Manuscripts

Materials related to the development of the Lincoln Home Historic Site.

As part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) campaign for the Library War Fund, Lincoln Library headed the effort for Springfield to raise over $2300 for reading materials and library equipment for the camps from 1917 to 1918.

The collection includes materials related to the operation of Lincoln Memorial Garden-correspondence, grounds notebook, committee reports, and maintenance plans, Administrators reports, Annual reports and meeting minutes, treasurers reports and financial records, photos, history and bylaws, newspaper clippings, event calendars, and items related Harriet Knudson and garden development.

The collection consists of nine notebooks with member information, meeting minutes, and newspaper clippings dating from 1932-1979.

The Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield began as an idea of the Reverend Thom Dennis, then priest of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, who envisioned an event that would showcase sacred art. Within two years, his original concept of an invitation-only art show, held in a church basement, had blossomed into the Liturgical Arts Festival, an exhibition of liturgical and sacred art, as well as a festival of performing arts.

The M. Zwicky Sons Soap Company was brought to Springfield, Illinois from Madison, Wisconsin in 1890 by George Zwicky and his brothers Casper and Michael, Junior.

This collection is comprised of several types of items, including correspondence, flight school and pilot training materials, and flight log books for Mabel and C.R. Johnston.

This collection includes materials related to Madeline Babcock Smith, her correspondence with her family in the 1940s talking about the Pearl Harbor attack and life in Decatur, and her writings including the book Lemon Jelly Cake in the 1950s and republishing it in the 1990s.

The collection consists mainly of letters, most of them written to Mary Bradish in her youth ca. 1895-1900 from friends and family.