A large collection of Lincoln artifacts has been donated to the State of Indiana. From what I’ve read in various publications, the collection will most likely be digitized at the Allen County Public Library for Internet dissemination to the world. Following is an excerpt from an article in the January 8, 2009 edition of the Southside Times.
Governor Mitch Daniels has announced that Lincoln Financial Foundation will donate its collection of Abraham Lincoln artifacts and documents to the State of Indiana…
Valued at more than $20 million, this is the world’s largest private collection of memorabilia from Abraham Lincoln’s personal and presidential life. It will be housed at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis and the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne. Among the more than 20,000 items in the collection are signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment; three-dimensional artifacts including Lincoln’s wallet and a chair he sat in for some of his most famous photographs, artwork, thousands of documents, photographs, prints and rare books.