The museum began in 1942 when an 1887 Lincoln University alumnus Judge Lawrence Stringer willed his vast Lincoln and Logan County history collection to the college with the stipulation that a museum be established.
Initially, the collection was placed in “The Lincoln Room”, dedicated on February 11, 1944. The entire collection moved to the McKinstry Memorial Building in
1971 when the collections became part of the Lincoln College Museum. The collection continued to grow with donations from Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, the last surviving direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln, James Hickey, Ralph Newman, and John Gehlbach, among others.
In October, 2008, the museum officially changed its name to the Lincoln Heritage Museum to better reflect the museum’s mission of preserving the legacy and heritage of Abraham Lincoln. In coming years, the museum will move from its current location in the Mckinstry Memorial Building to the new Lincoln Center, located on the north side of the Lincoln College campus.
