Newberry Library - William K. Ackerman's scrapbooks [vol. 6], 1780-1905

Title William K. Ackerman's scrapbooks [vol. 6], 1780-1905

Date 1780-1905

Subjects Advertising, Railroad tickets, Railroads

Description One of 18 oversize volumes of personal scrapbooks from IC president William K. Ackerman. Vol. 1 includes many family items concerning ancestors, and some newspaper clippings, social events, an announcement of slave sales, 1858, passports, and many autographs; also a letter in verse from Joseph Kirkland; Vols.2-5 are mostly Chicago newspaper clippings, about 1883-92 (Vol. 5 is primarily newsclippings, cartoons, portraits, and some postage stamps); Vols. 6-8 are mostly about Chicago World's Fair, 1893; and Vols. 9-17 cover 1893-1905. Also includes an index to the scrapbooks, ca. 1905, at end of series.

Summary The collection documents the company's history with correspondence, minutes, reports, log books, financial information, stock documents, maps, blueprints, sketches, ephemeral material, and photographs. Development of the railroad in downstate Illinois and in Mississippi (and some other Southern states, specifically Louisiana) is especially well-documented, although there is also significant material relating to Chicago and Iowa.

Biographical/Historical Note With origins dating from an 1830s Illinois-sponsored program of internal improvements, the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), based in Chicago, was chartered in 1851 to take advantage of the Federal Land Grant Act of 1850 and build a north-south line in Illinois from Chicago to Cairo. In advertising and selling lands along its route, the IC was a catalyst for growth in the central and southern regions of Illinois, attracting thousands of settlers and laying the foundations for agricultural, industrial, and urban development. The company had a significant impact on the growth of Chicago and the development of its lakeshore. Expanding west to Iowa and into the southern states, the IC became the primary passenger and freight link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.

Extent 1020.0 linear feet

Format Archives, Scrapbooks

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number IC NEWBERRY scrrarc IC 1

BibID 9911523681605867

Projects Tag World's Fairs (Adam Matthew Digital)

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 9533px × 5905px 322.16 MB

File Created 10/25/2015

Filename Newberry_IC_2_81Vol6_0055.tif

Unique Identifier NL1JZX4