Preserving the History of Lincoln University Village
FAIN: PY-253084-17
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania (Lincoln University, PA 19352-9141)
Sophia Sotilleo (Project Director: May 2016 to March 2021)
A digitization day to help chronicle the history
of Lincoln University, the first university for African Americans, and of
Hinsonville, Pennsylvania, the town founded by free Blacks where it
resides. Many of the university’s alumni
were involved in important historical moments, such as the Civil War and the Philadelphia
trolley boycott. Lincoln University would
work with the Chester County Historical Society to hold the “Heritage Day.” All digitized content would be made available
to the public through the University’s website.
Public events would include walking tours of the campus, lectures by
notable historians such as Henry Louis Gates, a community-wide reading campaign,
and a culminating exhibit to showcase the digitized content.
This proposal addresses the
critical need to document the personal, professional, and civic experiences of
the people whose lives contributed to the founding of Lincoln University, PA.
Descendants of residents of Hinsonville, an early settlement of free African
American landowners and farmers, now Lincoln University, will be invited to
bring family memorabilia—including photos, funeral programs, articles, Bibles
and other family documents—to be digitized and catalogued. This "Heritage
Day" will be open to the public and held in the Langston Hughes Memorial
Library. It will provide participants with free digitized copies of family
memorabilia and of oral interviews conducted by program consultants and
students trained in oral history interview procedures. Heritage Day will be
integrated with a series of genealogy and oral interview workshops, a Heritage
Speakers Series, Heritage Walking tours of Lincoln University's campus and
surrounding areas, and a community wide reading campaign.