Civil War Reenactor Wins Brecksville Bicentennial Raffle

It’s appropriate that the winner of this year’s Civil War-themed raffle was none other than the man who portrayed President Abraham Lincoln at .

Frank DeWolf, co-chair of the Brecksville Bicentennial Committee, recently sent in this photo of Wooster resident Gerald Payn receiving the "Brothers Divided" woodcarving.

Payn said he never thought he’d win the carving when he bought a ticket—he was just trying to help the group. Payn plans to share the carving at his local library and historical society, and he wants to take it along when he does his many speaking engagements. This year, Payn said he took part in about 100 events and about a dozen reenactments.

Payn said there are a few reasons why he chooses to portray the former president. He admires Lincoln, who he said persevered through tough times and helped bring the country back together. And, he happens to be about Lincoln’s height—6’4”—and has no trouble growing the beard, he joked.

The carving was auctioned off in a raffle earlier this year. DeWolf said in an email that the money raised in the raffle went into the bicentennial general fund to help with the costs of the reenactment. According to the committee’s website, the raffle raised about $1,000.