The Secret of Lincoln's Watch

A mystery hidden in time. Wrapped in gold. Stowed secretly in Lincoln's pocket. We dig into the family story of a secret message etched inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. Is this a tall tale or a hidden piece of history waiting to be discovered? Join us as we dive into this incredible tale of family lore, historical detective work, and the Smithsonian's decision to open a priceless artifact. Guests: Lisa Kathleen Graddy , curator of American political history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Harry Rubenstein , curator emeritus in the Division of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Doug Stiles , great-great-grandson of watchmaker Jonathan Dillon

You can listen to The Secret of Lincoln's Watch online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Secret of Lincoln's Watch is an episode from Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution .

This episode is 30:27 long.

This episode was published on Nov 26, 2025.

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