AUBURN (AP) -- The national release of Steven Spielberg's film on Abraham Lincoln couldn't have come at a better time for a central New York museum.
Lincoln biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin is speaking Thursday night at Auburn High School as part of a fundraising event for the Seward House Historic Museum in Auburn.
The 19th-century mansion was the home of William Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state. Spielberg's film, titled "Lincoln," is based on "Team of Rivals," Goodwin's award-winning book on the 16th president.
Seward is a central figure in the book and the film. He was a former New York senator and governor who influenced Lincoln's policies.
Goodwin was booked for the Auburn appearance in January. Organizers say Thursday night's lecture is sold out. The Lincoln film is being released nationally on Friday.
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