THE
1947 - 1949 FREEDOM TRAIN
THE
EPILOGUE Part 2 - Dispersal of the Train's Contents
All the precious
documents, historic flags and other Materials displayed aboard the
train were returned to the Museums and repositories who loaned them,
including the National Archives and the Library of Congress.
Many of the
materials carried aboard the Freedom Train can be seen today by
visiting the various institutions that house them. Some of the documents
are exhibited only on rare occasions, including the Emancipation
Proclamation.
The reason why
many historic documents are seldom on public view is the same reason
why they will never travel again: the science of document conservation
was developed after the Freedom Train's late 1940's tour, and we
now know that unregulated temperatures, exposure to harsh light
and even movement diminishes the life of certain materials.
The Museum of
America's Freedom Trains is mindful of the same issues in conserving
its collection of original materials from the Freedom Trains and
America's past.
Text by Mr.
Larry Wines.
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