What is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum?
The Illinois State Historical Society was created in 1899 to provide support for the mission of the Illinois State Historical Library and to promote research into the history of Illinois. It has been separated from the state of Illinois since 1997 but continues to support its original mission. The pertinent Mormon-related holdings of the society have been transported to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum where they now reside.
Visiting the Research Center
Researching at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is open by appointment. Information about the library’s hours and appointment scheduling can be found here.
What Researchers Should Know
- Before researchers arrive at the library to perform research they should register for an Aeon account and the online card catalog.
- To view the published materials in the library’s possession a researcher must use the online card catalog. To view relevant manuscript collections a researcher should use their ArchivesSpace public interface.
- For more information on using the library to conduct research please see the library’s “How to Access” webpage.
Utilizing the Library Digitally
The library also provides a helpful online resources page.
Important Collections
Many of the important collections in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum related to Mormonism were transferred from the Illinois State Historical Society.
- Joseph Smith papers
- Thomas Ford papers
- Smith-Pyper Family Papers
- George Washington Shaw, “The Rise and Progress of Mormonism”
- Amanda Benton Smith, “A short sketch of the trials of Mrs. Robert F. Smith at the killing of the Smiths, the Mormon’s Prophet”
- A pastoral letter of Bishop Chase to the clergy of his Diocese of Illinois
- Mistakes of Moses
- The Book of Mormon, 1st Edition
- An authentic history of remarkable persons…