On Display Now
Three large exhibit cases in the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research are available for public viewing any time the Center is open. The displays cover three themes:
Immigrants & the Civil War:
The Immigrants & the Civil War case features images of German, Irish, Swedish, and French immigrants during the war. Other featured items include two fine art pieces on loan from the Indiana State Museum’s holdings of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection as well as pamphlets published in the U.S. for immigrant groups surrounding the war and Lincoln’s presidency. This case also includes a bust sculpted in 2007 by Fort Wayne native Willis S. Clark.
Union Soldiers:
This display focuses on the lives of Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The case features images, letters, diaries, and artifacts highlighting enlistment, camp life, battles, medicine, and the home front. Featured items include letters written by soldier George Squier, songsters, and a Civil War blanket pin, pipe razor, and mess kit spoon that belonged to Corporal John E. Wilkins of Vigo County, Indiana.
The Lincoln Boys:
The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection is the only collection in the world to have the contents of the Lincoln family photo album. This case offers an overview of the lives of Abraham and Mary’s four sons, Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. Also featured are photos of the boys, letters from Robert, a lock of Willie’s hair, toy soldiers that belonged to Tad, and a Myriopticon.
In addition to the three large exhibit cases, the Rolland Center also has a smaller case which is rotated more frequently. Check out this upcoming exhibit:
Women of the Lincoln Family (May 1-31, 2023)
This case will feature items surrounding the Women of the Lincoln Family. It will exhibit images from the Lincoln Family Album, and images of Sarah Lincoln Grigsby and Nancy Hanks Lincoln’s respective gravesites.
A Juneteenth Celebration, Frederick Douglass & Booker T. Washington (June 1-30, 2023)
In celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research will be exhibiting the stories of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, two men who fought to reform the treatment of black Americans within the United States during the 19th Century.