Louisiana History Museum

United States historic place

Old Alexandria Public Library: Houses Louisiana History Museum

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Show map of Louisiana

Show map of the United States

Location| 503 Washington
Alexandria, Louisiana
Coordinates| 31°18′31″N 92°26′43″W﻿ / ﻿31.30861°N 92.44528°W﻿ / 31.30861; -92.44528
Built| 1907
Architect| Crosby & Henkel; Caldwell Bros.
Architectural style| Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.| 88003225[1]
Added to NRHP| January 19, 1989
Scale model of the steamboat Red River Artifacts in display cases Chair used by Joseph Bentley, founder of the Bentley Hotel, on display

The Louisiana History Museum is located in the historic downtown portion of Alexandria, Louisiana, USA, near the Red River. It showcases the social evolution of all of Louisiana, but centers on the history of Central Louisiana, Rapides Parish, and Alexandria. Major exhibit areas deal with Native Americans, Louisiana geography, politics, health care, farming, and the impact of war.

## The old Alexandria Library building

[edit]

The building housing the Museum and Alexandria Genealogical Library started life as the Alexandria Public Library in 1907. The building was constructed solely for the advancement of culture and learning in by Caldwell Brothers (contractors), and Crosby & Henkel of New Orleans (architects). It replaced an earlier library that was burned by General Nathaniel Banks' federal troops on May 13, 1864. Remodeled in 1970, restored as a Bicentennial project in 1976, and again in 2003, it now houses (upstairs) one of the largest genealogical libraries in Louisiana. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[2]

## Museum history

[edit]

The Louisiana History Museum was begun in 1971 by Angelique Stafford "Gic" Kraushaar. Her vision was to establish a museum in Alexandria that would not only describe the history of Louisiana but also show the unique beginnings and background of Central Louisiana.

## Displays and exhibits

[edit]

There are more than fifty displays and exhibits, including:

* Native Americans in Louisiana
* How the Alexandria town plat was laid out in 1805 by Alexander Fulton
* Louisiana under the rule of Spain, France and England
* Famous figures in Louisiana such as Governor Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
* The American Revolution
* Civil War
* Construction of the Civil War dam on the Red River by General Joseph Bailey
* Camp Beauregard, a United States Army facility in World War I
* The Louisiana Maneuvers and Camp Claiborne in Alexandria in World War II
* Politicians from the Central Louisiana area including Huey Long and Earl Kemp Long
* Central Louisiana in postcards

## See also

[edit]

* Louisiana State Museum – Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and other locations

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Alexandria Library Historical Marker".

## External links

[edit]

* Louisiana History Museum website

* v
* t
* e

City of Alexandria

Areas|

* Garden District

Education|

* Rapides Parish School Board
* Alexandria Senior High School
* Bolton High School
* Peabody Magnet High School
* Holy Savior Menard Central High School
* Louisiana State University of Alexandria

Landmarks|

* Alexandria Mall
* Alexandria Museum of Art
* Alexandria Zoological Park
* Bentley Hotel
* Kent Plantation House
* Louisiana History Museum
* Rapides Parish Coliseum

| Former|

* Bringhurst Field

|

Religion|

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria
* B'nai Israel Traditional Synagogue
* Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim
* Emmanuel Baptist Church

Transportation|

* Alexandria International Airport (formerly England Air Force Base)

Culture|

| Former|

* Alexandria Aces
* Alexandria Warthogs
* Louisiana Rangers

|

* v
* t
* e

U.S. state history museums

Northeast|

| New England|

* Museum of Connecticut History (Hartford)
* Maine State Museum (Augusta)
* Maine Historical Society Museum (Portland)
* Commonwealth Museum (Boston)
* Vermont History Museum (Montpelier)

|

Mid-Atlantic|

* Delaware History Museum (Wilmington)
* City Museum of Washington, D.C. (Washington, D.C.)
* New Jersey State Museum (Trenton)
* New York State Museum (Albany)
* State Museum of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg)

Midwest|

| East North Central|

* Illinois State Museum (Springfield)
* Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis)
* Michigan History Museum (Lansing)
* Ohio History Center (Columbus)
* Wisconsin Historical Museum (Madison)

|

West North Central|

* State Historical Museum of Iowa (Des Moines)
* Kansas Museum of History (Topeka)
* Minnesota History Center (Saint Paul)
* Missouri State Museum (Jefferson City)
* Missouri History Museum (St. Louis)
* Museum of Nebraska History (Lincoln)
* North Dakota Heritage Center (Bismarck)

South|

| South Atlantic|

* Museum of Florida History (Tallahassee)
* Virginia Historical Society (Richmond, Virginia)
* North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh)
* South Carolina State Museum (Columbia)

|

East South Central|

* Alabama Department of Archives and History (Montgomery)
* Kentucky Museum (Bowling Green)
* Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History (Frankfort)
* Museum of Mississippi History (Jackson)
* Tennessee State Museum (Nashville)

West South Central|

* Historic Arkansas Museum (Little Rock)
* Louisiana State Museum (New Orleans)
* Louisiana History Museum (Alexandria)
* Oklahoma History Center (Oklahoma City)
* Bullock Texas State History Museum (Austin)

West|

| Mountain|

* Arizona State Museum (Tucson)
* History Colorado Center (Denver)
* Idaho History Center (Boise)
* Montana Historical Society Museum (Helena)
* Nevada State Museum (Las Vegas)
* Nevada State Museum (Carson City)
* New Mexico History Museum (Santa Fe)
* Wyoming State Museum (Cheyenne)

|

Pacific|

* Alaska State Museum (Juneau)
* The California Museum (Sacramento)
* Oregon Historical Society Museum (Portland)
* Washington State History Museum (Tacoma)

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template