Handling History
Remnant Trust Exhibition Allows Teachers, Students to Touch Rare Documents
Some artifacts in unique collection date as far back as 1350

These books are available for professors to use in their classes under supervision in the museum. The books cannot be removed from the museum. We can accommodate groups up to 70 in our Speakers Gallery, up to 40 in our classroom and up to 10 in our board room. For larger classes special arrangements may be possible. We need two weeks notice to arrange to host your class at the museum. Our regular hours are 9:30-4:30 Tues.-Sat. We will try to accommodate classes that meet outside of those hours when ever possible but we cannot guarantee that. Call Albert Sperath or Holly Bethune at 7073 to book a class.

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OXFORD, Miss. - As Marvin King thumbed through an autographed, first-edition copy of the "Narrative of the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass" published in 1846, the awareness that he was holding a revered document in U.S. history gave him goose bumps.

"This is fantastic!" said King, delicately turning the timeworn pages. "It's awe-inspiring to be able to touch something more than a hundred years old. Without these important documents of the past, we wouldn't have the America we have today. I hope people read these and think about their meaning."

The assistant professor of political science at the University of Mississippi was among the first to visit "The Remnant Trust Athenaeum," a collection of 35 original and first-edition works dealing with the topics of liberty and dignity. Some pieces date back to 1350.

Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum, the artifacts are on display at the University Museum through April 29.

Due to the large number of patrons expected, "hands-on" viewing of the collection is limited to professors, teachers and their students and must be scheduled by appointment, said Albert Sperath, museum director. Call 662-915-7073 and ask for Sperath or Holly Bethune, museum educator.

Other titles of note in the collection include a hand-lettered copy of the Magna Carta (1350), Common Sense (1776) by Thomas Paine, City of God (1494) by St. Augustine, Letters Concerning the English Nation (1733) by Voltaire and Minutes of the 2nd Continental Congress (1778).

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (1862), Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Document (1787) and Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia (1801) are also featured.

Based in Jeffersonville, Ind., the Remnant Trust is a public educational foundation that shares its actively growing collection with colleges, universities and other organizations for use by students, faculty, scholars and the general public. Generally, titles are loaned for a semester to educational entities that choose specific displays and book a couple of years in advance, giving adequate time to plan.

"That the Trust makes this collection available is commendable in itself, but the encouragement to touch, feel and read the originals is what makes this a truly unique experience," Sperath said. "The university owes a debt of thanks to the Freedom Forum for underwriting this exhibit."

The Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all. Renamed in 1991 under the direction of Al Neuharth, the organization began in 1935. Newspaper publisher Frank E. Gannett started that foundation.

"I'm really delighted that the Freedom Forum was able to help bring these really priceless documents to Ole Miss in conjunction with the opening of the Center for (Southern) Politics and Journalism," said Charles L. Overby, a UM alum who is CEO and chairman of the Freedom Forum. "Some of the greatest thinkers in history have enhanced the concept of freedom, which is often taken for granted. These documents have enhanced freedom's evolution."

At least two other UM staff and faculty members have seen the display.

"As a historian, I recognize this collection as a gold mine of original sources," said Charles Ross, director and associate professor of history and African-American studies. "Typically, no one would ever be allowed to touch such dynamic artifacts, so this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an invaluable experience."

"It's exciting that these historic items are available to be examined up close," said Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations Jeffrey Alford. "I could actually see the bubbles in the ornate gold-inked capital letters of the beginning paragraphs in the Magna Carta. It's a powerful experience to see something so important to human history."

Meanwhile, King remains in awe of his own encounters with works in the Remnant Trust collection.

"This copy of the Magna Carta has lasted more than 700 years," he said. "Remembering I actually touched it still makes the hair on my neck stand up when I think about it."

Located at 5th Street and University Avenue, the museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

by Edwin Smith