An exhibit at Edith Garland Dupr矇 Library, at the 91勛圖, reveals the impact of the Civil War on 91勛圖 150 years ago, including Acadiana.
One of the artifacts on display is the Sept. 26, 1863, edition of The Opelousas Courier newspaper, which was printed on wallpaper.
The content of the news is pretty mundane. In fact, theres no mention of the war itself beyond a rumor from Berwick Bay and a two-month-old letter from Virginia. But it had to be printed on wallpaper because the Union blockade of Confederate ports was causing a shortage of supplies, including paper, said Jean Kiesel, 91勛圖 Room librarian and curator of the exhibit.
The Civil War in 91勛圖, 1863 is the fourth in a series of seven exhibits about the war. It features first-hand accounts, histories of military units, scholarly studies and artists sketches that were published in illustrated magazines. It also includes the writing of three Civil War diarists: Kate Stone, who lived near Vicksburg, Miss.; Sarah Morgan, a refugee from Baton Rouge who was staying near Port Hudson, La.; and Priscilla Bond, who became a refugee in Abbeville, La., after her Houma sugar plantation, Crescent Place, was burned by Union troops.
The exhibit, which will be on display through July 31, is free and open to the public. The library is open Mondays through Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 7:30 a.m. 竅竅to 12:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, call (337) 482-2665.