Hidden Treasures: Historical Documents Edition

By sheri on August 3, 2012 in Culture

Presented by Friends of the Cabildo

Join the Friends of the Cabildo as the Louisiana State Museum’s impressive Historical Documents Collection is opened for an exclusive behind-the-scenes viewing, August 27th & 29th. A collection of presenters including Louisiana State Museum (LSM) Director of Collections Greg Lambousy, New Orleans Notarial Archives Projector Director Howard Margot, LSM Curator for the Louisiana Historical Center Sarah-Elizabeth Gundlach, and others will provide a glimpse into one of America’s greatest archives.

The Louisiana Historical Center, located at the Old U.S. Mint, opened in 1977 and has served thousands of researchers from around the world. In addition to its priceless collection of Colonial-era manuscripts and maps, the Center houses a wealth of primary and secondary source materials in a wide range of media. Areas that will be focused by experts will include the Colonial Louisiana Records, manuscripts, maps, music, newspapers, scrapbooks and more. The Historical Center’s maps collection alone holds over 1,400 original maps, ranging from richly illustrated 16^th and 17^th century views of the New World to a 1986 guide to K&B drugstore location in New Orleans. The Center’s records of the French Superior Council (1714-1769) and the Spanish Judiciary (1769-1803) are an invaluable primary source for researching Louisiana’s colonial history. These criminal and civil court documents record the social, political, and economic lives of free and enslaved Africans, native peoples, and European colonists.

Hidden Treasures of the Louisiana State Museum: Historical Documents Edition takes place Monday and Wednesday, August 27^th and 29^th. Tours are at 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm at the Old U.S. Mint, located at 400 Esplanade Avenue in the French Quarter. Cost is $25.00 per person, or $20.00 for Friends of the Cabildo and Louisiana Museum Foundation members. Reservations are required, and space is extremely limited.

To reserve your space, please contact Kaydee Nenninger at 504-523-3939.

Friends of the Cabildo is a private non-profit volunteer group that provides financial and volunteer support for the Louisiana State Museum, its projects and its property. Since incorporating in 1956, the Friends of the Cabildo has grown into a large statewide membership organization, a dynamic and motivating force in broadening and supporting the aims of the Louisiana State Museum.