Abraham Lincoln Artifacts Showcased at USC Law in Celebration of 16th President’s Bicentennial Birthday
USC Law’s Lincoln Reading Room serves as a historical setting for memories of the president
WHAT: The bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is giving USC Gould School of Law a chance to highlight its unique collection of Lincoln artifacts and even serve as a backdrop for stories highlighting the birthday celebration. Housed in the USC Law Library, the Lincoln Reading Room 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. In addition, the replica Victorian fireplace and furniture duplicate the Lincoln’s living room in their home in Springfield, Ill. The Lincoln Reading Room at USC Law will host reporters looking for stories about Lincoln’s bicentennial birthday celebration.
WHERE: USC Law School, Lincoln Reading Room, 399 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, 90089
WHEN: Today and Thursday, Feb. 12
THE COLLECTION: The book collection contains 151 titles and 192 volumes. Among the standouts is 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. The collection came to USC Law from Dr. H. McLeod Patterson, via the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Foundation (IATLF). Patterson assembled the collection and presented it to a member of the IATLF to show his gratitude for the attorney’s honorable service. When the IATLF 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.
DAILY TROJAN STORY:
USC Law School reading room highlights Lincoln’s legacy
Artifacts including rare books and original art mark the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.
By Laura Nelson
In honor of Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12, the USC Law School has begun offering informational walk-throughs of the Lincoln Reading Room, a lesser-known area of the Musick Law Building. The room, in the corner of the second-floor library, contains rare books, first editions, original paintings, replica Victorian furniture and other Lincoln memorabilia.
Although the reading room is always open to USC students, tours are a new opportunity for students to learn more about the Lincoln artifacts, Assistant Director of the Law Library Brian Raphael said.
“Occasionally, students wonder why we have a Lincoln room in a law library and they don’t know much about it,” Raphael said. “We can tell them more if they go on the tours.”
Students can make phone appointments to tour the room between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Tours will be offered through the end of March.
The law school has also created two Lincoln display cases on the main floor of the Musick building.
One showcases the collection’s rarest books, including books from as early as 1886. The other displays Lincoln memorabilia, including the new Lincoln silver dollar, the new Lincoln penny print and the new Lincoln stamp, all created by the federal government for the 200th anniversary festivities.
“There’s so much going [on] with the anniversary that we felt we should do something too, especially with all the artifacts that we’re so fortunate to have,” said Associate Director of the Law Library Leonette Williams.
At the suggestion of law alumnus James Ackerman, the International Trial Lawyers Association donated the bulk of the Lincoln artifacts to USC in 1998, Williams said.
The ITLA originally received the presidential collection from Dr. H. McLeod Patterson, a doctor who wanted to thank the ITLA for their services, Raphael said.
“We had this room that was a casual reading room, just a place for students to relax and read, and we also had all these Lincoln artifacts,” Raphael said. “So we said, ‘Why not turn it into the Lincoln Room?’”
In addition to seven hanging pieces of art, the room contains a replica marble fireplace, a Victorian-style couch and two chairs — exact replicas of the furniture Lincoln and his wife would have had at their Springfield, Ill. home.
The room also contains 151 titles and 191 volumes of books, Williams said. The bookcases remain locked but the volumes are all searchable on the library’s online catalogue. Books are available for use within the library.
“Some of the books are quite fragile, the kind you want white gloves for,” Williams said. “But they are valuable resources.”
Williams added that although the library has no interest in appraising the collection, Ruth Weisberg, dean of the Roski School of Fine Arts, has examined the collection and deemed some of the pieces of art valuable first editions.
Cases remain locked and security is high enough when the Musick building is open that Williams said no one worries about theft or damaged property.
“We haven’t really had any issues with theft,” Williams said. “The seat in the Lincoln Room sofa was pushed all the way through, and it’s being repaired, but that’s the only trouble that we’ve had.”
Raphael said that all current first-year law students take a tour of the library that includes the Lincoln Room, but the library is not interested in making the collection too public.
First-year law student Brandon Reilly said that although he remembered seeing the room during a tour, he never uses it.
“I have seen some literature about it, but I’ve never been in it myself,” Reilly said.
Raphael said the library has no problem with keeping the Lincoln Room quiet.
“The Lincoln Room has a special ambiance that takes you back to an earlier day,” Raphael said. “We always keep it soothing, relaxing. It has a rich sense of history.”
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