Mural with the Lincoln Cottage featured in the background; "View of the Soldiers' Home in Lincoln's Time" by William Woodward, 2007
Finding Lincoln: the hidden cottage of the 16th US president
When folklorist Michael Atwood Mason walks into work each day, he’s greeted by the legendary Emancipation Proclamation room, where President Lincoln wrote his famous 1863 presidential speech.
As CEO and executive director of the Lincoln Cottage, Mason plays a pivotal role in the operations of the National Trust for Historic Preservation site.
A University of Oregon alumnus, Mason, BA ’89 (American studies, folklore), transferred from a small liberal arts university in New Mexico. During his first term at Oregon, he decided to take classes that interested him.
“I wanted to study Chinese, so I took Chinese, and I picked three other classes, and about three weeks into the term I discovered that all three of the classes were in the folklore program,” Mason said. “I was all in at that point.”
Mason credits the folklorists on staff — including Sharon Sherman, former director of the folklore program, the university’s support system, and attentive professors for making his time at the UO an incredible learning experience.
“I went to Oregon for the incredible diversity of opportunities,” Mason said. “I got to work with some of the most important folklore artists, and it was a great learning experience for me.”
Dr. Michael Atwood Mason; Photo Credit: White House Historical Association
After graduation, Mason continued his studies in folklore. His interest in Afro-Cuban religion while at Oregon inspired the field work for his dissertation in Cuba for his PhD from Indiana University Bloomington.
Mason began his career at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History first as an exhibition developer and then as director of exhibitions. He later served as director for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
“My work at the Smithsonian was frequently with people from Indigenous communities all over the world saying that their language is dying, and their way of life is being threatened,” Mason said. “It’s incredibly sobering. And I felt like we, as a national museum, had a responsibility to formulate some answers and strategies that would help communities find their answers.”
As a result, he worked in cultural sustainability to create exhibitions that reflected the values and concerns of the communities that were being represented.
In his work at the Center for Folklife and Cultural History, Mason also helped reconceptualize the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual two-week event that showcases cultural heritage.
With roughly one million guests in attendance over the festival’s 10-day run, numerous tradition-bearers from a selected cultural heritage showcase their stories for the visitors.
“Seeing people’s eyes light up when they lean in and learn about another way of being in the world is so powerful. It changes lives,” Mason said. “I also love watching the way that the tradition-bearers get better and better at presenting themselves as they practice. They see themselves in a new way because they’ve explained who they are and what matters to them to a million strangers who are genuinely excited to learn from them.”
After 27 years with the Smithsonian Institution, Mason began his work as CEO and executive director as President Lincoln’s Cottage in September 2021.
Front of the Lincoln Cottage; Photo Credit: President Lincoln's Cottage
Located in Northwest Washington, DC, President Lincoln’s Cottage is a beautiful hidden gem in the city. Residing on the third highest point in the city, the National Monument is a calming sanctuary from the bustling city.
“It is a quiet place that invites reflection,” Mason said. “The work that we do really is meant to connect people with their own deep and complex humanity by talking about the Lincoln family’s varied experience in this place.”
In his new role, Mason is excited to explore the connections of empathy, humanity, and activism with the work and education that President Lincoln’s Cottage provides.
With the country’s semi-quincentennial in 2026, Mason is looking forward to how President Lincoln’s Cottage will participate in the commemoration.
“This conversation that we’re launching into about where we came from as a people and where we want to go as a people, is incredibly important and timely,” Mason said. “I’m excited to work with the team and figure out how the cottage can play a meaningful leading role in this important conversation.”
-By Peyton Hall, UO Alumni Association Student Associate