News

He Belongs to the Ages: Mourning Abraham Lincoln

At the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research in the Allen County Public Library’s Main downtown location, we’re highlighting a strength of the Lincoln Collection: Abraham Lincoln mourning artifacts. Upon Lincoln’s death at the hands of an assassin on April 15, 1865, grief for the martyred president spread across the North. In this exhibit available from October 1, 2025, through January 20, 2026, visitors can view a small selection of these artifacts, including death notices, funeral photographs, a funeral ticket, and a funeral sermon delivered in Lincoln’s honor from right here in Fort Wayne.

Black Franchise: The Fifteenth Amendment and the Right to Vote

At the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research in the Allen County Public Library’s Main downtown location, we’re honoring the historic milestone that was the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. From May 28 through September 10, 2025, visitors can enjoy a celebration of Black male Americans winning the franchise—the right to vote.

The Emancipation Proclamation Inkwell

New temporary exhibit on display starting June 18, 2025!

2025 Rolland Lecture – The EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Comes to Indiana

New Lincoln Collection program coming this Juneteenth!

Join us at 3:00 pm on Thursday, June 19, 2025, for the annual Rolland Lecture featuring a special program for Juneteenth. You can join us in person or virtually. Registration is required.

Behind the Curtain: Mary Lincoln and Her Struggle with Mental Health

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research at the Allen County Public Library will unveil a new exhibit case on display from April 1, 2025, through May 27, 2025. Visit to reflect on the life of Mary Lincoln following the death of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln at the Library—Lincoln Postmortem: Abraham Lincoln’s Cranial Autopsy and the Mystery of his Illustrious Brain

Join us for Lincoln at the Library, presented by Lee D. Eutsey, on April 16 at 2 pm ET. The program is offered virtually and streamed in person at the Allen County Public Library’s Main downtown location in Meeting Room B.

April 1865

A new free exhibit spotlights the events of April 1865 at the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research in the Allen County Public Library. View from February 28, 2025, until early next year. Here at the 160th anniversary of the fall of the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, and President Lincoln’s assassination, the exhibit explores a pivotal month at the close of the Civil War.

The United States Colored Troops

New Temporary Exhibit open at The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research / View from January 8th, 2024 until April 1st, 2025. Photographs and documents help to tell the story of Black Americans’ service in the Civil War, including a famous photograph of Gordon, a formerly enslaved man who emancipated himself behind Union lines and joined the Union army.

2024 Annual McMurtry Lecture

“Held in War’s Grasp”: The Ordeals of Veteranhood after the Civil War Presented by Dr. Brian Matthew Jordan Monday, November 11, 7PM ET In-person at the Allen County Public Library Theater, registration required Virtual via Zoom, registration required Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Collection     “Held in War’s Grasp”: The Ordeals of […]

Lincoln at the Library

3D Photography in Lincoln’s Time presented by Colleen Woolpert. – Virtual reality and the View-Master are familiar to many, but 3D photography goes back to the invention of photography itself. Stereographs are small cards containing two nearly-identical photos which give the illusion of a three-dimensional scene when viewed with a stereoscope. Hugely popular from around 1850–1930, their role as important cultural assets is often overshadowed by their novelty.

New Temporary Exhibit open at The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research

The Election of 1864   Come see artifacts from the 1864 presidential election in the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research on the first floor of the Allen County Public Library’s Main downtown location! Read Democratic and Republican soldiers’ letters supporting their favored candidate—President Abraham Lincoln or General George McClellan. Enjoy election tickets and song sheets […]

New Exhibits Open at The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research

The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research has unveiled three new exhibits on January 29, 2024. The three new exhibits are Gettysburg, Indiana Civil War Soldiers, and Wartime President. Below are the features of each exhibit. Gettysburg: Our “Gettysburg” case features photographs, postcards, a songster, a map, a newspaper clipping, and more. These items tell the […]

2022 Rolland Lecture

Rolland Lecture Series: Agency & Urgency: Lincoln, the Black Community, and the Fight for Emancipation and Citizenship The 2022 Rolland Lecture is now available for viewing here Presented by Susannah Koerber  September 22, 2022 at 7 p.m. EST Allen County Public Library Main Library, Theater on Lower Level 2 The Friends of the Lincoln Collection […]

Celebrate Juneteenth with a deal from Southern Illinois University Press!

Celebrate Juneteenth with essay collections edited by Harold Holzer and Sara Vaughn Gabbard, now available as e-books! 1863: Lincoln’s Pivotal Year 1865: America Makes War and Peace in Lincoln’s Final Year Lincoln and Freedom: Slavery, Emancipation, and the Thirteenth Amendment Buy all three e-books for $10 each with the code FREEDOM10. Buy one or two […]