A letter written by Thomas Jefferson and a spoon made by Paul Revere are on display in the Heritage Room to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
The collection will remain on display until July 4. It includes an exhibit from the college’s coin collection exploring the history of the U.S. dime, the military appointment certificate of Peter Tappan, a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, and letters from prominent figures in the founding. The display was arranged for a meeting the President’s Office hosted in the Heritage Room.
“When you see their handwriting, their name on documents, or you hold something, it reminds you that these aren’t just stories from the distant past. The people were real, the events were real, this was a real struggle, and that’s why we’re here today,” said Lori Curtis, archivist and special collections librarian.
The library puts together special displays like the America 250 display to support Hillsdale’s curriculum, according to Maurine McCourry, director of Mossey Library.
“It’s so important for the nation to remember our history and Hillsdale’s involvement in that,” McCourry said. “And it’s important to make these connections between what we do here and the country’s founding — the college’s founding connected to the country’s founding.”
The display boasts a letter from General Nathanael Greene, Peter Tappan’s military appointment certificate, and a map of the plan of action at Bunker Hill, according to the Mossey Library website.
Curtis said her favorite piece in the display is Peter Tappan’s military appointment certificate, because it is signed by Nathanial Woodhall, President of the Provincial Congress of New York.
“This was also a gift to us, and when the gentleman who said he found it in the basement of a hospital in Boston,” Curtis said. “Peter Tappan’s brother-in-law was George Clinton, vice president of the United States from 1805 until 1812. It’s very important.”
To see the handwritten letters from such prominent figures is a remarkable opportunity, according to sophomore Peter Kaiser.
“I find it really interesting to look at their writings and to examine some of the finer details of what actually happened during the founding of this country,” Kaiser said.
Friends of the college donated almost everything in the special collections and archives, according to Curtis.
“When we have the incoming freshmen orientation, I’m usually in here, and I have all kinds of stuff pulled out of special collections. And someone will see Thomas Jefferson’s letter, and they’re going, ‘OK, these are facsimiles, right?’ I say, ‘No, these are actual real letters,’” Curtis said.
Jefferson’s letter, written Nov. 20, 1793, asks about a shipment of books to Monticello, according to the display sign in Mossey Library.
The display, specifically the silver spoon made by Paul Revere, characterizes important figures of history as it displays their lives outside of their heroic stories, such as Paul Revere’s ride to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming, according to Kaiser.
“It portrays the Founding Fathers as actual people, not just figures of history. These people actually had lives, and they had work that they dedicated themselves to,” Kaiser said.
It is important to come view this display as it acts as a tangible link to America’s founding, right here in Hillsdale, according to McCourry.
“It gives you goose bumps. It will make you understand better, even just reading about these things, you say, ‘Oh, OK, I read about that,’ but actually seeing it and being a foot away from it is a different kind of experience,” McCourry said. “So I very much encourage people to come see these things.”
