August 17, 2016

Facing a financial crisis caused by falling enrollment during World War II, Drexel sells one-of-a-kind art and original manuscripts at a two-day auction. The most prestigious items are autographed manuscripts of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” regarded as the first detective story ever written, and Charles Dickens’ last completed novel, “Our Mutual Friend.” Letters and autographs by notable writers including Mark Twain and Nathaniel Hawthorne and various U.S. presidents are also sold. Though the board of trustees approved the decision of the sale, the news is met with unanimous criticism from the Drexel community. Ultimately, over $90,300 (about $1.23 million today) is raised.