NSU LIBRARIES

Third Floor, Watson Memorial Library
913 University Parkway
Natchitoches LA 71457

“Some day – some one will hunt history in these very old materials C.G.H” — note by Cammie G. Henry in a Melrose Scrapbook

Donna Baker, University Archivist and Records Officer
Vacant, Assistant Archivist

The Research Center is named after Carmelite “Cammie” Garrett Henry (1871-1948) of Melrose, Louisiana who collected Louisiana documents and books of rare fictional and non-fictional works. Here you’ll find Louisiana books, rare books, archival materials, NSU Archives, microfilm, maps, newspapers, and oral history tapes.

Melrose Plantation, the Henry Family home, provided a perfect setting for entertaining guests from diversified intellectual disciplines including literature, art, and the social sciences.

After the sale of Cammie G. Henry’s home, her manuscript collection was donated to Northwestern State University and named the Melrose Collection. This collection, our largest, serves as the core of the Research Center’s holdings. It focuses on the rich cultural, historical, and literary heritage of Louisiana and Natchitoches spanning from French Colonial times through the 1940’s.

Other collections sharing similar strengths include those of James Aswell, the Cloutier Family, Robert DeBlieux, Caroline Dormon, Joe Dellmon, the Egan Family, and the Federal Writers’ Project. Our resources offer a wealth of opportunities for scholars. Focusing on Louisiana History, documents range in date from the founding of Natchitoches in the early 1700’s to the present.

The Melrose Imaging Project digitizes images from these collections for easier access and preservation. Electronically imaging the Melrose Collection allows computer access to documents related to the region’s history, and preserves the originals.