A Southland Treasure: The A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Civil War Collection

By Richard A. Hanks, Associate Archivist
A.K. Smiley Public Library

In 1932, Robert Watchorn presented the City of Redlands, Calif., with the gift of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine. The original limestone octagon structure was recently expanded in 1998 with the addition of two wings, trebling the space available for displays and presentations. This expansion is in line with Mr. Watchorn’s desire to see the shrine grow in size and stature; a desire initially cut short by his death in 1944.The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is the only repository west of the Mississippi dedicated solely to the study of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. Nearly 3,000 people visited the memorial in January and February of 2001. The shrine and its accompanying archives house over 3,000 manuscripts, letters and diaries of participants in the war, including several from President Lincoln. In addition, the shrine’s collections contain nearly 2,000 photographs, pictures and lithographs of the time period, over 4,600 rare pamphlets and a wide assortment of wartime newspapers. Its museum display cases present a unique selection of era artifacts, including weaponry and uniforms. Sculpture by George Grey Barnard, John Rogers and Cartaino S. Paolo and paintings by eminent artists such as Dean Cornwell and Norman Rockwell enhance the atmosphere of this singular institution.

The shrine is located in a park directly behind the A.K. Smiley Public Library. The library is at 125 W. Vine Street in Redlands. The museum is open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Docents are on hand to answer any questions. The Library employs a staff of archivists to care for and maintain the collections. Their offices, including that of Don McCue, the head of Special Collections, are in the Library’s Heritage Room. For more information, call (909) 798-7632 or e-mail archives@akspl.org.

© Copyright Richard A. Hanks. Used with permission.