I have that Lincoln book sitting on my bookshelf. I think I'll get around to reading it as your new series gets underway.
I liked the map of what the U.S. looked like in the 1850s. On a lighter note, I have a modern name for the Mason/Dixon line. I now call it that IHOP/Waffle House line because it seems that as soon as I cross the PA border and into Maryland and the Virginias, the roadside IHOPs disappear to be replaced by Waffle Houses.
By the way, I'm a big fan of the Waffle House chain and having breakfast in one is something I always look forward to when I travel to the South.
Yeah, WWII got to be practically a full time job. No more of that, for now anyway. I hope to inject variety into the series but so far only "Bleeding Kansas" has provided excerpts for specific dates in 1855. There are a few for next year from some other books but not many. I expect that to change as I get deeper into it. In the meantime, I got a recommendation for www.newspapers.com that could provide material for us. It is said to cost $10 a month and has 40 papers for this date. I don't want to get into that myself, but if anyone else is inspired to post 160-year-old newspaper articles the new ping list is on my profile. I believe that would be an appropriate use of the list.
As best I can tell, Pennsylvania has more Waffle Houses than IHOPs, and Maryland-Virginia has more of both than Pennsylvania. FWIW.