Celebrating Lincoln

Law Library features its collection of artifacts

—Story and photos by Lori Craig

In honor of the 2009 bicentennial celebration of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, the USC Law Library is highlighting its unique collection of Lincoln artifacts.

Housed in the Law Library’s Lincoln Room, the collection features books dating back to the 1860s, including rare volumes, first editions, an engraving of the Lincoln family, and a micrograph of the Emancipation Proclamation. The replica Victorian fireplace and furniture duplicate the Lincoln family’s living room in Springfield, Ill.

The book collection contains 151 titles and 192 volumes. Among the standouts are Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Distinguished Men of his Time (1886), collected and edited by Allen Thorndike Rice, which contains essays about Lincoln by individuals who knew him (pictured below); The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text (1993), edited by Harold Holzer, which contains transcripts of the debates from a variety of sources, including some that were long-ignored; and a first edition of Myths After Lincoln (1929), by Lloyd Lewis.

With the aim of celebrating the life and legacy of Lincoln, the United States Congress established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC). The Commission has planned numerous projects and cultural events including a dedication day ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a Lincoln birthday celebration in Washington, D.C., and the rededication of the Lincoln Memorial.

“We felt Lincoln’s 200th birthday would be an appropriate time to highlight both the work of the ALBC and the Law Library’s Lincoln Room,” said Law Library Associate Director Leonette M. Williams. “Our collection duplicates very little held elsewhere on campus.”

Tours of the room may be scheduled by appointment between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursdays through March by calling (213) 740-6482.

The library put together a display, created by Head of Cataloging Wendy Nobunaga, located in the east lobby of the law school.

“The first display case contains examples from the government’s celebration and includes the new series of Lincoln pennies and Lincoln stamps as well as a timeline of Lincoln’s personal and legal life,” said Law Library Assistant Director Brian Raphael. “The second case features the library’s Lincoln Room collection, including a rare work on the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.”

The collection came to USC Law from Dr. H. McLeod Patterson, via the International Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA). Patterson assembled the collection and presented it to a member of the ITLA to show his gratitude for the attorney’s honorable service.

When the ITLA decided to donate the room and collection, association member James Ackerman ’48 suggested it go to his alma mater, USC Law, where it has proudly been displayed since 1998. Students use the Lincoln Room as a casual study area and it often serves as a backdrop for television and documentary interviews by law faculty.