Special Collections: Lily Strickland Collection

Lily Strickland (1884 - 1958) was born in Anderson, South Carolina. She was a prolific composer, writer and painter. She studied composition and piano at Converse College, and went on to attend the Institute of Musical Arts in New York (forerunner to Juilliard). She and her husband traveled and lived all over the world including India, Africa, and Asia; all of which would influence her works. One very well-known piece is “Mah Lindy Lou”, which has been performed by the likes of the New York Philharmonic and Burl Ives among others. During her lifetime she published 395 musical works, many of which her own watercolors appear on, and published various travel essays for American magazines.

Anderson University Thrift Library Special Collections houses hundreds of musical scores by Lily Strickland, as well as other memorabilia. The library also features the largest collection of artwork by Lily Strickland.