Mobile Menu Icon
Downtown Header

Experience Ruston Blog

Louisiana Tech Special Collections, Manuscripts & Archives

July 31, 2019Written by: Grant Artero

Located in the heart of North Louisiana, Ruston has a wealth of history that adds to the special charm the city is known for. To help share this information with both visitors and locals, many museums are open to the public that specialize in this history. One of these museums is the Special Collections, Manuscripts and Archives (SCMA) located on the campus of Louisiana Tech University. This collection of history includes Louisiana Tech memorabilia, artifacts from the North Louisiana area, and pieces of literature dating back to 1350 A.D.  

Louisiana Tech Memorabilia

Being located on Louisiana Tech’s campus, the SCMA has a plethora of mementos that reveal the changes that Tech has seen throughout the centuries. As part of their Textile Collection, articles of clothing show the shift in traditions that has occurred on Tech’s campus. Perhaps the most notable of this collection of clothing being the “Pup Hats” and green beanies freshman male and female students were required to wear up until the 1960’s. Pins, commemorative coke bottles, and many more items are on display in the SCMA. The newest addition to the collection will be in celebration of Tech’s 125th Anniversary and will showcase the various outfits and accessories students would have worn from decades past. This new exhibit is planned to be revealed around September 2019. 

Blue Jacket

Pup Cap

Camp Ruston Collection

During World War II, Ruston was home to one of the largest Prisoner of War camps found in the country. It held prisoners from Italy, Germany, and other enemy countries. The SCMA contains pieces of clothing including war uniforms and other war-related trinkets. While some of this collection has been taken off of display to make room for the new 125th Anniversary Exhibit, smaller items can still be seen by spectators. 

Camp Ruston Artifacts

Cultural Artifacts

A large portion of the museum is dedicated to artifacts recovered from the Native Americans of the Ouachita River Valley in South Arkansas. The collection displays arrowheads and other relics of the Caddo Indians. This includes Caddo Indian Pottery showcasing various designs and dates of origin. 

Pottery

Pottery

Historic Literature

Perhaps the most impressive collection in the SCMA is the Frellsen-Fletcher Smith Collection which houses several pieces of signed literature from artists such as Aldous Huxley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and many more. In addition to this collection, the SCMA showcases pieces of illuminated lighting manuscripts dating back to 1350 A.D. These pages contain pieces of gold, silver, and other metals that would reflect candlelight as the monks wrote in the dark. The pages that these documents are written are also made out of animal skin, and the veins of these animals can still be seen if held up to the light. Dozens of other pieces of historical literature can be seen throughout the archives. 

Manuscript

If you find yourself on Louisiana Tech’s campus, be sure to stop by the Special Collections, Manuscripts and Archives located on the 4th Floor of Wyly Tower. The SCMA is open 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Friday.

Tags: Attractions  |  Museums

More Blog Posts

Loyal Blue Weekends in Louisiana’s College Town (8/9/19)Pet-Friendly Guide to Ruston (8/9/19)Ruston Sports Complex Now Open (7/26/19)Peachy Summer Recipes (7/10/19)Best Coffee Shops In Ruston (7/8/19)Top Cool Down Locales in Ruston (7/2/19)Guide to the Louisiana Peach Festival (6/4/19)Ruston Peaches & Where to Find Them (5/30/19)BBQ Eats in Ruston (5/13/19)RUSTON STRONG (5/1/19)Tourism Development Grants Available (4/23/19)Downtown Food Park – The Latest in Ruston’s Culinary Scene (4/15/19)Ruston will host American Crappie Trail National Championship (3/25/19)Railroad Fest – A Celebration of Makers & Music (3/11/19)American Crappie Trail National Championship comes to North Louisiana (3/4/19)Loyal Blue Weekend wins 2019 Louey Award (1/30/19)Celebrating Black History Month in Lincoln Parish (1/29/19)Mardi Gras in Ruston (1/7/19)Bustamante, Causey Win Hospitality Award (1/7/19)Grambling State Selected to Host Intercollegiate Football Championship through 2020 (12/4/18)Holidays in Ruston (11/16/18)Places to Work & Study Remotely: Ruston, LA (10/29/18)Unique Eats: Seafood (10/22/18)Sundown Tavern: A Ruston Landmark (10/15/18)Local Seafood Favorites (10/9/18)Gameday Recipes (9/22/18)Rainy Day Fun (9/22/18)Best Burgers in Ruston (9/13/18)4 Must-Attend Events for Fall (9/5/18)Locals Love It: Sue Paperie (8/13/18)5 Things To Do in Ruston This Summer (8/6/18)Breakfast Stops in Ruston (6/29/18)Visitors Guide to the Louisiana Peach Festival (6/5/18)10 Best Mural Photos (5/23/18)5 Fun Kids Activities in Ruston (5/16/18)New Ruston Eats (5/8/18)Brunching at Beau Vines (4/13/18)10 Reasons to Get Outside in Lincoln Parish (3/20/18)Meal Deals for the College Students (2/12/18)30 Things to Do in Ruston Before You Graduate (2/8/18)Date Night in Ruston (2/7/18)Napper elected as chairman of Louisiana Travel Association’s board (1/26/18)Louisiana Tech University College of Education Wins Hospitality Award (1/15/18)Staying Healthy in Ruston, LA (1/4/18)Eddie G. Robinson Museum: Hidden Gem of North LA (5/4/16)

Get Connected


Facebook
Instagram
Back to Top
https://www.rustonlincoln.com/blog/54/Louisiana-Tech-Special-Collections-Manuscripts-Archives
www.rustonlincoln.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2019-35
35410
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:UQPNXOQGV2DRF5Z6LYEGD2IV3X2RPEB2
<urn:uuid:4b90e421-055d-4092-bbac-a762f9418184>
2019-08-25T16:53:48Z
159.135.38.160
text/html
sha1:66VFRB4ULCKIHMDVWKKM5ARJO2XTAWDD
<urn:uuid:803b2233-49ac-4bf2-b681-19f5e4f9853f>
https://www.rustonlincoln.com/blog/54/Louisiana-Tech-Special-Collections-Manuscripts-Archives
response
<urn:uuid:7d6ec782-9bf5-400d-8951-79fe79a162b4>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2019-35
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2019
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-112.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.1-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/