Lincoln Institute Oral History Collection, 2003-2008 | Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog

Collection Overview

Title: Lincoln Institute Oral History Collection, 2003-2008

ID: RG 14/14.02

Extent: 7.0 Boxes (General)

Subjects: African Americans -- Education -- Kentucky., Berea College -- History, Lincoln Institute (Simpsonville, Ky.) -- History., Lincoln Institute (Simpsonville, Ky.)., Oral history -- Berea College (Ky).

Forms of Material: Oral history.

Languages: English

Abstract

Lincoln Institute was an all-black boarding high school in Simpsonville, Kentucky, near Louisville, that operated from 1912 to 1966. The school was created by the trustees of Berea College after the Kentucky State Legislature passed the Day Law (1904) putting an end to the racially integrated education at Berea that had existed since the end of the Civil War. The founders originally intended Lincoln to be a college as well as a high school, but by the 1930s it gave up its junior college function. Lincoln offered both vocational education and standard high school classes. The students produced the school's food on the campus' 444 acres.

Lincoln alumnus, Whitney Young, Jr., became a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement and served as director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971. Born at Lincoln in 1921, he was the son of Whitney Young, Sr. who led the school as its longtime principal. The rise of integrated education reduced the need for high schools like Lincoln. Since its 1966 closing, the Lincoln campus has housed gifted and talented programs, the Whitney Young, Jr. Job Corps Center, and the Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum (a National Historic Landmark).

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection consists of recorded interviews of eighty-six individuals who were students at the Lincoln Institute at various times from the 1930s through 1966 (when the school closed). The interviews were conducted by Berea College Associate Professor of African and African-American Studies Andrew Baskin, with the assistance of Symerdar Baskin, as part of the Lincoln Institute Oral History Project.

Also included in the collection are: recordings of Lincoln Institute Reunion events and speakers; silent film footage from the 1920s and 1950s depicting campus scenes, building interiors, students, faculty, school groups such as cheerleaders and the marching band, and events such as graduations, homecoming parades, and football games; photographs in digital format of reunion activities; and reunion souvenir journals for 2004 and 2008.

Subject/Index Terms

African Americans -- Education -- Kentucky.
Berea College -- History
Lincoln Institute (Simpsonville, Ky.) -- History.
Lincoln Institute (Simpsonville, Ky.).
Oral history -- Berea College (Ky).

Administrative Information

Repository: Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog

Access Restrictions: Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.

Use Restrictions: Federal copyright regulations apply. Please cite all materials.

Preferred Citation: [Object identification], RG 14.02: Lincoln Institute Oral History Collection, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Berea, KY.

Finding Aid Revision History: The finding aid was created in October 2015 by Lori Myers-Steele, Collections Archivist. Links to recordings were added in 2018. Finding guide updated 2019.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project Paperwork and Print Material],
[Box 2: Original Hi8 Video Interview Recordings],
[Box 3: Original Hi8 Video Interview Recordings],
[Box 4: Original Interview Video Recordings],
[Box 5: Interview Video Viewing Copies],
[Box 6: Interview Video Viewing Copies],
[Box 7: Audio Content From Interview Video Recordings],
[All]

Box 1: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project Paperwork and Print Material

Folder 1: Oral History Project Interview Release Forms
Folder 2: Lincoln Institute 2004 / 2008 Reunion Programs & Photo CDs

Box 2: Original Hi8 Video Interview Recordings

Item 1: SC-VT-584-001

Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-29-03: Anna Warren / Vivian Overall / Wanda Brown recorded by Andrew Baskin (Copied from Video Hi8 original - Same audio as SC-CT-847-001).