A collection of rare documents by the likes of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Paine and Harriet Beecher Stowe will be on display at the Museum of Texas Tech University starting July 10.
Approximately 1,300 items make up The Remnant Trust, a collection of works that are both printed and handwritten and include some cuneiform tablets dating to 2200 B.C. Within the mission of The Remnant Trust, these materials deal with the ideas of individual liberty and human dignity and now are permanently housed at Texas Tech.
“We are so honored to house The Remnant Trust, which includes work from some of the great leaders and philosophers in world history,” Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis said. “Texas Tech aims not only to educate students but also to encourage them to think about new ideas, a goal shared by The Remnant Trust. We are pleased the public will get to see much of this world-class collection as well.”
The works that will be available for viewing at the museum include:
- “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine
- “Opera” by Aristotle
- “Gorgias” by Plato
- “Essays on Philosophical Subjects” by Adam Smith
- “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- An original leaf from the first Bible printed in English in America
Most of the documents, including early copies of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the King James Bible, the Federalist Papers and Galileo’s dialogues, are housed in the Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library. Professors are able to view these works, which include the writings of Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, John Calvin, Sir Isaac Newton, Confucius and Charles Darwin, as well as proceedings from congressional inquiries and well-known sermons.
“The Remnant Trust, Inc. is excited to continue this endeavor with Texas Tech,” said Kris Bex, president of The Remnant Trust. “We are looking forward to sharing our collection with those interested in tracking the ideas of liberty and dignity – where we came from, how we arrived where we are and where we may go from here. We like to think of the collection as a timeline of liberty.”
While portions of The Remnant Trust will continue to travel, the collection’s home will be Texas Tech. The securing of The Remnant Trust was made possible, in part, by grants from the Helen Jones Foundation and The CH Foundation.
The museum is located at 3301 Fourth St. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed on Monday. Admission is free.
