The world's largest private collection of Lincoln memorabilia, housed until this summer at the Lincoln Museum (Fort Wayne, IN), will now be donated to a consortium of Indiana repositories, including the Indiana State Museum, the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and Friends of the Lincoln Museum.
Included in the collection are 7,000 prints; 5,000 photographs; 350 documents signed by Lincoln; 18,000 rare books and pamphlets; 200,000 newspapers and magazine clippings; and 350 sheet music titles. It has been valued at more than $20 million. An endowment will be established to provide for maintenance and accessibility.
The Indiana group successfully beat back bids from D.C. and Illinois organizations.
