ĸ commemorates 160th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination with lecture, exhibit
Contact: Pattye Archer
STARKVILLE, Miss.—With the country on the cusp of healing after the Civil War, the sudden assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 stands as one of the most significant and haunting events in American history.
Now, 160 years later, ĸ Libraries offers the public a chance to step back in time and experience this pivotal moment through a compelling lecture and an exclusive guided tour of its newly curated Lincoln assassination exhibit.
Hosted by Williams Collection of Lincolniana archivist Kaelynn Edmondson and Susannah J. Ural, the Frank and Virginia Williams Chair for Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Studies and history professor, the April 14 program will illuminate the facts and myths surrounding the nation’s first presidential assassination.
“Lincoln’s murder shocked the nation just as the Civil War was coming to an end,” said Ural. “This event offers an opportunity to better understand the tragedy, how Americans responded, and its lasting impact on our country.”
Ural’s lecture “Our Great Loss: The Lincoln Assassination” will take attendees beyond the textbook version of events, unraveling the myths and mysteries that have endured since the 16th president’s death.
Featuring rare artifacts from the Williams Collection, the exhibit brings to life the way Americans first learned of Lincoln’s murder, gripping investigation, dramatic trial and execution of the accused conspirators. Visitors also will learn how a grieving nation mourned what one contemporary called “Our Great Loss.”
Edmondson designed the new exhibit with the help of Angela Whitlock, curator of exhibits and engagement, exhibit designer Dianna Janus and Ural. MSU doctoral student Will Epping played a critical role in the exhibit’s design.
“I have researched and pulled items from our collection that are relevant to the assassination of President Lincoln, while also creating the caption cards with our graduate assistant Will Epping,” Edmondson said. “Most of my role consisted of communicating my design idea and managing the items that will be on display this April.”
Ural said the program is designed for university faculty, staff, students and the public, welcoming anyone with a curiosity about history.
The event will begin 6 p.m. in the Mitchell Memorial Library's John Grisham Room with a reception and tour to follow. MSU parking gates will go up at 5 p.m.
Ural said Lincoln’s assassination still captures the public’s imagination.
“Lincoln remains one of the most beloved presidents in U.S. history. People still mourn the loss of a leader who had so much more to offer a divided nation,” she said. “And then there’s John Wilkes Booth—a renowned actor turned assassin. The sheer unexpectedness of his crime fueled conspiracy theories that linger to this day.”
Edmonson said she realizes many do not know what actually happened regarding the assassination.
“Not many people know that the original plot was to kidnap him, that Booth was a Southern sympathizer or that President Lincoln did not die immediately from the attack,” Edmondson said. “Lincoln events like this lecture and exhibit unveiling are important for communities to not only learn more about events in U.S. history but also see artifacts that can connect them to the past.”
MSU has become known nationally as one of the leading research sites for the study of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras since the Grant Library opening and Williams Collection donation in 2017. That year, Frank and Virginia Williams gifted their collection of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia to the university. Valued at nearly $3 million, it is considered the nation’s largest privately owned holding of Lincoln research and display material. MSU also is home to the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and Museum and is one of only six universities in the nation to house a presidential library.
Learn more about the Williams Collection at . MSU Libraries is online at .
For more information, please contact Kaelyn Edmondson at 662-325-2198 or KEdmondson@library.msstate.edu.
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