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 4: Original Interview Video Recordings

Only on DVD. Online viewing not available.

Item 1: SC-VD-168-001: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-08-10: Gary Brown recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 2: SC-VD-168-002: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-10-10: Joe Wimsatt recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 3: SC-VD-168-003: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-10-10: Larry McDonald, recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 4: SC-VD-168-004: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-10-10: William Fleming recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 5: SC-VD-168-005: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-11-10: Lee Thomas recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 6: SC-VD-168-006: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-11-10: Nora Craig (Jones) recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 7: SC-VD-168-007: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-11-10: Irvington Group Interview recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 8: SC-VD-168-008: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 06-11-10: Barbara Snow recorded by Andrew Baskin, Triston Jones, and Sherri Jenkins.
Item 9: SC-VD-168-009: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-01-10: Victor Brown recorded by Triston Jones.
Item 10: SC-VD-168-010: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-01-10: John N. Cunningham recorded by Sherri Jenkins.
Item 11: SC-VD-168-011: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-06-10: Rev. Robert Marshall, Stella K. Lee, Natholee Bradford Harris, Estelle Marshall, and Maureen B. Ashby, recorded by Triston Jones.
Item 12: SC-VD-168-012: Lincoln Institute silent film footage from the 1920s and 1950s depicting campus scenes, building interiors, students, faculty, school groups such as cheer leaders, and marching band and events such as graduation, home coming parades, and football games. (From same original as SC-VT-795-001)
Item 13: SC-VD-168-013: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-09-10: Alvin M. and Wilfred T. Seals recorded by Andrew Baskin.
Item 14: SC-VD-168-014: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 07-14-10: Eric Smith recorded by Andrew Baskin.
Item 15: SC-VD-168-015: Lincoln Institute Alumni Reunion 2010
Item 16: SC-VD-168-016: Lincoln Institute Alumni Reunion dinner - Andrew Baskin, speaker 7-10-2010
Item 17: SC-VD-168-017: Lincoln Institute Alumni Reunion Memorial Service 7-10-2010
Item 18: SC-VD-168-018: Lincoln Institute Alumni Reunion Sunday Worship Service 7-11-2010
Item 19: SC-VD-168-019: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 6-17-10: Barbara Snow recorded by Andrew Baskin.
Item 20: SC-VD-168-020: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 7-16-10: Rudolph Mumphry recorded by Andrew Baskin.
Item 21: SC-VD-168-021: Lincoln Institute Oral History Project INTERVIEW 7-16-10: Joyce Thomas, Arlene Elliott, Frances Ruff, James Robards, Jr., Sharon Boyd, and Ann Reynolds recorded by Andrew Baskin.