Stabilization and Conservation of Archival Materials and Museum Artifacts HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY GRANT

FAIN: PC-50187-06

Jackson Barracks Military Museum and Library (Pineville, LA 71360)
Sherrie S. Pugh (Project Director: August 2006 to January 2009)

The Jackson Barracks Museum and Library hold collections relating to Louisiana military history, including archives, photographs, battle flags, weapons, uniforms, maps, blueprints, artworks, and historic artifacts. Hurricane Katrina brought 13 feet of salty, contaminated water into the museum and 5 feet into the library. Soon after, an additional 5 feet of water entered the museum and library during Hurricane Rita. The institution has recovered the library collections, which were freeze-dried and stored off-site. Artworks have been shipped to Houston to be cleaned, and uniforms and other items have been sent to Fort Worth to be cleaned and sent to climate-controlled storage. Materials covered in mold have been irradiated.

The Jackson Barracks Museum and Library hold collections relating to Louisiana military hisotry, including archives, photographs, battle flags, weapons, uniforms, maps, blueprints, artworks, and historic artifacts. Hurricane Katrina brought 13 feet of salty contaminated water into the museum and five feet into the library. Collections, which were freeze dried and stored off-site. Artworks have been sent to Fort Worth to be cleaned and sent to climate-controlled storage. Materials covered in mold have been eradicated. Conservation treatment of numerous artifacts is needed at this time, and the request to NEH would support conservation treatment of historic weapons, saddles, uniforms, and paper-based materials. Further cleaning and most abatement procedures will be also undertaken.