First Marriage Takes Place at President Lincoln’s Cottage

Photo courtesy of Daniel J. Vukelich

This is very cool, thanks to a reader for sending:

Travis L. Hollenbeck and Daniel J. Vukelich, Esq. were married April 28, 2012 at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, DC. This was the first wedding to be held at President Lincoln’s Cottage, a National Trust Historic Site, and is believed to be the first ever same-sex wedding to take place on a U.S. military base and the first official wedding at a D.C. National Monument. Over 150 friends and family attended, coming from as far away as South Africa.

Lincoln and his family lived at this 34 room Cottage for over a quarter of his Presidency and the Cottage is the most significant historic site directly association with Lincoln’s presidency, aside from the White House. It was at the Cottage in the summer of 1862 that the President wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, ultimately expanding public discourse on freedoms and equality.

Travis served eight years as a combat medic in the U.S. Army, and during his senior year in high school, Dan won the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, becoming the 1996 national debate champion. Thus the Cottage, located on the grounds of the U.S. Armed Forced Retirement Home, and its’ obvious historical links to President Lincoln, provided a personal connection to Dan and Travis, beyond their strong admiration for Lincoln and the historical significance of the time he spent at the cottage.

While located on the grounds of the military’s Armed Forces Retirement Home in DC, President Lincoln’s Cottage is funded and managed by a private, non-profit organization: the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2000, President Clinton designated the Cottage a National Monument.

Congratulations!