College owns Frederick Douglass 'trading card'
The picture was probably taken when Douglass visited college to speak in 1863
Jon Fisher
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News
A flicker of history came rushing back to Hillsdale College in February 2004. The college learned that a rare 3-by-5 inch collector's card of Frederick Douglass was selling on eBay.
Though the college lost the bid for the card on eBay, college administrators negotiated with the new owner and purchased the card, Public Service Librarian Linda Moore said.
This type of card, called a Carte de Visite, was common during the Civil War era to commemorate visiting speakers. They were often used as trading cards.
The college wanted this particular card of Douglass because makes special mention of Hillsdale and was most likely taken during his visit to Hillsdale in January 1863.
"We thought it an integral part of the college history," Assistant to the President Mike Harner said. "The value is much more intrinsic and important for the college than anything else."
Only several of these cards remain today, Moore said.
Rarely does the college find college memorabilia like this card, and no one on staff searches for this memorabilia, Harner said. However, when the college does find old mementos, they insist on acquiring them, he said.
"You won't necessarily go out of your way saying 'I've got to find all the other things,' but once you see something, you say 'Wow, that would be cool to have,'" Harner said.
On a chance search for "Hillsdale College" on eBay, Harner found an old fight song that predates the 1920s version and bought it.
"There you go, another piece of memorabilia for the archives," he said.
Currently, the Douglass card rests archived in the fire safety vault in Central Hall, Moore said.
The college keeps the card secure because of its rarity and the college's deference to Frederick Douglass, Harner said.
"Douglass was one of the many champions of liberty whose defense was in keeping with the way we believe liberty to be," Harner said.
Despite their similar viewpoints, the college did not invite Douglass to speak, Moore said. The Ladies' Literary Union offered Douglass $50 to speak on his way riding the railroad between Chicago and Detroit.
"It was natural to stop off for the night," Moore said. "In a way, it's harder to get to Hillsdale now."
A lot of people must have come to see Douglass because the literary union doubled their funds from the event, Moore said.
However, there was a variety of views about Douglass. According to Arlan Gilbert's book, "Historic Hillsdale College," the Hillsdale Standard wrote that Douglass was a radical to the core.
An enlarged copy of the card hangs on display in the Dow Leadership Center.
Though the college lost the bid for the card on eBay, college administrators negotiated with the new owner and purchased the card, Public Service Librarian Linda Moore said.
This type of card, called a Carte de Visite, was common during the Civil War era to commemorate visiting speakers. They were often used as trading cards.
The college wanted this particular card of Douglass because makes special mention of Hillsdale and was most likely taken during his visit to Hillsdale in January 1863.
"We thought it an integral part of the college history," Assistant to the President Mike Harner said. "The value is much more intrinsic and important for the college than anything else."
Only several of these cards remain today, Moore said.
Rarely does the college find college memorabilia like this card, and no one on staff searches for this memorabilia, Harner said. However, when the college does find old mementos, they insist on acquiring them, he said.
"You won't necessarily go out of your way saying 'I've got to find all the other things,' but once you see something, you say 'Wow, that would be cool to have,'" Harner said.
On a chance search for "Hillsdale College" on eBay, Harner found an old fight song that predates the 1920s version and bought it.
"There you go, another piece of memorabilia for the archives," he said.
Currently, the Douglass card rests archived in the fire safety vault in Central Hall, Moore said.
The college keeps the card secure because of its rarity and the college's deference to Frederick Douglass, Harner said.
"Douglass was one of the many champions of liberty whose defense was in keeping with the way we believe liberty to be," Harner said.
Despite their similar viewpoints, the college did not invite Douglass to speak, Moore said. The Ladies' Literary Union offered Douglass $50 to speak on his way riding the railroad between Chicago and Detroit.
"It was natural to stop off for the night," Moore said. "In a way, it's harder to get to Hillsdale now."
A lot of people must have come to see Douglass because the literary union doubled their funds from the event, Moore said.
However, there was a variety of views about Douglass. According to Arlan Gilbert's book, "Historic Hillsdale College," the Hillsdale Standard wrote that Douglass was a radical to the core.
An enlarged copy of the card hangs on display in the Dow Leadership Center.
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