Please Note: MSU MEMO is archived as a part of Mississippi State University's history. Articles may refer to situations which have changed or people who are no longer affiliated with the university.
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October 27, 2003 Volume 28, Issue 13 |
MSU Libraries
There's more than just paper in the Manuscripts Division of the Special Collections Department at the MSU Libraries.
Vying for most unusual piece in the collection is a piece of the Berlin Wall donated by businessman Gilbert V. "Gil" Carmichael of Meridian and deposited as a part of the Carmichael Papers in 1990. The approximately 10-inch-by-nine-inch irregularly shaped concrete wall fragment is decorated with red, green, yellow, pink, and blue graffiti. The piece comes with a brass copy of a letter from Carmichael, who was then federal railroad administrator, transmitting the piece to then-President Donald Zacharias, in hopes that its display will serve as a future "reminder of how fortunate we are to have freedom, democracy and our system of government."
The Manuscripts Division also boasts its own chain saw, which is part of the Hanson E. "Ham" Sanders Collection. Although the library does not usually accept large museum pieces such as the chain saw, it does accept awards materials, and the chain saw was awarded to Ham Sanders in 1971 for his significant role as president of the National Forest Products Association, 1971-1973. According to a plaque on the specially made stand, the Poulan chain saw was manufactured as a commemorative for the 25th anniversary of Poulan chain saws by Beaird-Poulan Inc. of Shreveport, La.
The Manuscripts Division contains more than 600 collections of the papers of individuals, families and organizations. MSU's collection is the largest group of historical manuscripts in a Mississippi university. These collections primarily document the state and the South from the early 19th century to the present. However, because many of the collections were deposited by the descendants of early settlers of Mississippi, the collection also contains much primary material on Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and other states of origin of these early settlers. More than one-third of the collections contains Civil War materials such as diaries, letters, muster rolls, and other original materials.
For more information about the Manuscripts Division, please contact Mattie Sink at 325-3848.