Vol. 19, No. 18

Feb. 3, 2000

Lincoln memorabilia highlighted
in Morris Library display

Copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment signed by Abraham Lincoln, and a set of original Currier & Ives prints– depicting Lincoln’s fatal shooting at Ford Theatre, death and funeral–are among the more than 2,000 items in the Lincoln Collection, housed in Special Collections at the Morris Library. The collection also includes busts and photographs of Lincoln (1809-65), including the president with his cabinet and his family, plus portraits; books about Lincoln in Japanese, German, Spanish and Braille; books owned by Lincoln; books of cartoons of the period (some not favorable to the president); a book about Lincoln illustrated by famed local artist Frank Schoonover; funeral orations; and a book of condolences from other countries after his death. “The collection is invaluable and irreplaceable, and the University is fortunate to have such an extensive Lincoln archive, thanks to the generosity of the Lincoln Club of Delaware,” Timothy Murray, library, said. Founded in Wilmington in 1929, the club acquired a large and priceless collection of Lincoln material in 1938 from founding member and Wilmington attorney, Frank G. Tallman. First displayed at the Wilmington Institute Free Library, the collection grew and was presented to the University in 1941 and housed in three rooms with period furnishings at the University’s Goodstay Center on the Wilmington campus. Much of the collection has now been moved to the Special Collections Department, which Murray heads, in the Morris Library. “A few years ago, the Lincoln Club and the University decided that Special Collections could best provide the right environment for the collection in terms of preservation, security, cataloging and use by students and scholars for research,” Murray said. “In addition to housing the collection, we wanted to spotlight the Lincoln Collection so a special display case was constructed in 1998 adjoining Special Collections where we can display selected Lincoln memorabilia. This exhibit is on view to the public whenever the library is open,” he said. This month in honor of Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, Special Collections is mounting an exhibition of Lincoln images in the display case. The collection also is accessible for research purposes during Special Collection Department’s regular hours from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and until 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The Goodstay Center still maintains portions of the collection and facsimile reproductions of original manuscripts and artwork in the Lincoln rooms, which have the aura and feeling of the Civil War period. For 25 years Helen Fox, ’31 AS, was in charge of the rooms. Currently, the curator is Donald Rydgren of the Lincoln Club. The Lincoln rooms in the Goodstay Center are open noon to 4 p.m., Tuesdays, from October through May, and also 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 12, Lincoln’s birthday; noon-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 20, and 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Monday, Feb.21, in honor of Presidents’ Day. The Lincoln Club, which has more than 300 members, holds an annual Lincoln dinner. Anthony G. Flynn is president; UD President David P. Roselle is vice president and David Burdash serves as secretary/ treasurer. For more information, visit the Lincoln Collection web site at <http://www.lib.udel. edu/ud/ spec/exhibits/lincoln/index. htm>. –Sue Moncure