About the Donor
Orrin June (squatting at left)
Orrin W. June was born and raised in Lima, Ohio.
He attended Wittenberg College in Springfield, OH and later Rutgers University, receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees. He later moved to New York City and became the owner of the Wickersham Gallery in Manhattan (later the site of Solomon & Co Fine Art). Mr. June and his wife were substantial donors to various libraries, universities, and museums, including Oberlin College.
Mr. June's interest in the War of 1812 began in his hometown, which is located near the site of Fort Amanda, a small depot built on the Auglaize River in October, 1812. The fort was built during General Harrison's opening campaign against the Indians and British in Northwest Ohio. June's attention was first directed to the local campaigns of the War of 1812; later it was extended to those of the armies along the frontiers and into Canada. It was soon evident to him that since 1855, almost nothing had been written on the land actions of the war and that what was written was derived from contemporary printing and from interviews with combatants still living in the mid-nineteenth century.
Mr. June's attentions were then directed towards the collection of these primary sources, a search that continued for many years. The resulting collection is a thoroughly representative one, for it includes most of the standard works on the war, whether contemporary or of a more recent date. In his search for primary sources, Mr. June acquired many rarities in the form of books, letters, manuscripts, and maps.
