May 16, 2024 is the 223rd birthday of the one and only William Henry Seward. In honor of this, Cook Inlet Historical Society’s final event for their lecture series this season will be a program featuring songs, instrumental music, dramatic readings and a look at the life of the man who helped make Alaska part of the United States. It’s called “Seward’s Follies: The Life And Legacy Of William H. Seward.”

On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we find out about the event, discuss Seward's political career and examine the driving force behind his motives to expand the territory of the United States.

HOST: Ammon Swenson

GUESTS:

Laura Koenig, adjunct professor of music, University of Alaska Anchorage, board member, Cook Inlet Historical Society, producer, "Seward's Follies."

Stephen Haycox, emeritus professor of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage

LINKS:

Cook Inlet Historical Society

Shake City String Band

Rachel Taylor Brown

Walter Stahr, "Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man" Simon & Schuster, 2012.

Seward Family Digital Archive