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Unpublished Manuscripts by Fr. DeSmet to be displayed
Kay Spring and Gretchen Crank look over the shoulders of Rosemary Davison as she reads some of the unpublished manuscripts and letters of Fr. Pierre-DeSmet, S.J. The books were recently donated to Historic Florissant, Inc.
Historic Florissant, Inc. has just received a surprise treasure of original, unpublished manuscripts and Letter Books by Fr. Pierre-Jean DeSmet, S.J.
Four volumes titled, “Life, Letters and Travels of Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet, S.J. (1801-1873),” were published by Francis P. Harper in 1905. The books were edited by Major Hiram Martin Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, USA and Alfred Talbot Richards. Also included is a map of Fr. DeSmet’s travels.
The books with uncut pages were in the possession of the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, and were recently purchased by Richard Straub and donated to Historic Florissant, Inc.
“We were really excited to receive these volumes and are taking our time reading them,” said Rosemary Davison of Historic Florissant.
Fr. DeSmet was ordained in St. Ferdinand’s Church and was part of the group of Jesuits who established St. Stanislaus Seminary. Two pictures of the early log structures at the Seminary are a part of Volume 1.
The four books will be on display in Historic Florissant’s office during September. Details will be announced when they become available. For more information, call Historic Florissant, Inc. at 314-921-7055.
