Special Collections

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Lincoln Collection

Approximately 2,000 titles

This on-going collection began in 1975 with the gift of the Lincoln Library of Arthur Lloyd Hayden. It was augmented by the Lincoln Libraries of Elwin L. Page and Claude L. Simmonds: gifted by Howard and Carolyn Oedel, and Frank and Virginia Williams. Other titles added to the collection were gifts from former Lincoln collectors/scholars, among whom were J.D. Fiore and K.A. Bernard. We continue to increase our holdings with gifts from contemporary Lincolnians Thomas Turner, William Hanna, Mrs. Grace Heron, the Williamses, the Oedels, and others, as well as, through the library acquisition policy.

The Lincoln Collection includes:

BOOKS:

BIOGRAPHIES of Abraham Lincoln from the earliest to the most recent, such as:
William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik, Abraham Lincoln: A True Story of a Great Life (1888)
James R. Gilmore, Personal Recollections of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (1898)
Ward H. Lamon, The Life of Abraham Lincoln (1872)
Stephen B. Oates, With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (1977)
David H. Donald, Lincoln (1995)

MEMOIRS of Lincoln contemporaries: Union Generals Philip W. Sheridan, William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant; Artist Francis Bicknell Carpenter who wrote Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln; fellow lawyer with Lincoln on the Eighth Judicial Court, Henry C. Whitney, who wrote Life on the Circuit with Lincoln.

MONOGRAPHS with a special focus, such as:
Frank Moore, Women of the War; Their Heroism and Self-Sacrifice (1867)
Francis F. Browne, The Every-Day Life of Abraham Lincoln (1887, 1995)
William E. Barton, Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman (1928)
Burton J. Hendrick, Lincoln's War Cabinet (1946)
John K. Lattimore, Kennedy and Lincoln: Medical and Ballistic Comparison of the Assassination (1980)

JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS:

Harold Holzer
Lincoln Herald 40, 1938+
Lincoln Lore 1, 1929+
Bulletin of the Lincoln Fellowship of Wisconsin, 1976+
Lincoln Ledger of the Lincoln Fellowship of Wisconsin 1993+
Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association (including earlier publications under different titles)
Lincoln Newsletter: A Publication of the Lincoln College Museum 1979+
Louisiana Lincolnator (published by the Louisiana Lincoln Group)
Civil War History 1964-1972
Civil War Times Illustrated (a significant run)

SCRAPBOOKS:

These are scrapbooks that formerly belonged to three Lincoln collectors:
The Arthur L. Hayden Scrapbooks:

  • 25 books (11 1/2"x16"
  • FINDING AIDS: Table of Contents in each Book, Index

The Judge Elwin L. Page Scrapbooks:

  • 7 books (11 1/2"x14")
  • FINDING AIDS: Each book indexed by Page

The Judge Carl Wahlstrom Scrapbooks:

  • 80+ books (8 1/2"x11")
VERTICAL FILE:
An on-going collection of miscellaneous items (filed by subject) such as: Sotheby's Catalog, Oct. 23, 1987. Descriptions of Lincoln items to be auctioned, including the "only letter from Lincoln to Mary Owens to be offered at public auction." There is a photograph of this letter and a discussion of it as a "documented" memento of Lincoln's romantic relationship prior to his courtship of Mary Todd.
Illustrated, descriptive brochures of the "Lincoln Country"--Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.
Reviews of recent publications, including David H. Donald, Lincoln (1995)
Material relating to C-SPAN's 1994 Reenactment of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Harper's Weekly 1861-1872 (reissued).
ACCESS: OPEN

Various issues of local newspapers for the Civil War years
ACCESS: OPEN

Rare Civil War documents, many printed in England and indicating England's pro-southern attitude during the war. An example: The Diary of Lt.-Col. Freemantle, the Englishman who spent the months with the Confederate Army and became infatuated with Southern heroism. Freemantle was an important character in the movie, "Gettysburg."
ACCESS: Restricted

Original letters (inserted in some of the books in the collection) of authors--thus a collection of autographs in addition to interesting comments.
ACCESS: Duplicate copies in books.

PUBLICATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT:
  • Bibliographies of the Collection
  • Index to the Hayden Scrapbooks
  • Register of Papers in the Lincoln Group of Boston Archives
  • The Archives/Special Collections Newsletter
LINCOLN IMAGES:
Approximately 95.
Copies of prints, portraits, photographs and sketches ranging from the early photograph by Hesler (1857) and a Currier & Ives lithograph (1860) to Ritchie's engraving of Carpenter's famous painting of the "First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation Before the Cabinet" to William Marshall's portrait made just before Lincoln's death. There are several small busts from Lincoln's presidential years.
FINDING AIDS: Preliminary
ACCESS: Open

See also: Archives of Other Organizations: Lincoln Group of Boston

Dickens Collection

Approximately 925 titles
Dr. Clement C. Maxwell was a Dickens collector. His personal library was presented to the college in 1970 by his sister, Mrs. James Reilly. It consists of the books written by Dickens augmented by books about Dickens and London in Dickens' time.
FINDING AIDS: OPAC

Roosevelt (Theodore) Collection

Approximately 350 titles
The original Roosevelt Collection was a gift from Dr. Jordan D. Fiore made in 1958. It is a small collection of the works of Roosevelt and biographical books about him.
FINDING AIDS: Preliminary
ACCESS: Restricted

Early Children's Book Collection.

Approximately 2,100 titles
Most of the books in this collection were in the Burnell School Library. Well worn by the reading of many children, they have been kept "as is" with the original bindings. It is representative of the famous storytellers and illustrators of the past.
FINDING AIDS: OPAC
ACCESS: Open

Early Textbook Collection

Approximately 1,180 titles
Limited for the most part to textbooks used in the early days of Bridgewater, the collection has a few l8th century religious textbooks, as well as reprints of the New England Primer and Battledores. It includes also books by Samuel Goodrich, Arnold Guyot, George Quackenbos, Dana Colburn, Horace Mann, Dio Lewis and Salem Town, some of whom lectured here. FINDING AIDS: OPAC
ACCESS: Open

Local History Collection

Approximately 325 titles
This small collection is limited to Bridgewater and the neighboring towns of Plymouth County. It has some of the major works but depends on the Bridgewater Public Library and the Old Bridgewater Historical Society Library for much of the research material.
FINDING AIDS: OPAC
ACCESS: Open

Gettysburg Diorama

A very realistic portrayal of the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, this diorama was made by Dr. Paul Abramson in memory of his brother Dr. Murray Abramson. It was presented to the College and dedicated in 1988. The 13,000 tiny figures representing Lee's army of 75,000 men and Meade's amy of 97,000 are meticulously painted by hand and the land features carefully and faithfully put in place.
ACCESS: Open

Thompson Doll Collection

71 dolls
This is an educational exhibit and a compliment to the Early Children's Book Collection. The dolls were collected by Charlotte Thompson, Burnell School teacher, from the various countries she visited on her summer vacations. They are from such places as Alaska, American Indian, Amish, Bermuda, China, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holland, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and Wales. Dressed in their native, often hand-made, costumes, the children found it easy to learn about other peoples.
ACCESS: Open

The Special Collections Department maintains collections on Lincoln, Dickens, early children's books, and former textbooks used at Bridgewater State College. In the College Archives can be found past yearbooks, catalogs, faculty publications and master's theses, College publications such as The Comment, Alumni News, and Bridgewater Today, and other materials on the early history of the College.

Last Modified: April 20, 2011