The Louisiana Historical Center, located in the French Quarter at the Old U.S. Mint, is one of America’s great archives. Since it opened in 1982, the center has served thousands of researchers from around the world. In addition to its priceless collections of Colonial-era manuscripts and maps, the Louisiana Historical Center houses a wealth of primary and secondary source materials in a wide range of media.

AHA members are invited to tour the Louisiana Historical Center on Thursday, January 3rd from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.  The address is: 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116. 

This tour will highlight some of the Louisiana Historical Center’s primary collections.

The Center’s general manuscript collection comprises approximately 500 linear feet and dates from 1584 to present. It varies in type and subject matter, and is diverse, ranging from graduation invitations to Civil War correspondence. In this collection are colonial period documents including the original 1724 Code Noir signed by Louis XV and promulgated at New Orleans, the proclamation establishing the Superior Council in Louisiana in 1716, the letters of patent to Antoine Crozat in 1712, the Company of the West in 1717, and the Pierre Joseph Landry Notebook (1769-1843). The Louisiana Historical Center also houses manuscripts documenting Louisiana’s antebellum economic, social, and political history in several collections. Among the most notable are the Cenas Family Papers (1780-1920), the John McDonough papers, (1813-1846), and the John Slidell papers, (1822-1918), as well as numerous ledgers, notebooks, and journals from several Louisiana Plantations including Mavis Grove Plantation, Magnolia Plantation, Belle Chasse Plantation, and Butler Island Plantation.

Please contact Greg Lambousy to reserve a space on the tour at glambousy@crt.la.gov  The tour is free to AHA members. Attendees should plan to meet on the 3rd floor landing of the Mint by 6:30 when the tour of the Louisiana Historical Center will begin. The tour will last approximately 1 hour.  

For more information on the Center, please visit their website.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.