Whether it’s a group of elementary school students on a field trip or a crowd of retired visitors coming through on a tour, visitors of the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana tend to leave having learned something new about the nation’s 16th president.
Kaelynn Edmondson, the archival project coordinator for the collection housed at Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library, told The Dispatch Tuesday the preservation of the gallery’s more than 40,000 historical artifacts help to educate visitors on Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and importance.
“I think it’s really important to continue this education, whether it be Lincoln or Civil War or anything really, collections like this in universities are important because we reach people you never would think you reach,” Edmondson said. “… (Visitors) come to view our collection, and they’re just so excited to continue to learn. And that’s kind of what it’s all about, no matter who you are, what age you are, where you come from.”
The collection features more than $3 million in items ranging from manuscripts and books written by Lincoln to historical memorabilia all donated by Frank Williams, a former chief justice for the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. The collection, which was first displayed in 2017, is set to become six items larger in February, Edmondson said.
The new items will include a doll of Lincoln made during the 1860s, a letter written by Lincoln to political ally Jesse O. Norton and a DeWitt County (Illinois) docket book from Lincoln’s time as a judge will be showcased at the Treasures from the Vault lecture and exhibit Feb. 12 at Mitchell Memorial Library.
Edmondson said since the collection was moved to MSU in 2017, visitors have questioned why it’s in Mississippi rather than in a state more relevant to Lincoln, like Illinois.
While there are certainly locations with more of a historical significance to Lincoln, Edmondson said, his efforts in reuniting the country after the Civil War was part of the reason why Williams brought the collection to MSU.
“(Williams) wanted the collection to contribute to the healing between the South and the North that still happens to this day,” Edmondson said. “And he always talks about how he wanted it to kind of help with the healing of the nation. … We kind of just look at it as, why not Mississippi? Why wouldn’t it be here?”
MSU also is home to the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library.
While Lincoln and his historic artifacts are the focus of the collection, Edmondson said, there are other pieces in the collection, like a letter from a Union soldier who was fighting in Mississippi during the Civil War, that are just as important to highlight to those stopping through the gallery.
“One of the beautiful things about the letter is he had been sick, and he had managed to get up just in time to go see them lower his friend into his grave, and they buried him in a peach orchard,” Edmondson said. “And he told (the soldier’s father) in the letter that ‘I’m sending you this peach blossom in this letter, because I know that you won’t be able to come down here.’”
Edmondson said the humanity showcased in that letter is an example of the lessons they hope to showcase to visitors before they exit the gallery.
“Part of what we’re trying to do is we really do want to show people who Lincoln was as a person, but we also want to kind of also show the time, (and) the things that were going on during the time,” Edmondson said.
Edmondson said the library regularly rotates artifacts through the gallery and generally keeps about 5% of the collection on display at any given time.
The gallery aims to host a new exhibit like the lecture and exhibit scheduled for Feb. 12. every spring, Edmondson said.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a lecture delivered by Susannah Ural, Frank and Virginia Williams Chair for Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Studies at MSU, followed by a reception and exhibit tour.
Two of the six new items to the collection, the docket and a book written by Lincoln, will only be on display for that night because of their condition and value, Edmondson said. The rest of the items will rotate through regular display at the gallery.
Edmondson said her hope through having regular exhibits and tours at the gallery is to help to make it clear how important that era in American history was for developing the country as it is today.
“I think it’s really important that we continue to educate the public on the true events and the facts of what was happening during that time, because it can get muddy,” Edmondson said. “… It’s just really important to continue to show the public these documents from the time. So then people can understand. … This is what was happening. This is how people were feeling. These were the decisions being made. It all boils back down to education.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
