The Rolland Center
For Lincoln Research
Welcome to the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research
The center is free and open 7 days a week
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Events & Programs
August 19, 2026
VIRTUAL EVENT
The Meteor of the War: John Brown’s Raid
John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry is widely acknowledged as a cataclysmic event that catapulted the country towards civil war. In this latest installment of the Allen County Public Library’s Lincoln at the Library program series, Jon-Erik Gilot presents “The Meteor of the War: John Brown’s Raid.” This program offers a background on Brown, an overview of the planning, the events of the raid and the resulting fallout, and considers whether John Brown was in fact the meteor of the Civil War.
Through Dec. 31, 2026
ON DISPLAY
Carrying Lincoln's Legacy
As the last living connection to President Abraham Lincoln, his son Robert Todd Lincoln cared for his grieving mother, attended memorial events, and helped preserve the martyred president’s legacy. A new temporary exhibit shines light into the shadow of that legacy, where Robert carried the weight of his father’s memory. We invite visitors to peek into the shadows and discover the man that many Americans thought of simply as “Lincoln’s son.”
Through Dec. 31, 2026
ON DISPLAY
The Lincolns at Home
Take an intimate look at this historic first family, which through times of peace and times of war found comfort and companionship in one another. Explore highlights from the Lincoln family’s own photo album, which contains more than 600 photographs and is held right here in the Rolland Center. The exhibit can be viewed during normal library hours from December 20, 2025, through the end of 2026; there is no cost to visit.
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NOW
ON DISPLAY
Lincoln Collection Items
The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection and the Friends of the Lincoln Collection opened the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research in January of 2022. The Center provides a space to explore the Lincoln Collection through a variety of physical displays, digital kiosks, and even a projection room that shows collection items in 180 degrees.
Meeting Dates - 2025
(4th Thursday of each month* at 3:00pm)
Date | Location | Agenda |
|---|---|---|
* Meeting held on third Thursday of the month due to holiday.
Regular meetings will be held at the branch location indicated and livestreamed on the ACPL youtube page.
Winkler, H. Donald, 1932-
Stealing secrets : how a few daring women deceived generals, impacted battles, and altered the course of the Civil War
The New York Times disunion : modern historians revisit and reconsider the Civil War from Lincoln's election to the Emancipation Proclamation
Robertson, James I., Jr. (James Irvin), 1930-2019
Soldiers Blue and Gray
Foner, Eric
The fiery trial : Abraham Lincoln and American slavery
Egerton, Douglas R
Thunder at the gates : the black Civil War regiments that redeemed America
