Dive into the founding of the United States with LSUS's American Revolution exhibit

Dive into the founding of the United States with LSUS's American Revolution exhibit

SHREVEPORT - Revisit the birth of the United States of America in the exhibit, "America at 250: Revolution Remembered" in the James S. Noel Collection on the third floor of the LSUS Noel Memorial Library.

Dig into memorable confrontations against the Red Coats with detailed maps from battles such as Bunker Hill as well as intricate artwork of America's influential leaders.

The Noel Collection, which consists of more than 200,000 titles as one of the largest private collections of antiquarian books, contains volumes of 18^th and 19^th century books, records, maps, and documents, including those from the beginning of the nation.

"It's important to hear the story behind how we got started as we come up on 250 years since the start of the American Revolution," said Martha Lawler, director of the Noel Collection. "It's a good time for everyone to look back and remember how our country was created and the intention of the Founding Fathers."

The 1829 work "Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence" provides a near contemporary peek into the Founding Fathers just three years after the deaths of former U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

Some of the earliest work dates back to 1794 with The History of the American War, just more than a decade years after the Yankees and French surrounded General Charles Cornwallis in Virginia, essentially ending the war.

Artwork features that surrender along with other key moments such as Paul Revere's Ride and the British retreat at Lexington.

The exhibit isn't just from the American point of view.

British points of view were captured in items like the journal of British Major John Andre, the head of Britain's intelligence operations during the American War for Independence who was executed by the Americans upon capture.

The Collection boasts nearly five years' worth of Bingley's London Journal editions, a weekly publication that's considered a chief primary source of Great Britain history and culture from 1760-1789.

A 1780 book titled "Complot" (French for conspiracy) details the agreement between U.S. military leader Benedict Arnold and British leader Henry Clinton after Arnold felt jilted by his American command.

Tours of the exhibit and of the entire collection can be made by appointment. The collection is open from 8-4:30 on weekdays.

The American Revolution exhibit is scheduled to run through February.