About Guides to Collections

Collections of college and personal papers, as well as a select number of individual documents, have been briefly described in entries available for browsing and searching on this site. All collection descriptions contain a representative image and a summary of the contents. Collection descriptions also include links to an inventory detailing the contents of the collection.

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Collection Descriptions

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1805-1855

The collection includes bills, receipts, letters, and account books of Josiah Albertson's lime and lumber business in Plymouth, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which he later held in partnership with his brothers, Jacob and Benjamin. Also…

Location: MC 1999.14

Subject: Business and Industry, Genealogy and Family History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality

Format: Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Meeting Minutes

Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859

Collection Inventory: mc1999.14.pdf

1793-1926

Alexander Biddle, the patriarch of the collection, was born on April 29, 1819 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas A. Biddle and Christine Williams Biddle. A member of a prominent and wealthy Philadelphia family, he graduated from the…

Location: MC 2014.1

Subject: Economics and Finance, Legal Affairs, Personal and Family Life

Format: Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Miscellaneous, Photographs

Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939

Collection Inventory:

1928-1970

Hazelle Myra Allen Brooks graduated from Dickinson College in 1934. This collection contains diaries kept by her as a college student and as a young mother during World War II. It also includes diaries kept by her mother, Essie Myra Comstock…

Location: MC 2011.3

Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Personal and Family Life

Format: Diaries and Journals

Time Period: 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979

Collection Inventory: mc2011.03.pdf

1867-1898

An album containing clippings of the serial publication "Harry Ashton's Ramblings," with a handwritten preface, penciled editing notes, photographs, and letters from publishers. The story was published in the Boston Globe in 1873 and…

Location: MC 1998.4

Subject: Literary Pursuits, Travel and Tourism

Format: Letters/Correspondence, Scrapbooks

Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899

Collection Inventory: mc1998.04.pdf

1755-1783

The collection contains papers related to John Armstrong's service as a surveyor in Cumberland County between 1755 and 1783. These papers include correspondence with the Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania and Delaware, John Lukens, complaints from…

Location: MC 2001.4

Subject: Business and Industry, Land and Real Estate

Format: Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Maps and Diagrams

Time Period: Before 1760, 1760-1779, 1780-1799

Collection Inventory: mc2001.04.pdf

1959-present

The Arts Award was established by Dickinson College in order to recognize achievements in the Arts and Humanities. Honoring Dr. William Wilcox Edel, alumnus and former president of the college, the Arts Award is bestowed upon an individual who…

Location: RG 9/3

Subject: Dickinson College Events, Visual and Performing Arts

Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999, 2000-2019

Collection Inventory: RG 9/3 - Arts Award papers

1836-1918

The collection consists mainly of personal correspondence: fifty letters, most of which are from Carolyn Elizabeth Roberts Ayer to her husband Joseph Cullen Ayer (b. 1839) at various points in his life, beginning before their marriage (1861) when…

Location: MC 1999.4

Subject: Genealogy and Family History, Health and Medicine, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life

Format: Essays and Dissertations, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Poetry and Lyrics

Time Period: 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919

Collection Inventory: mc1999.04.pdf

1868-1873

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887) was a Dickinson College graduate (class of 1840) and a professor of natural history and science at the college from 1845 until 1850, when he became assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institute (1850-1878).…

Location: MC 2000.11

Subject: Science and Technology, Travel and Tourism

Format: Letters/Correspondence

Time Period: 1860-1879

Collection Inventory: mc2000.11.pdf

1864-1901

Robert Hale Bancroft (?-1918) was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, and was educated at Harvard Law School and the University of Bremen in Germany. His travels abroad, as well as his interests in local events in Beverly, are reflected in this…

Location: MC 1998.5

Subject: Personal and Family Life, Travel and Tourism, Visual and Performing Arts

Format: Scrapbooks

Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919

Collection Inventory: mc1998.05.pdf

1842-1968

The collection consists of the papers of Charles Gilbert Beetem, a Carlisle, PA rug manufacturer, local historian and genealogist, amateur artist, and omnivorous collector. Diaries, manuscripts, letters, advertisements, greeting cards, and…

Location: MC 2002.7

Subject: Business and Industry, Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Genealogy and Family History, Land and Real Estate, Literary Pursuits, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Visual and Performing Arts

Format: Books and Pamphlets, Diaries and Journals, Fiction and Drama, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Notes and Notebooks, Photographs, Scrapbooks

Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979

Collection Inventory: mc2002.07.pdf

1830-1856

The collection contains legal and financial materials related to the settlement of the estates of Ricardo Maria Bell of Santiago, Cuba and Ana Maria Bell de Becerra. Also included are an account ledger of former trustee Robert Ewing, wills,…

Location: MC 1999.15

Subject: Genealogy and Family History, Legal Affairs

Format: Legal and Government Documents

Time Period: 1820-1839, 1840-1859

Collection Inventory: mc1999.15.pdf

1873-1974

The collection contains correspondence, pamphlets, and photographs of Dr. Annie (Wood) Besant (1847-1933), a prominent and revolutionary freethinker of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Besant was a Christian wife and mother who…

Location: MC 1999.7

Subject: Politics and Government, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy

Format: Books and Pamphlets, Engravings and Illustrations, Letters/Correspondence, Photographs

Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979

Collection Inventory: mc1999.07.pdf

1855-1917

John Black, Jr. (1842-1915) attended Dickinson College between 1858 and 1860, before returning to his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to begin his career as a druggist. During the Civil War, Black served in the 122nd Pennsylvania Volunteers and…

Location: MC 2007.2

Subject: Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Genealogy and Family History, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life

Format: Artifacts and Objects, Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Photographs

Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919

Collection Inventory: mc2007.02.pdf

1803-1861

The collection consists of correspondence and miscellaneous materials relating to Andrew Blair (1789-1861), a layman and founding member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle. In 1833, Blair successfully petitioned the Presbyterian Church…

Location: MC 1999.11

Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality

Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines

Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879

Collection Inventory: mc1999.11.pdf

1859-1919

The collection consists mainly of correspondence between Arba Blodget (1879-1949), a Philadelphia drama critic and playwright, and his wife Laura and her family. Blodget and his wife had been separated early in their marriage due to his traveling…

Location: MC 1998.2

Subject: Business and Industry, Personal and Family Life, Visual and Performing Arts

Format: Diaries and Journals, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines

Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919

Collection Inventory: mc1998.02.pdf

1977-1981

The collection reflects Scott Blum's (1959- ) interest in the sciences, particularly computers. The documents and materials relate to Blum's time at Dickinson College, especially his academic career, and consist of notes and notebooks, syllabi,…

Location: MC 2003.1

Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Student Life

Format: Artifacts and Objects, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Notes and Notebooks

Time Period: 1960-1979, 1980-1999

Collection Inventory: mc2003.01.pdf

1783-1837

The papers of the Board of Trustees of Dickinson College, 1783-1833, include correspondence, reports, financial statements, printed materials, and legal documents, and have been arranged into seven series.

Location: RG 1/1

Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College History, Dickinson College Student Life, Economics and Finance, Education

Format: Books and Pamphlets, Engravings and Illustrations, Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Meeting Minutes, Reports

Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839

Collection Inventory: RG 1-001.pdf

1833-1902

The papers of the Board of Trustees of Dickinson College, 1833-1879, include correspondence, reports, financial statements, printed materials, and legal documents, and have been arranged into thirteen series.…

Location: RG 1/2

Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College Student Life, Economics and Finance, Education, Religion and Spirituality

Format: Certificates and Diplomas, Engravings and Illustrations, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Meeting Minutes, Reports

Time Period: 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919

Collection Inventory: RG 1-002.pdf

1967-1984

This collection consists of course materials, writings, and translations created by Marianna Bogojavlensky, who taught Russian language and literature at Dickinson College from 1963 to 1981.

Location: MC 2011.2

Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Education

Format: Essays and Dissertations, Notes and Notebooks

Time Period: 1960-1979, 1980-1999

Collection Inventory: mc2011.02.pdf

1778-1865

Thomas Emerson Bond, Sr., was a well-known Methodist Episcopal minister and author who served as a trustee of Dickinson College from 1833 until 1835. The collection includes correspondence to and from Bond dating mostly from 1840-1848, as well as…

Location: MC 1999.2

Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education, Religion and Spirituality, Travel and Tourism

Format: Diaries and Journals, Engravings and Illustrations, Essays and Dissertations, Letters/Correspondence, Reports, Speeches and Sermons

Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879

Collection Inventory: mc1999.02.pdf

1762-1932

The collection contains materials relating to family life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Ohio. The central figure is Daniel Bowdle (1796-1876), who as a young man moved to Cincinnati and became the successful business man of his family,…

Location: MC 1998.3

Subject: Land and Real Estate, Personal and Family Life

Format: Books and Pamphlets, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs, Poetry and Lyrics, Speeches and Sermons

Time Period: 1760-1779, 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939

Collection Inventory: mc1998.03.pdf

1854-1932

This collection contains materials documenting the personal and business lives of George W. Bowman (1809-1887) and his son Harry Leader Bowman (1848-1915). It also documents the death of George's wife and Harry's mother, Ann Leader Bowman (1813-…

Location: MC 2008.3

Subject: Business and Industry, Dickinson College History, Dickinson College Student Life, Economics and Finance, Personal and Family Life

Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs

Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939

Collection Inventory: mc2008.03.pdf

1875-1937

The Robert Bridges Papers Collection provides insight into literary works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and reflects Bridges’ long period of work as an editor and literary critic. The collection spans a date range of 1875-1937, with…

Location: MC 2012.12

Subject: Education, Literary Pursuits, Visual and Performing Arts

Format: Artifacts and Objects, Books and Pamphlets, Essays and Dissertations, Fiction and Drama, Financial Documents, Interviews and Oral Histories, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Music, Newspapers and Magazines, Notes and Notebooks, Photographs, Poetry and Lyrics, Speeches and Sermons

Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939

Collection Inventory: mc2012.12.pdf

1890-1932

This collection contains 11 images believed to be owned by Brockey (Blackfeet Piegan), also known as Charles Walter Buck, and his first wife, Spyna Deveraux, both of whom attended the Carlisle Indian School. The collection also contains a copy of…

Location: CIS-MC-003

Subject: Carlisle Indian School, Native Americans

Format: Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs

Time Period: 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939

Collection Inventory: CIS-MC-003.pdf

1808-1991

James Buchanan was a graduate of Dickinson College, Class of 1809, who went on to become the fifteenth president of the United States. The majority of this collection is comprised of correspondence between Buchanan and his business and political…

Location: MC 1998.10

Subject: Dickinson College Student Life, Economics and Finance, Education, International Affairs, Legal Affairs, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government

Format: Books and Pamphlets, Engravings and Illustrations, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Reports, Speeches and Sermons

Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999

Collection Inventory: mc1998.10.pdf