Join the women of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in celebrating Women’s History Month, as they share the stories behind their favorite items in our collections during a special edition of “Tales from the Vault.”

* ALPLM Director of Library Services Lisa Horsley will examine a letter that Mary Lincoln wrote to Illinois Governor Richard Oglesby dated June 11, 1865. Oglesby and other state officials were still pressuring Mary to have the President buried in the center of Springfield since they knew that people would travel from far and wide to pay their respects. Mary however wanted to honor the wishes of her departed husband who had told her before going to Washington that Oak Ridge Cemetery was the type of place that he wished to spend eternity. It’s a remarkable letter in that Mary is standing up to very powerful people to see her husband’s wishes fulfilled.
* ALPLM Registrar Carla Smith offers a look at Eliza Flowers veil, which has a personal connection to Carla’s ancestry and a hand fan with a bit of a mystery that was solved.
* ALPLM AV Librarian Megan Klintworth will share a small collection from a woman who worked at the Luminous Processes Inc./Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois, and an Elizabeth Todd Edwards daguerreotype to tell the story of her sister bond and helping Mary Lincoln during the time of Mary’s insanity trail.
* ALPLM Manuscripts Librarian Michelle Miller will feature the poetry volume of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft from the early 19th Jane was an Ojibwe writer and poet (one of the earliest known Native poets in the United States) from Michigan, who wrote poetry about nature, religion, and the joys and struggles of life and family.

They’ll be joined by ALPLM Executive Director Christina Shutt, who will serve as moderator for this fascinating look at unique and one-of-a-kind items from our collection.

This will be a “hybrid” event with the opportunity to attend in-person or virtually. The program will take place in our library’s multi-purpose room on Thursday, March 2 at 12pm. The event is free; reservations are not required.

To watch virtually via Facebook Live, please go to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Facebook page. Open the page at the appointed time and scroll to the post highlighting the live event. Once you’re there, simply click on the image and watch the live video stream.

Tales from the Vault is a quarterly collaboration between the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois State Museum.