In its illustrious history, Beauvoir has been the
home of several libraries. Mrs. Sarah Dorsey, a woman of considerable education,
had a library at the home, as did Jefferson Davis, who was a voracious
reader. A library containing books and periodicals such as Confederate
Veteran Magazine was maintained for residents of the Jefferson Davis Soldiers'
Home. Portions of these libraries still exist at Beauvoir.
The late Dr.
James B. Butler, Historian-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
(SCV) and a member of the Executive Council of the Mississippi Division,
SCV, spearheaded an effort which resulted in the establishment of
the Jefferson Davis Memorial Library in the old Confederate Veterans' Hospital
Building at Beauvoir in 1969. Though devastated by Hurricane Camille shortly
after its dedication, the library recovered and continued to serve the
needs of museum researchers interested in Southern history.
In the 1970's, Beauvoir leadership recognized the need for an
expanded library in a new facility. Planning for the future, they selected
a site in the southeast portion of the property and designed a facility
resembling a small version of Beauvoir House. Fundraising not die.
That dream was transformed in early 1991, when in
a meeting with the members of the Combined Boards of Beauvoir, Louis Gorr,
then Executive Director of the Museum of the Confederacy, suggested that
the proposed library be a residential facility comparable to existing presidential
libraries. The concept was simple yet profound and met with widespread
approval.
Beauvoir leadership appealed to the State of Mississippi
for funding in 1992, and again in 1993. With the support of many legislators
and Governor Kirk Fordice, Beauvoir received 1,500,000 in bond funds. Architects
and exhibit designers were selected, and plans were prepared. Efforts to
obtain additional funds for the project in 1994 were without success and,
together with unexpected
foundation problems and soaring construction costs fueled by the casino
boom on the Gulf Coast, forced a temporary suspension of the project.
Beauvoir friends were persistent, and renewed their
efforts the following year - and this time met with success. On March 21,
1995, Governor Kirk Fordice, a stalwart supporter of Beauvoir and Confederate
history, signed into law a bill providing an additional $3,000,000 in state
funds for the library. The project team included the state Department of
Finance and
Administration's Bureau of Building, the Mississippi Department of
Archives and History, and the Building Committee of the Combined Boards
of Beauvoir. Despite what might have been expected by this layered approach,
all three bodies worked in a close and harmonious relationship, decisions
were reached by consensus, with no significant disagreements among the
groups comprising the project team. The award-winning firm of Albert and Associates
of Hattiesburg, Mississippi was selected as the project architects. Several
building designs were considered before one was selected that embodied
both the appropriate look and feel for a Presidential Library. The design
selected was an updated version of traditional Southern architecture which
features a roof line, porches, and square columns similar to those found
in Beauvoir House and its flanking pavillions. It was not, however, an
attempt to replicate these buildings. The two-story, Palladian-style library,
which has 13,500 square feet of space was designed, constructed, and positioned
on the site in a manner calculated to enhance and complement the historical
structures.
As is typical with presidential libraries, the Jefferson
Davis Presidential Library contains three primary interpretive components:
a theater, exhibit gallery, and research library. The theater and exhibit
gallery are located on the main floor, while the research collections and
archives are housed on the second floor. The theater, a 152 seat facility
designed for both audio-visual and lecture uses, presents the splendid
film "Jefferson Davis: American Son", which is dedicated to the memory
of the late
Dr. Larry Arnold, Past Commander-in Chief of the Order of the Southern
Cross, Past Commander of the Texas Division, SCV, and a generous benefactor
of Beauvoir.
The 3,500 square foot gallery, the largest and most
comprehensive exhibit ever offered regarding Jefferson Davis, was developed
by Minneapolis based Deaton Museum Services, an experienced firm who has
produced exhibits for two presidential libraries and numerous museums.
The Deaton exhibit, designed in conjunction with the project committee
and Beauvoir staff, traces the life of Davis from his Kentucky birth in
1808 to his death in New Orleans in 1889. Highlights include the funeral
catafalque, figures of Davis in the Mexican War and as Confederate President,
and a recreation of the infamous Fort
Monroe casemate cell. Doctors Frank Vandiver and Lynda Crist, past
and present Editors-in-Chief of the Jefferson Davis Papers project, served
as historical consultants for the exhibit. The
research library, occupying much of the second floor, houses materials
devoted to the entire span of Southern history. As might be expected, the
bulk of the collection focuses on the nineteenth century, and contains
original Davis family and wartime documents; books from the earlier Dorsey,
Davis, and soldiers home libraries; and a multitude of volumes, both commonplace
and rare, on Southern history. Future plans include adding microfilmed
Confederate service records and many other source materials. In addition to items from the Beauvoir collection, the
Presidential Library contains images and artifacts provided by a variety
of institutions and agencies including The Historic New Orleans Collection,
The Louisiana State Museum, The Mississippi Department of Archives and
History, The Museum of the Confederacy, The National Archives, and The
Old Capitol Museum of Jackson, Mississippi. A number of books and research
materials have been donated by Past SCV Historian-in-Chief James West Thompson,
Past SCV Commander-in-Chief Robert L. Hawkins, III, the Children of the
Confederacy, the Kappa Alpha Order Alumni Association, the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, and others. Efforts are ongoing to acquire additional artifacts,
images, documents, books, microfilmed service records and other materials
to sustain the facility as a truly outstanding educational and interpretive
resource.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held August 17, 1996,
and Dedication and Opening Ceremonies took place on May 30, 1998, attendees
including Governor Kirk Fordice and United States Senator Trent Lott.
The late Dr.
James B. Butler, Historian-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
(SCV) and a member of the Executive Council of the Mississippi Division,
SCV, spearheaded an effort which resulted in the establishment of
the Jefferson Davis Memorial Library in the old Confederate Veterans' Hospital
Building at Beauvoir in 1969. Though devastated by Hurricane Camille shortly
after its dedication, the library recovered and continued to serve the
needs of museum researchers interested in Southern history.
with unexpected
foundation problems and soaring construction costs fueled by the casino
boom on the Gulf Coast, forced a temporary suspension of the project.
