When the Grant Foundation’s collection of the papers and mementos of Ulysses S. Grant was moved from Southern Illinois University to Mississippi State in 2008, it might have easily been considered a novelty that quickly faded from public attention.
That’s not what happened. Every few years it seems, a new dimension has been added to the collection, most recently a planned relocation from the Mitchell Memorial Library on the MSU campus to a new home in the Cotton District, part of an ambitious, 15-acre development plan, giving the collection greater exposure.
In 2012, in honor of the Foundation’s 50th year, the Grant Foundation designated its collection as the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, which features Grant’s papers (published in 32 volumes) along with roughly 10,000 books on Grant, the nation’s 18th President.
Soon after that designation was made came word of a plan to expand the Presidential Library when Mitchell Memorial Library added a fourth floor dedicated exclusively to the Presidential Library. Upon the completion of that expansion in 2017, yet another significant addition arrived when former Rhode Island state supreme court justice Frank Williams donated his collection of Abraham Lincoln artifacts to the University.
Williams has no natural link to Mississippi State or Starkville. He decided to donate his collection to the university because of the care it took with the Grant collection. He, much like Grant and Lincoln, puts great store in reconciliation.
“Whether it’s North or South, where we lack civility — we’re a house divided,” Williams told the Starkville Rotary Club at Monday’s luncheon. “We’re hoping that these collections, our collection, will help serve to heal the divide”
Williams also appeared at Columbus Rotary Club Tuesday.
With Williams’ donation, Mississippi State is home to the largest collection of Grant material and the second largest collection of Lincoln material outside of the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
That such an impressive array of Grant and Lincoln material is found together seems natural. As commanding general of the Union Army that won the war, Grant joined Lincoln as the two most celebrated Americans since Washington and Jefferson. Although their time together was cut short by Lincoln’s assassination, the two are intrinsically linked by history. Grant’s place in history was further cemented by his two terms as President.
The presence of these collections at MSU makes it a destination for historians and history buffs. The continued growth of these collections will draw visitors for years to come, especially when the new Grant Presidential Library and Lincoln Collection move into their new home in the Cotton District.
The presence of these two collections in Starkville of all places, has proven more than a curiosity. Our understanding of these two extraordinary men at a pivotal time in our nation’s history will continue to grow because of the presence of these remarkable collections.
We are honored to be home to such a wealth of historical material.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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