University of South Carolina Libraries
Wea p BY TOMMY FOWLER Gamecock Staff Writer One of the nation's most "extensive and varied" collections of military and historical artifacts has made its home in the War Memorial Building at USC. Dr. Francis A. Lord, owner of the collection, is exhibiting weapons dating back from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam conflict. His collection has been described by experts as being one of the best in the United States. Lord started the collection as a childhood hobby by gathering the relics from family mem F NE NIN 14 One-Ninth O 4ward -winning photog Special rates on ANN HIARKINS IIIST IRUNNEIR PHONE 772; rns Mus FRANCIS A. LORD .collection owner. bers who had served in early wars. He continued his collecting through his adult h DAY l O AUUS f I f A DolI,r Bi lkte t. si* i,~ th DAY OF AUGUST I portraits for homecoming q Fast service. 1972 CONN UP -8178 or 777-4249 and ask eum H years, including years of ac tive service as head of a German-speaking prisoner interrogation unitduring World War II. His collection contains weapons used by the early American colonists, German and Japanese prisoners, and soldiers from all major American wars. In his collection, of which the Museum exhibition is just a small part, are relics from the Civil War such as muskets, swords, uniforms and shoes. Lord also has a remembrance of the Custer massacre, a tomahawk found at Wounded ANNAV 776 ug. 14, 1776 Ri* Paige ormner chief photographer ueen cornpetion. IE CAMERON 1972 for Tom Price. as USC f Lord's collection has been acclaimed as being one of the nation's best. Knee. "You can see the develop ment of weapons," Lord stated, "all the way from the heavy muskets of the Civil War to the plastic stock of the an i onf- oeiasm German Identificati< Bottle F:rom C'har lome tutomatic rifles used in lietnam." Asked what the price of these iumerous artifacts might be, Lord replied, "They're )riceless, not to mention rreplaceable." He ex )lained that some of the 'nuskets were worth hundreds >f dollars alone. One of the tems, Ben Butler's chest of supposedly stolen Tiffany silver from New Orleans, mould sell for "several housand dollars." Many of the items Lord has cn display were obtained by trades with other reputable collectors, he explained. The -est of his collection will be displayed beginning in 1974. , Bottro;,An. 43' 31. 3 . ' Rick Paige n Issued In 1943 0 lesion Circa 1770 Rick Pnine