An Interview with Alan E. Hunter: Keeper of the Oldroyd Flame

Alan E. Hunter is a newspaperman and former educator from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of several history books on subjects ranging from local Indiana to the infamous multi-murderer H. H. Holmes. In December of 2024, Al published two new books related to the subject of Abraham Lincoln. One is a biography of Dr. Wayne “Doc” Temple, a noted Lincoln historian who will be celebrating his 101st birthday in February. His other book is a detailed biography of the famous Lincoln collector and author Osborn H. Oldroyd. This latter subject is best known to Lincoln assassination buffs as the man who operated his own museum out of the Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois, and then from the Petersen House where Lincoln died in Washington. In 1901, Oldroyd also published a book on the assassination of Lincoln, during the writing of which he walked John Wilkes Booth’s escape route, talking to survivors who interacted with the assassins 35 years before.

I invited Al to a virtual interview to discuss his new books and a book he published in 2020 about the House Where Lincoln Died. Al is a wealth of information about one of the more interesting side characters in the Lincoln story, and his enthusiasm for his friend and mentor, Dr. Wayne Temple, shines throughout our talk together. I learned many new things about both Osborn Oldroyd and Dr. Temple from my talk with Al. I hope you’ll give it a watch or listen:

If you are in the central Illinois area, you can join Al for the official launch of his new books on February 16, 2025, at 10:00am at Books on the Square in Springfield. Al will be speaking about both Doc Temple and Oldroyd while signing copies of his books.

For those of us who, sadly, live far from Springfield, you can still purchase Al’s books through Amazon. You can click on the names or cover images below to purchase the three books discussed in the interview.

Osborn H. Oldroyd: Keeper of the Lincoln Flame (2024)

The Petersen House, The Oldroyd Museum and the House Where Lincoln Died (2020)

Thursdays with Doc: Recollections on Springfield & Lincoln (2024)

You can also keep an eye on Al and his interesting history columns by following him on his blog, AlanEHunter.com.

I’m grateful to Al for taking the time to talk to me about his research and books. If you enjoyed this interview, let me know. If there is enough interest, I’d be open to doing more interviews with other authors and researchers in the Lincoln assassination field.