Center for Study of the Life and Work of William Carey, D.D. (1761-1834)

Initiated in the summer of 2000, the Center for Study of the Life and Work of William Carey, D.D. (1761-1834) is an internationally-acclaimed collection housed in the Donnell Hall museum, Hattiesburg Campus. The Center promotes an understanding of the accomplishments of William Carey (1761-1834) and enhances appreciation of Carey's religious, cultural, scientific, and historical contexts in Britain and India. Carey, a figure of international significance, and his work as a Christian missionary, social reformer, linguist, botanist, and educator in India, 1793-1834, are features of the Center's collection of manuscripts, rare books and maps, historic botanical and engraved prints and portraits, and memorabilia.

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Sarah Gillespie Collection

The Sarah Gillespie Collection is considered to be the most comprehensive and extensive collection of art executed by Mississippians during the twentieth century. Numbering over 600 works and including work by artists from every section of the state, employing various media and exploring wide ranging subject matter, the collection is a true artistic, social and historical treasure which represents the work, determination and enthusiasm of Miss Gillespie.

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Clarence Dickinson Special Collection

The Clarence Dickinson Special Collection, which is housed in the Smith Rouse Library on the Hattiesburg campus of William Carey University, contains the papers, music, manuscripts, furniture, art works and personal belongings of Clarence Dickinson. Dr. Dickinson was the organist at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City for fifty years. He was also a prominent concert organist in the United States and Europe, and a composer of numerous organ pieces and choral anthems. Dickinson was the founder of the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary, which had the distinction of being the first graduate level music program for men and women in the United States. Prior to its founding in 1928, those who wanted to pursue a graduate degree in sacred music were forced to travel to Europe.

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Lucile Parker Gallery

The Lucile Parker Gallery is located in Asbury Academic Building on the Hattiesburg campus of William Carey University. The Lucile Parker Gallery opened on December 4, 1990. It was named for Mrs Lucile Parker, a Mississippi artist known for her botanical drawings and paintings and her portrait work. Miss Parker organized the art department at William Carey and served as chairperson from 1974 until 1983.

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Chain Garden

The Chain Garden is named in honor of former Hattiesburg Mayor Bobby Chain and his wife Betty and is a memorial to their parents and Mr. Chain's sister.


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