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[Andymeets1880s]

Evenin'! Uh...whoops...I mean Mornin' everyone!

I just thought I would update everyone who was interested in my "Quantrill Special Collection Research" project at the Gentry Public Library in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas.

I am proud and excited to report that there have been donations of books, personal research and papers of different variety by individuals, historic sites and authors. We will also have decor around the collection consisting of two Missouri Confederate flags. Namely the black Quantrill flag (black flag with the white Q in the upper left corner) and the Missouri Confederate battle flag (navy blue field, red trim, white cross on left side). There will also be pictures of the guerrillas and mini movie posters from Quantrill related movies including "Ride With The Devil" and John Wayne's "True Grit"

The donations of research has been from authors, Robert Collins ("Jim Lane: Scoundrel, Statesman, Kansan"), Deryl Sellmeyer ("Jo Shelby's Iron Brigade"), historic sites like the Confederate Home State Park and Cemetery in Higginsville, MO. and individual donations of books like "Quantrill and the Border Wars", "Quantrill of Missouri" and John Newman Edwards famous book, "Noted Guerrillas!"

We will have copies of Confederate pension and Confederate Home applications for FIFTY Quantrill men including William Gregg, Jim Cummins and William Gaugh just to name a few!

I have started a sub-collection called the "Quantrill Teachers Resource Collection" that is a collection of Civil War themed cirriculum and lesson plan books. My basis for that is to bring Quantrill and the border wars deeper into the classrooms. Teachers can check out these "teachers only" books and cross plan with Quantrill books. For example: Instead of students writing about how Atlanta was rebuilt after Sherman, they can write about how Lawrence, Kansas was rebuilt after Quantrill's raid. Or...instead of students writing their own Gettysburg Address, they can write their own "Order No. 11."

The folks down there are pretty excited and we have the dates for the collection to open to the public and a presentation on some Confederate history in the region. The events are:

Quantrill Special Collections Research opening ceremony
Saturday, May 19, 2012
11:30 AM for refreshements and mingling
Ceremony starts at Noon

"Quantrill / Northwest Arkansas: Bound By Battle"
Monday, May 21, 2012
6:30PM for refreshements and mingling
Presentation begins at 7:00PM

Thanks everyone!

[sanddunerider]

Andy!  wow!  sounds like quite a project you are involved in. Congrats.

2  questions?

Your dates are 2012, is that correct?
Where is this actually going to be Located?

[Andymeets1880s]

Yep, 2012 is correct and this will all be at the Gentry Public Library, 105 East Main Street in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. Gentry is about 20 miles west of Bentonville (Walmart hdqrtrs). Before long, I will have a blogsite of the project online.

[Junior]

Andy, I'm very happy that your hard work has paid off. I thank you also for keeping me on your email list. I have read every Quantrill email  you have sent. I have been tracking your progress. I'm glad a solid date has been set, and I will either attend or will go to the library a few weeks early to discuss and view the collection with the librarian. I will send a private message to you so we can do an interview. I'd still like to write an article for publication and will illustrations regarding this. Best to you! Keep up the good work.

[Andymeets1880s]

Thanks sanddune & Junior. THAT is the support we need to keep the train moving!

I wanted to drop a "heads-up" that I will be posting a new blog/website for the QSCR in a few weeks. It isnt the most technological marvel, but not too bad for what I have to work with! Should be a handful of weeks more and I will let everyone know. There will be a mulitiple choice quiz on Quantrill related questions, image gallery, The Bookshelf (where you can look up all sorts of titles I have listed and then enter them into an Amazon.com search, and some Quantrill/border wars related site links.

Hope you'll all enjoy it! I'll let you when she's up!

[KBCraig]

It's an interesting topic to me, but nothing I'd devote scholarship to. But, I think it's GREAT that you're able to pursue a subject you love so much, and be successful at accumulating what sounds like is turning into a serious collection.

Like attracts like, quality attracts quality, and a quality collection attracts quality artifacts. Best of luck!