Remnant Trust collection opens at Trine University

ANGOLA, Ind. – "I can't believe we have these in Angola." "I can't believe Trine was able to get them for us." "I can't believe I can actually touch them and hold them in my hands." These comments were often heard from visitors who saw The Remnant Trust collection at Trine University last fall and there are more opportunities now to see a new collection.

"Many of the 1,200 visitors who stopped by were in disbelief when they learned what we had here at Trine," said Thomas Tierney, Ph.D., Trine professor emeritus and curator of the collection. "I encourage everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity to hold books that many will never even get a chance to see."

The current 50-piece collection on loan to Trine has an emphasis on liberty and allows visitors to read the thoughts of those who first conceived the idea of democracy in America. In addition, there are works by David Crockett that detail his adventures in the backwoods, in the west and on the ocean; a 1691 first edition of "The Morals of Confucius" by Confucius; and a 1901 version of "Up From Slavery: An Autobiography" by Booker T. Washington.

Among highlights of the documents that focus on liberty:

• One of three 1776 copies of the Declaration of Independence. The copy is the only one of the three that is in circulation and on view to the public.
• The Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North America, dated 1775.
• A Defence (cq) of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America by John Adams, 1787.
• Third edition of "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, 1776.
• Second edition of "Democracy in America" by Alexis Tocqueville, 1836.
• Journal of the First Session of the Senate of the United States of America, begun and held at the City of New York, March 4, 1789.
• An Account of the Proceedings on the Trial of Susan B. Anthony on the Charge of Illegal Voting at the Presidential Election in November, 1872.

See the complete list of what is on loan to Trine.

Everyone is invited to see and hold books and documents that detail the path to the many liberties and freedoms Americans enjoy. Admission is free and the collection is available for a limited time. See exhibit details at left.

During the Fall 2013 semester, nearly 1,200 visitors took advantage of a rare opportunity to hold and feel rare works.

The Remnant Trust, based in Winona Lake, is a growing collection that focuses on human dignity and individual liberty.