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THE ADVERTISER NEWS * Wednesday, June 18, 1997 3A
Walthall Foundation acquires Anderson Geneological Library
Historic Walthall School will become the new home of the L.W. Anderson Genealogical Library in early fall 1997.
The Anderson Library, formerly located in Gulfport, is recognized as one of the largest and best collections in the region. William Saxbe, an Ohio genealogist, wrote in the March 1996 National Geneological Society Quarterly that the Anderson Library ?is by far the best genealogical library in the state (of Mississippi).? More recently, Curt Witcher, manager of the Historical Genealogy Department at the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Library, stated this spring that, ?Libraries from coast to coast are envious of the materials in the L. W. Anderson Library.?
The Anderson Library has been
inaccessible to users for more than a year, but will now have a home in H ittiesburg?s Walthall School. This location will provide genealogists w.th convenient access to both the Anderson Library and the McCain Genealogical Collection and other resources of the University of Southern Mississippi Library.
The Board of Directors of Walthall Foundation met June 15, 1997, and voted unanimously to ap-piove the contract with the Anderson Library. The Library will open to the public in Fall 1997, following renovation of the space it will occupy.
Walthall School, the birthplace of the Mississippi Parent-Teacher Association, is a Mississippi Landmark Structure locatcd in the heart of the .
Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood District. It is now owned by the nonprofit Walthall Foundation Inc., a tax-exempt organization dedicated to preserving Walthall School and the educational and cultural heritage of southeast Mississippi. The building will house USM?s Pine Hills Cultural Center and Archaeological Archives as well as the Anderson Genealogy Library. Membership in Walthall Foundation is open to all persons supporting the organization?s goals. To join the Walthall Foundation, contribute to its work or obtain information about the Anderson Library or other programs, write to Walthall Foundation Inc., 601 Court Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401-3947.
* Source: Don Williams, President