Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know
June 13, 2009 - February 28, 2010

The Museums at Washington and Chapin, comprising the Center for History and Studebaker National Museum, present Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know to commemorate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The exhibit and its programs are sponsored by National City, South Bend Tribune, Villing and Company, Inc., WSBT Radio Group, and AT & T Real Yellow Pages.

Abraham Lincoln remains a conundrum. The more that is revealed about him, the more puzzling Lincoln seems to be. And it is that mystery and all that is unknown about Lincoln’s years in Indiana that are examined in Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know. The exhibit explores Lincoln’s boyhood in Indiana, his connections to Indiana as an adult, Indiana’s reactions to his presidency, the conspiracy concerning his assassination, and the funeral train which brought his body through Indiana on the way to its final resting place in Illinois.

Arriving in Indiana with his family when he was just eight years old, Abraham Lincoln spent his formative years here. It was in the Hoosier state that America’s sixteenth president came of age--physically, intellectually and emotionally. Who can say to what degree Lincoln’s experiences in Indiana influenced him as he began his legal and political careers, and ultimately, was elected President of the United States? What can be said is that the thirteen years that Lincoln lived in Indiana were ample time to make an indelible imprint on the man. Echoes from Lincoln’s Hoosier boyhood reverberated throughout his career–in politics, in his election to the presidency, in his years guiding the country through the worst years of its history, the Civil War.

In Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know, visitors can learn about Lincoln’s life in Indiana from his own personal observations as well as from those who knew him. Firsthand accounts weave stories which reveal a side of Lincoln many never knew. From Nathaniel Grigsby, an Indiana neighbor and playmate of Lincoln, to Dennis F. Hanks, Lincoln’s cousin, to William Herndon, Lincoln’s last law partner, revelations of Lincoln’s life in Indiana offer a fascinating glimpse of one of America’s greatest--yet most enigmatic--presidents.

During the course of Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know, several special artifacts will have a limited showing, including a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, hand-signed by Abraham Lincoln, on loan from the Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, from September - December.

Upon entering the object-rich exhibit, visitors are immediately taken to the time of Lincoln’s funeral. An exact reproduction of Lincoln’s coffin, on loan from the Batesville Casket Company, stands on a replica catafalque, draped in black mourning cloth. On loan from The Lincoln Heritage Museum at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, are an original mourning ribbon, a mourning card from Lincoln’s funeral, and a glove worn by one of his pallbearers, all of which help tell the story of the nation's grief after the fateful night Lincoln was assassinated. Here they can see anew the national outpouring of mourning for Lincoln during the journey that brought his body through Indiana on its way back to Springfield. Many may be surprised to learn, for example, that from one-quarter to one-half of all individuals living in the north at that time saw the train as it journeyed from Washington D.C. to Illinois.

As visitors continue their tour of the exhibit, the story of Lincoln’s life unfolds. In a cabin footprint that houses an original eight-foot tall wooden cabinet made by Lincoln’s father, Lincoln's Hoosier boyhood is chronicled. The cabinet is on loan from the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science in Evansville, Indiana.

A scale-model replica of Lincoln’s home in Springfield, on loan from the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, provides a look at Lincoln’s life as lawyer in the Illinois city. On loan from the Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is an original desk used by Lincoln from 1841-1844 in his law office.

Reactions and responses from Hoosiers to Lincoln during his political campaigns are explored in a special area of the exhibit through a wide variety of artifacts, including Lincoln campaign flags. On view here, on loan from Andrew W. Nickle, is a Wide-Awake campaign torch head as well as a Wide-Awake banner, believed to be one of the largest privately-owned Lincoln campaign banners known to exist. Also showcased is a painting of Lincoln by artist Joseph Dille that was once used as a campaign banner and, until this exhibit, has never before been shown in a public setting. It is on loan to the Center for History from Elkhart County, Indiana.

In another area, the exhibit turns to Lincoln’s years as president, showing an original invitation to Lincoln’s inaugural, on loan from Andrew W. Nickle. A plaster replica of an 1860 Volk casting of Lincoln’s face and hands, on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Library at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, offer a striking visual of America’s sixteenth president. Several images of Lincoln, on loan from the Indiana Historical Society, are shown. From the collection of Jack Smith, Lincolniana collector and 2009 Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, Springfield, Illinois, are additional photographs of Lincoln, including one of Abraham Lincoln taken on the steps of the Capitol at his second inauguration on March 4, 1865. The picture shows a crowd scene that includes conspirators who planned Lincoln’s assassination.

A special section gives particular attention to Schuyler Colfax, a Hoosier who served as Speaker of the House under Lincoln. Shown in this area is the chair Colfax used as Speaker of the House as well as a Lincoln-Colfax coattail ribbon, on loan from David Yount. Also seen are a mother-of-pearl notebook used by Colfax, and Lincoln and Colfax images and autographs, many from the Center for History’s collections.
Nearby, visitors learn about Lincoln’s deep interest in technology, which sparked research that led to his receiving a patent--the only American president to do so. A special section on the Civil War showcases St. Clair Mulholland’s painting, Monitor and the Merrimac, on loan from the University of Notre Dame Archives.

From the collections of Studebaker National Museum is the carriage that took President and Mrs. Lincoln to Ford’s Theatre that fateful Good Friday in 1865. Here, visitors can learn about the conspiracy concerning the assassination and trace the route of the funeral train which brought his body through Indiana on the way to its final resting place in Illinois.

The guest curator for Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know is Bryon C. Andreasen, Research Historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, Illinois. He earned a J.D. from Cornell University and formerly practiced law in New York. Andreasen also earned a Ph.D. in History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has taught at the University of Illinois and Illinois State University. He is the recipient of several awards for research and writing.

Serving as guest curator for the exhibit area that focuses on Lincoln’s assassination is Jan Shupert-Arick, who is a graduate of Indiana University. Shupert-Arick served as Education Director at The Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is a past president of the Lincoln Highway Association and past national director of the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association. She is author of the recently-published book, The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana.

A series of Lincoln-related lectures, films and theatrical performances are planned throughout the period the exhibit is on view.