ACDL recently uncovered a fascinating historical treasure that had been buried in the archives. In 1913, the Free Public Library of Ashtabula was given defunct Confederate money for "exhibition purposes" as "historic relics".
The accompanying letter reads:
Treasury Department
Washington
February 8, 1913
Librarian,
Free Public Library,
Ashtabula, Ohio
As your Library will no doubt be interested in receiving specimens of notes issued by the Confederate States of America, for exhibition purposes, I take pleasure in sending you an assortment of the same.
These notes came into the possession of the Union Army about the close of the Civil War, and were turned over by the War Department to the Treasury of the United States in the year 1867.
The Treasury Department has no complete series of the notes, and in presenting such specimens as are now in its custody the Department feels assured that proper disposition will be made for their safe-keeping so as to render them of permanent value to your Library as historical relics.
Very truly yours,
Franklin MacVeagh
Secretary
Letter from the Treasury Department, circa 1913
