On Display Now

Three large exhibit cases in the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research are available for public viewing during the Allen County Public Library open hours:

Sunday: 12 to 5
Monday: 9 to 9
Tuesday: 9 to 9
Wednesday: 9 to 9
Thursday: 9 to 9
Friday: 9 to 6
Saturday: 9 to 6

The displays cover three topics:

Gettysburg:

Our “Gettysburg” case features photographs, postcards, a songster, a map, a newspaper clipping, and more. These items tell the story of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Learn more about the battle, its impact, and the memory of those fateful days. This case also includes a bust sculpted in 2007 by Fort Wayne native Willis S. Clark.

Indiana Civil War Soldiers:

Among the featured items in our “Indiana Civil War Soldiers” case, you will find photographs, letters, documents, and 3-D items. Explore what it meant to be a Hoosier soldier during the Civil War, from enlistment to discharge and reunions. In this case, you can expect to see John Wilkins’s journal and many more items from our Hoosier soldiers.

Wartime President:

Finally, our “Wartime President” case includes photographs, songsters, and pamphlets, among other items. Through these items, learn more about the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln as he led the nation through a Civil War. One featured item, in this case, is on loan from the Indiana State Museum and is an 1864 campaign pin.

In addition to the three large exhibit cases, the Rolland Center also has a smaller case which is rotated more frequently. Check out this temporary exhibit:

Juneteenth – Emancipation & Freedom:

Join the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research for a Juneteenth celebration! A new exhibit case was unveiled on May 29, 2024, at the Allen County Public Library featuring art of United States Colored Troops, Frederick Douglass speeches and his signature, a ticket to an 1864 Emancipation Day celebration, and a children’s abolitionist alphabet book. Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, is the celebration of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers marched into Texas and freed the remaining slaves in Confederate states following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. The exhibit will be open to the public and available to view the entire month of June. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

On Display in the Fine Book Vault

On Display Now

Gettysburg:

Indiana Civil War Soldiers:

Wartime President:

Juneteenth – Emancipation & Freedom:

On Display in the Fine Book Vault

Lincoln & his Pre-presidency Occupations

Funerals and Mourning for the Fallen President

Lincoln-signed Documents: The War Years