Lincoln Objects
A lock of Lincoln’s hair. A hammer owned by John Wilkes Booth. A ruler used by Lincoln in the White House. These numinous objects are just a few of the many strange yet fascinating pieces which have found their way into Brown’s McLellan Lincoln Collection.
The museum objects make up a small but fascinating part of the McLellan Lincoln Collection. Much more than simply a testament to Lincoln’s continuing presence in American material culture, these objects are significant because of what they can tell us about the nature of historical memory. Whether real or fake, rare or common, these objects were considered important enough by the people who owned them to save and preserve. As the library continues to add to the McLellan Lincoln collection, it too is making choices about what deserves to be saved, and how Lincoln and his legacy should be remembered.
