If I told you there was a museum in Shreveport-Bossier that displayed exhibits of important documents like an original draft of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “We Shall Overcome” speech, or a collection of handwritten journal entries by the First Ladies of the United States, would you believe me? Would you believe that currently in a museum tucked away in a Shreveport neighborhood, you can see some of Charles Darwin’s notes pre-dating his published work, On the Origin of Species? Well, you can.
The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Shreveport is one of eleven owned by the Karpeles Family. Mr. Karpeles began collecting rare documents after a 1977 visit to a museum where his children became fascinated by cross-outs and mistakes made on original drafts scribed by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. His collection grew. So he decided to invest in real estate to display works like the original draft of the Bill of Rights.
Today, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum holds the largest private collection of original manuscripts and documents in the world. And we have access to treasures like the original manuscript of The Wedding March, Einstein’s description of his Theory of Relativity, the Thanksgiving Proclamation signed by George Washington, and so much more right here in our own backyard.
Stop by the museum, located at 3201 Centenary Boulevard in Shreveport, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and see some of the most historic and famous documents the world has to offer. Now through April 25, Charles Darwin’s works will be on display, alongside Egyptian sandstone relics and artwork produced by Chimp Haven’s resident chimpanzee artists. Click here for more information.
