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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. |
