secret Message Inside Abraham Lincoln's Watch
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History found a "secret"
message engraved in President Abraham Lincoln's watch put there by a
watchmaker who was repairing it in 1861-just as news of the attack on Fort
Sumter reached Washington, D.C.
In an interview with The New York Times published April 30, 1906 Jonathan
Dillon, then 84-years-old, recalled how he was working for M.W. Galt & Co. in
Washington, D.C. repairing Lincoln's watch when the owner of the shop
announced that the first shot of the Civil War had been fired.
The first engraving says: ''April 13, 1861. Fort Sumter was attacked by
the rebels on the above date. J. Dillon.'' A second message reads: ''April
13, 1861. Thank God we have a government. Jonth [sic] Dillon.''
Professional watchmakers often recorded their work inside a watch and
that record would typically only be seen by another watchmaker.
This inscription remained hidden behind the dial for almost 150 years.
After being contacted by Dillon's great-great-grandson, Doug Stiles of
Illinois, the museum agreed to remove the dial to see if the watchmaker's
hopeful declaration was inside.
Lincoln purchased the watch in the 1850s from George Chatterton, a
Springfield, Ill., jeweler. Though Lincoln was not outwardly vain, the fine
gold watch was a symbol of his success as a prominent Illinois lawyer. In the
19th century, men wore their watches in their clothing pockets. It was not
until after World War I that wrist watches became more popular for use by
men. The watch came to the museum in 1958 as a gift from Lincoln Isham,
Abraham Lincoln's great-grandson.
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NEWS: Smithsonian's National Museum of American History uncovers a
"secret" message engraved in President Abraham Lincoln's watch
SOUNDBITES:
* Brent D. Glass, Director of the National Museum of American History
* Harry Rubenstein, Curator
* George Thomas, Watchmaker
* Doug Stiles, Dillon family descendant
B-ROLL INCLUDES:
* B-Roll of the watch
* B-Roll of the inscription
VIDEO PROVIDED BY: Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Contact: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL: MultiVu Media Relations,
1-800-653-5313 EXT. 3
SOURCE Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
