Abe Lincoln Artifacts May Stay in Indiana

A prized collection of Abraham Lincoln artifacts and memorabilia may not leave his boyhood home of Indiana after all. A coalition of state groups, including the Allen County Public Library and the Indiana State Museum, is one of the three finalists to take control of the collection housed by the recently closed Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, the News-Sentinel reports. A decision is expected in January.

“We are working on plans to meet with organizations that can help fund an endowment to care for and increase accessibility to the collection,” said team leader Ian Rolland. No official word on the other two finalists, but one is thought to be a DC group that includes the Library of Congress. The $20 million collection includes a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. (More Abraham Lincoln stories.)