Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection
SPEC.094
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
November 17, 2014
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie, Indiana, 47306
765-285-5078
libarchives@bsu.edu
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Table of Contents
Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3
Biographical Note.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 4
Arrangement...................................................................................................................................................5
Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................5
Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................6
Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 8
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006..........................................8
Series 2: Civil War portraits, maps and plaques, 1986, 1993...............................................................13
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977................................................................................. 14
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Summary Information
Repository
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Bracken, Frank
Title
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection
Date
1860-2006
Extent
3.0 Cubic feet 7 boxes
Language
English
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Biographical Note
Frank A. Bracken was born in 1934 to his parents, Alexander M. and Rosemary Bracken. He graduated
from Burris High School in Muncie, Indiana in 1952, where he was a member of the basketball team.
Bracken traveled to Europe at least twice with his family between the ages of 1 and 18. Frank attended
Carleton College, graduating in 1956 with a B.A. in Government and Industrial Relations. In 1959, Frank
Bracken married Judy Purdy and together they had four children: Ann, Tom C., Peggy, and Jane.
From 1969 to 1972, Frank Bracken served as legal counsel for the United States Department of the
Interior in Washington, D.C. Bracken also served as the Ball State University Board of Trustees president
for seven years prior to his stepping down in 1989 in order to accept an appointment by then-President
George H.W. Bush to be Undersecretary of the United States Department of the Interior. Bracken served
in this position 1993. One of his accomplishments during his term was the formation of the Civil War
Preservation Trust (now the Civil War Trust).
After leaving Washington, D.C., Bracken returned to Ball State University where he served as the Board
of Trustees vice president for 18 years. For most of that period, he also served as a member of the George
and Frances Ball Foundation Board and helped to oversee the donation of nearly $40 million to Ball State
University.
Source: "Longest-serving board member honored with Administration Building naming," Ball State
University News, February 22, 2010. http://cms.bsu.edu/news/articles/2010/2/longestserving-boardmember-honored-with-administration-building-naming
Scope and Contents
The contents of the Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection reflects Frank Bracken's lifetime passion for
history as well as a personal and professional commitment to preserving the past. The collection consists
of Civil War research papers and organizational records, photographs, maps, plaques, and realia including
Civil War weapons and uniforms. Frank Bracken's great-grandfather, William Holsworth Bracken, was
1st Lieutenant of the Indiana Calvary, Union Company B, 4th Regiment and many of the original items
in the collection belonged to William H. Bracken including the pistol, pommel holsters, sword, and sabre.
The collection also includes Frank Bracken's reenactment uniforms as well as certificates and badges
that certify his Civil War heritage. Frank Bracken's enthusiasm for preserving Civil War battlefields is
reflected in the manuscript materials in this collection which include maps, brochures, correspondence,
preservation plans, and publications. This collection also includes 378 Civil War related books, some of
which are rare editions.
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
Series 2: Civil War portraits and maps, 1986, 1993
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State
University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to
Archives and Special Collections.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Frank A. Bracken on
2014/04/28.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Collection processing completed 2014/06/02 by Kasey Mock. EAD finding aid created 2014/05/20 by
Rebecca Marangelli. EAD finding aid updated 2014/9/25 by Brandon Pieczko, 2014/10/06 by Rebecca
Marangelli, and 2014/11/17 by Brandon Pieczko.
Existence and Location of Copies
Some materials from this collection have been digitized and are available online in the Ball State
University Libraries Digital Media Repository:
http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/BrcknCivCol
Related Materials
Related Archival Materials
Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special
Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:
MSS.344: Bracken family papers
Separated Materials
The books in this collection were individually cataloged and separated from the remainder of the
collection.
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
•
•
•
•
•
Correspondence
Financial records
Maps
Photographs
Publications
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
• Realia
Subject(s)
• Historic preservation
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
Scope and Contents
This series includes publications, correspondence, and newspaper articles ranging from 1860 to 2006
regarding Civil War topics including battlefields, Abraham Lincoln, governmental committees for the
preservation of Civil War history, and individuals related to Civil War history.
4th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry correspondence and certificate, 1992
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address publication, 1985/03/04
American Forestry Association and Civil War Battlefield Foundation
Box
Folder
1
71
1
72
1
73
1
74
1
75
2
25
1
76
packet, 1992 July
Battlefield Preservation Advisory Campaign articles of incorporation,
1993/09/03
Brandy Station battlefield correspondence, 1992
Civil War Battle Flags of Indiana poster description, undated
Civil War Battlefields: Forging Effective Partnership publication, 1992
Box
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
4
Civil War Extras: Orginal News Coverage from the New York Times publication,
1860-1891
Civil War Heritage Commission meeting minutes and executive order,
Box
Folder
1
77
1
78
1
79
1
80
1
81
1
82
1
83
1
84
1
85
1992
Civil War museum pamphlets, 1992, 1997
Civil War Naval Chronology publication, 1861-1865
Civil War newspaper clippings, 1990, 1992
Colonel Charles Russell Lowell: The Death of a Soldier, 2005 Spring
Congressional Sunbelt Caucus report and speech, 1992
Department of the Interior correspondence and notes, 1992
Executive Mannor facsimile letter, undated
Frank A Bracken Civil War correspondence, 1991-1992, 1997
Box
3
General Ulysses S. Grant portrait and General Grants's Grand March sheet music,
undated
Box
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Folder
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
Gettysburg Battle Lands: Protection and Preservation, 1999
Into the Second Century of Elizabeth Logan Halbert, 1993
IU Oakleaf Collection publications, 1943 Feb.-Mar.
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, undated
Lincoln Herald, 1945 Feb.-1946 Dec.
Lincoln in the Year: 1855, 1929
Little Known Facts about the Gettysburg Address publication, 1938
Maps of Civil War battlefields, undated
Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke "Mother Bickerdyke" newspaper articles, c.
1
86
1
87
1
88
1
89
1
90
1
91
1
92
1
93
1
94
1
95
1
96
1
97
2001
Nancy Hanks Lincoln gravesite, undated
New Salem State Park postcards, 1943/11/03
Outdoor Indiana publication, 1943 Feb.
Box
3
Perryville Interpretive and Management Plan, 1999 Dec.
Box
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Folder
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
Photos of Abraham Lincoln, 1914
Photo of General P.H. Sheridan, undated
Prairie Grave Battlefield State Park battlefield protection plan, 1991
Preservation and Management Plan Environmental Assessment: Remnants
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
4
of Forest Rosecrans, 1991 Dec.
Box
Proceedings of the First Annual Conference on "The North in the Civil War", 2002/11/02
Saving Hallowed Ground, 1990 Oct.
Shiloh National Military Park, 1991/11/11
Society News and Views Civil War Society newsletter, 1992 Summer
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War correspondence, 1992
Stone River Ran Red, 1992
The Abraham Lincoln Quarterly, 1994 Mar.
The Autobiography of Abraham Lincoln, undated
The Battle of Perryville: 130th Anniversary Program, 1992
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3
Box
Folder
2
5
2
6
2
7
2
8
2
9
2
10
2
11
2
12
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 1: Civil War research papers and organizational records, 1860-2006
The Battle of Wilson's Creek: 130th Anniversary Reenactment, 1991
The Civil War Round Table Association correspondence and newsletters,
2
13
2
14
2
15
2
16
2
17
1992
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States application
and acceptance, 1992
The Mentor publication, 1914/02/09
The Mesopotamia, Ohio encampment, 1992 Sept.
Box
3
The Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial, 1944
The Rock Riseth: George H. Thomas at Logan's Crossroads publication,
Box
Folder
2
18
2
19
2
20
2
21
2
22
1988
Union Flag of The Civil War bookmark, undated
Vice-President Andrew Johnson's Inaugural Address transcript, undated
Warriors: Portraits from the Battlefield excerpt and letter to Frank A
Bracken, 2006
Bracken, Frank and Edwin Bearss correspondence, 2003/11/10
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 2: Civil War portraits, maps and plaques, 1986, 1993
2
Pulpit of the Beatitudes, 1940/11/03
23
Series 2: Civil War portraits, maps and plaques, 1986, 1993
Scope and Contents
This series includes framed photographs, maps, certificates, and plaques ranging from 1986 to 1993
commemorating Frank A. Bracken's Civil War reenacting and preservation.
Box
Abraham Lincoln portrait (reproduction), 1863/11/06
Abraham Lincoln with George McClellan and Union soldiers at Antietam camp
5
4
photograph (reproduction), 1862/10/03
Atlas for the American Civil War publication, 1986
3
7
Battle of Franklin plaque with bullet cast, 1864
Civil War Battle Flags of Indiana, undated
Box
4
Civil War boy portrait, undated
Civil War Preservation Trust board of directors service plaque, 1994-2003
Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky Colonel honors certificate, 1992/05/22
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7
4
Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977
Frank A. Bracken on a horse with men at a Civil War reenactment photograph, undated
Frank A. Bracken sitting at Civil War reenactment photograph, undated
Frank A. Bracken speaking at a Civil War reenactment photograph, undated
Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg Board of Directors plaque, 1993-2000
MAPS.138.01 Gettysburg and Vicinity map, undated
Grand Army of the Republic Decoration Day badge or ribbon, 1981
5
5
5
7
4
7
MAPS.138.02 The Battle of Franklin November 30, 1864 map, undated
Box
Troiani, Don. Cemetery Hill: Battle of Gettyburg, July 1, 1863, print, 1993.
"Zollie Tree" branch from Zollicoffer Park plaque, 1993/01/16
6
7
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977
Scope and Contents
This series contains original and reproduction Civil War artifacts. Many of the original artifacts belong
to Frank A. Bracken's great-grandfather, William Holsworth Bracken. The original items are dated circa
1850s-1860s. The replicas were produced circa 1990s-2000s. Included among the artifacts are original
weapons, replica Union Army uniform pieces, and original works of art related to the Civil War.
Box
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977
6
Colt Army Model 1860 Civil War pistol, 1862
Colt Army Model 1860 Civil War pistol (replica), 1862
Colt Army Model 1860 Civil War pistol (replica), 1862
6
6
6
Confederate Officer’s sword, 1850-1872
6
Enlisted Cavalry gauntlets (replica), c. 1860s
6
Fort Knox Cavalry hat (replica), c. 1860s
LaRocca, David A. Cavalry Officer, pewter, 1977
6
Pommel holsters, c. 1850s
Box
6
Powder horn (replica), c. 1860s
6
Robert E. Lee figurine, undated
R.W. Booth & Co. percussion long rifle, c. 1860s-1870s
6
6
Ulysses S. Grant figurine, undated
6
Union Cavalry belt (replica), 1861-1865
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Frank A. Bracken Civil War collection SPEC.094
Series 3: Civil War realia, c. 1850s-1860s, 1977
Union Cavalry belt with holster, small cap box and cartridge box (replica), 1861-1865
6
6
Union Cavalry Officer's saber, 1860
Union Junior Officer's single-breasted shell jacket (replica), 1861
Union mounted great coat (replica), c. 1858-1865
6
6
6
Union Officer’s frock coat (replica), 1861
6
Union Officer's crimson sash (replica), c. 1860s
6
Union Officer’s slouch hat (replica), c. 1860s
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