Harlan-Lincoln House Newsletter - Winter 2014

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Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House at Iowa Wesleyan College Winter 2014

Reprint dedicated to lifetime member

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he Friends of the HarlanLincoln House have dedicated the reprint of the book The James Harlan and Robert Todd Lincoln Families’ Mount Pleasant Memories by Paul C. Juhl to Mary Helen Curtis in acknowledgment of her exceptional support for the Harlan-Lincoln House. The highest category of membership in the Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House is “lifetime member” at $10,000 and above. Curtis has now given $10,000 three times in the past several years.

She calls herself “a history buff” and explains that she feels that the history of the Harlans and Lincolns is very

Mary Helen Cammack Curtis

important to the College and the area.

Since Curtis graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1942 she has been a consistent, generous supporter of the College. A former Alumni Board member, she donated funds to install the elevator in the

James Harlan statue on permanent loan to Iowa Wesleyan College

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statue of U.S. Senator James Harlan, sculpted by Iowa sculptress Nellie Walker, has stood in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. since 1907. His is one of the two statues representing Iowa placed in National Statuary Hall; the other is of Samuel J. Kirkwood. In 2011, the Iowa legislature approved replacing the Harlan statue with a new one of Iowa native Norman Borlaug, and

last year, they approved placing Harlan’s statue on permanent loan to Iowa Wesleyan College.

The college has approved a location on the west lawn of the Harlan-Lincoln House. The statue is estimated to arrive in Mount Pleasant in late March, 2014. a

Red Flag Horseless Carriage Tour makes visit

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he Harlan-Lincoln House lawn was decorated with an array of vintage autos during the Red Flag Horseless Carriage Tour. This year’s tour was the second annual tour hosted locally for the organization which aims to foster an appreciation of vintage vehicles.

The Red Flag tour from New London, Iowa, to Brighton, Iowa, replicates an historical event that dates back to 1896 with a tour from London, England, to Brighton, England. a

college chapel several years before its recent renovation. In 2001, Curtis was named Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce “Citizen of the Year” in recognition of her contributions to the community.

In addition to her enduring commitments to Iowa Wesleyan, she has served on the local school board, Henry County Health Center Board of Trustees, as a 4-H leader, Sunday school teacher, school volunteer and a member of the Mount Pleasant Woman’s Club.

Curtis now lives in Cedar Falls and keeps current with Iowa Wesleyan developments. a

Mary Harlan Lincoln letter acquired Elizabeth Garrels, Chair of the Executive Committee for Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, keeps her eye on eBay for items of local historical interest. While checking the website, she noticed a letter written

by Mary Harlan Lincoln to her husband, Robert T. Lincoln, was for sale. With only a day remaining in the sale, she mobilized contributors to donate toward the purchase of the letter, and her bid was successful in obtaining this rare glimpse of Lincoln family life for the Harlan-Lincoln House collection. Mrs. Lincoln began her letter of December 29, 1906, “Dear Bob”. She wrote about her concern about the breakdown of her daughter Jessie’s marriage to Warren Beckwith, Jr. Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House Executive Committee member Paul Juhl will give a presentation on the letter and its context at the Brown Bag Lecture on March 11. You are invited to attend and learn more.

We are indebted to those who donated to purchase the letter: Paul and Joyce Dennison, Richard and Elizabeth Garrels, Alan and Melinda Huisinga, Paul C. Juhl, and Brian and Lois Roth.

friends of the harlan-lincoln house, iowa wesleyan college, 601 n main street, mt. pleasant, iowa 52641 Donna Gardner, alumni@iwc.edu, 319-385-6215

American Literature course includes Harlan-Lincoln history

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uring the fall 2013 semester, Dr. Lori Muntz, associate professor of English, developed curriculum for her ENG 349 Masters of American Literature I (colonial era to 1865), in part, from Harlan-Lincoln history.

While planning the course, she collaborated with Lynn Ellsworth, executive director of Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, about ways to reference the history of the Harlan and Lincoln families. The class met for a tour of the HarlanLincoln House led by Ellsworth, which was followed by discussion.

Highlighted were James Harlan’s early influence on the college, his service as U.S. Senator and Secretary of the Department of the Interior, and his family life, and the importance of local archives as context for the study of national history and American literature.

Harlan served in Washington, D.C. during two defining periods in American history—the Civil War and the westward expansion of the country. As a senator, Harlan spoke

against allowing slavery into the new territories, advocated for arming black soldiers, worked for justice for Native Americans, helped pass the Homestead Act, and supported the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The students were very responsive and drew the conclusion that Harlan was a man of vision, from his days of making Iowa Wesleyan a baccalaureate degree granting institution to his time in the federal government.

The course asked students to imagine literature as conversations about captivity and independence to consider what these concepts meant to explorers, colonists, the founding fathers and mothers, Native Americans and those who were enslaved. The authors included Columbus, John Smith, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, Black Hawk, Frederick Douglass, Emerson, Thoreau, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Whitman and Abraham Lincoln. a

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Contact Update

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s of February 1, the Chadwick Library will serve as the point of contact for the Harlan-Lincoln House.

We wish to thank Lynn Ellsworth who has served as the executive director for the past 18 years. Her passion and dedication in preserving the

history, keeping the legacy alive and promoting the House were felt by all those who have experienced this historic place. For tours, please call or email Donna Gardner at 319-3856215 or alumni@iwc.edu. a

Brown Bag Lecture Series

IWC answered Ken Burns’ Gettysburg Address appeal November 19, 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address. To commemorate this historic event, approximately sixty Iowa Wesleyan College students, faculty and staff recited the famous speech on the front porch of the Harlan-Lincoln House. The video of the recitation is posted on documentarian Ken Burns’ website www.learntheaddress.org. a

Reprint offered Paul C. Juhl, Friends of the HarlanLincoln House executive committee member, has donated a reprint of his book The James Harlan and Robert Todd Lincoln Families’ Mount Pleasant Memories to the Friends organization. Juhl made minor changes to the book and gave the revised copies to the Friends as a continued means of raising revenue.

The book has been a popular purchase for visitors to the House and at events. a

MARCH 2014

The Brown Bag Lectures are held Tuesdays in March at noon in the International Room of Chadwick Library at Iowa Wesleyan College. Audience members are encouraged to bring their lunch. The programs are free and open to the public.

March 4

Henry County Pioneer Cemeteries Pat White, local history volunteer, and members of the Henry County Pioneer Cemetery Commission will present the history of the commission and talk about cemeteries in the county which they are responsible for maintaining.

The program will include photos and locations of the pioneer cemeteries and information on people buried in these cemeteries.

March 11

“Dear Bob”: Mary Harlan Lincoln and Her Daughter’s Heartbreak Paul Juhl, Harlan-Lincoln volunteer and Iowa history enthusiast, Iowa City, will discuss a letter written by Mary Harlan Lincoln to her husband, Robert Todd Lincoln, in 1906. The letter is a recent addition to the Harlan-Lincoln collection. Mrs. Lincoln writes of her concerns over daughter Jessie’s estrangement from her husband, Warren Beckwith, Jr.

March 18

Early History of Southeast Iowa through the Writings of Women Michael Zahs, retired Washington, Iowa, social studies teacher, will use letters, diaries, and other writings of women to tell the story of life in 19th century Iowa. Zahs has been awarded several teaching awards, including the 1996 Iowa Distinguished Teacher Award for dedication to his students and profession. Humanities Iowa has awarded funding through their Speakers Bureau for the presentation.

Humanities Iowa is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.