This week we are celebrating the founding of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette!
On July 14, 1898, the state legislature passed Act 162 of the Louisiana General Assembly, which was introduced by Robert Martin of St. Martin Parish. This act created the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII). Lafayette was selected as the future home of the school on Jan. 5, 1900.
Today we are going to talk about the Interstate System.
Begun in 1956, the Interstate System was a way to connect major cities with populations over 50,000 together via four-lane, divided highways. Inspired by the Reichsautobahn system in Germany, President Eisenhower was a huge supporter. In 1919, he experienced a crossing of part of the Lincoln Highway. These both inspired Eisenhower to push for a federal highway system that could support more cars and would link the US in case of the need for defense purposes.
Today, we are going to highlight the Louisiana Colonial Records Collection here in Special Collections.
Collection 59 - Louisiana Colonial Records contains materials regarding mostly 18th-19th century events occurring in colonial Louisiana, especially governing processes and the Cabildo. The collection contains photocopies of correspondence, legal papers, and land and slave sales. This collection contains physical items that are available for study.
Today we are going to celebrate the creation of Evangeline parish!
On June 15, 1908, the Louisiana Legislature voted to carve Evangeline Parish out of Northern St. Landry Parish. It was passed by unanimous vote and signed into law by Governor Sanders.
An election was held in Dec. of 1909 for voter approval and for voters to determine the parish seat. Voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of the new parish and chose Ville Platte as the parish seat.
Despite these overwhelming victories for the new parish, there were also a few setbacks.
Today we are beginning a weekend celebration of Creole culture. We begin with today’s post and will end the weekend with a display at Vermilionville’s Creole Culture Day.
This week we are highlighting the most recent exhibit of local cookbooks.
Whether referred to as Cajun, Creole, soul food, or just food, cuisine is an important part of everyday life here in south Louisiana. Many people have family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Here in special collections, there are thousands of cookbooks displaying the wonderfully rich history of the cuisine of the area.
This week we are highlighting the Battle of Port Hudson. On May 22, 1863, the siege of Port Hudson began. Port Hudson was a Confederate stronghold and was the final engagement in the Union’s campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the Civil War. This siege helped to enhance the reputation of black soldiers in Union service.
In honor of National Armed Forces Day, we want to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have served and we are going to take a look at another digital exhibits, “Dear Mr. Fletcher: Letters from the Second World War.”
The exhibit has the perfect introduction. It states:
Today we are celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month.
Here in Acadiana, we have had an active Jewish community for over a century. Established in 1869, Temple Shalom is located in downtown Lafayette. In 1913, the Lafayette Sisterhood was founded and its members have been active in educational and humanitarian projects. They also held many fundraising events like raffles and bake sales.
This week we are celebrating Children’s Book Week.
Although we are a university library, the Louisiana Collection has many children’s books that can be perused in the reading room.
Children's Book Week was established in 1919. It has become so popular that it now has two dedicated weeks a year. This year those weeks are May 2-8 and Nov. 7-13. The purpose is to encourage children to read.
