Happy Haitian Heritage Month! The Boston Public Library would like to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month this May by highlighting a major heritage resource within our Special Collections Department.
The Boston Public Library collection of Haitian manuscripts is a vast collection of items created between 1714 and 1952. The materials consist of letters, business papers, financial records, government documents, and military orders. This collection documents French colonial rule of Saint-Domingue, British, and American occupation in the region, the Haitian Revolution, the beginning of Haitian self-rule, and the development and evolution of the Republic through the middle of the 20th century. The collection contains original materials created by a range of organizations and people, including prominent figures in Haitian history, such as Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Toussaint Louverture, André Rigaud, Henri Christophe, Alexandre Pétion, Jean Pierre Boyer, and Julien Raimond, among others.
Recently, the Special Collections team has been working to improve the descriptions and discoverability of this rich cultural resource, as well as updating the housing and preservation care. The team has also identified seven boxes of additional relevant manuscripts that were not originally included as part of this collection that we are working to add to the existing finding aid. It is our long-term goal to digitize the collection and make it available online. Until then, please feel free to visit the Special Collections Department to view these materials in person. Like the rest of the library, we are open to the public — visitors do not need any special reasons or credentials to view our primary source materials.
The Special Collections Department reading room is open from Wednesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For our most up-to-date hours, please check our hours & location page. You can locate specific items of interest by using the Boston Public Library collection of Haitian manuscripts finding aid or schedule a reading room appointment at readingroom.bpl.org. We look forward to seeing you!
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