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
1793-1893
These images were taken from a number of books housed in the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections.
The sources include:
Thomas Pennant's History of Quadrupeds. Vols. 1 and 2 (1793)
William P. C. Barton's…
Location: Special Collections
Subject: Science and Technology
Format: Engravings and Illustrations
Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899
Collection Inventory:
1769-2001
The Carlisle and Local Newspaper Collection consists of various newspapers that were produced in south central Pennsylvania, or feature articles which concern local events. The newspapers are arranged alphabetically by title and then…
Location: Carlisle and Local - Newspaper Collection 1769-2001
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Military Affairs and Conflict, Native Americans, Politics and Government
Format: Newspapers and Magazines
Time Period: 1760-1779, 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1960-1979, 2000-2019
Collection Inventory: Carlisle and Local - Annotated Newspaper List , Carlisle and Local - Subject Index
1785-2002
The Dickinsoniana Newspaper Collection consists of various newspapers acquired by the Library over the years. These items feature articles which concern mainly Dickinson College: happenings on campus, curriculum offerings, and doings of famous…
Location: Dickinsoniana – Newspaper Collection 1769-2001
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College History, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Military Affairs and Conflict
Format: Newspapers and Magazines
Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999, 2000-2019
Collection Inventory: Dickinsoniana - Annotated Newspaper List , Dickinsoniana - Subject Index
1769-1865
The collection consists of the papers of Charles Nisbet, first president of Dickinson College, and his family, particularly his son-in-law, William Turnbull. The majority of these papers is correspondence conducted between Nisbet and his daughter…
Location: MC 2001.7
Subject: Business and Industry, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College History, Genealogy and Family History, International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Format: Artifacts and Objects, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Photographs, Poetry and Lyrics
Time Period: 1760-1779, 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879
Collection Inventory: mc2001.07.pdf
1911-1914
The records contained in the President Eugene Allen Noble record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers are included in this record group. For records concerning Noble’s…
Location: RG 2/10
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: RG 2/10 - Eugene Allen Noble
1870-1904
George Norcross (1838-1915) graduated from Monmouth College in 1861 and Princeton Theological Seminary in 1864. He served as minister of the Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, Pa., from 1869 until 1909. This collection contains seven sermons…
Location: MC 2005.6
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Speeches and Sermons
Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: mc2005.06.pdf
1924-1989, bulk 1967-1989
Record group 5/2 consists of both materials dating from 1962-1989 while the Office of the Chaplain existed under the leadership of a full-time chaplain, as well as materials regarding campus religious affairs functions prior to the establishment…
Location: RG 5/2
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College Organizations, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Meeting Minutes, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Music, Reports, Speeches and Sermons
Time Period: 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999
Collection Inventory: RG 5/2 - Office of the Chaplain Papers
1848-1852
The records contained in the President Jesse Truesdell Peck record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers or papers pertaining to Peck’s tenure as a faculty member are included in…
Location: RG 2/4
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1840-1859
Collection Inventory: RG 2/4 - Jesse Truesdell Peck
1914-1915
This collection consists primarily of the diary of Esther Popel Shaw (Class of 1919), the first African American woman to graduate from Dickinson College. Esther kept this diary between the conclusion of her junior year in high school on…
Location: MC 2013.4
Subject: Education, Literary Pursuits, Personal and Family Life
Format: Diaries and Journals
Time Period: 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: mc2013.04.pdf
1858-1943
The collection documents the lives of the members of the Potter, Guererro, James, and Lord families from the 1850s to the 1940s, beginning with Henry Cardwell Potter (1822-1902), a Philadelphia businessman who through his business dealings became…
Location: MC 1998.8
Subject: Business and Industry, Health and Medicine, Land and Real Estate, Personal and Family Life, Sport and Recreation, Travel and Tourism
Format: Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs, Scrapbooks
Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959
Collection Inventory: mc1998.08.pdf
1809-1918
The collection documents several generations of the Poulson family and its role in publishing Poulson's American Daily Advertiser. It includes submissions, woodcuts, and sample issues from the Daily Advertiser; correspondence;…
Location: MC 2006.2
Subject: Economics and Finance, Education, Genealogy and Family History, Health and Medicine, Land and Real Estate, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Essays and Dissertations, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs, Poetry and Lyrics, Scrapbooks
Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: mc2006.02.pdf
1783-1831
The Presidents 1783-1833 Record Group contains papers related the presidency of the seven men who served at Dickinson from 1783 to 1833. This Record Group corresponds with that of RG 1/1, the Trustees 1783-1833, which also documents the first…
Location: RG 2/1
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College Student Life, Education
Format: Letters/Correspondence, Reports
Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839
Collection Inventory: RG 2/1 - Presidents
1797-1937
The collection consists of correspondence, legal and financial materials primarily related to Price's law practice, his service in the Pennsylvania State Senate (1854-1856), and as a commissioner for Fairmount Park Association. Also included in…
Location: MC 1999.13
Subject: Business and Industry, Economics and Finance, Legal Affairs, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines
Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939
Collection Inventory: mc1999.13.pdf
1952-present
The Priestley Award was established by Dickinson College in honor and memory of Joseph Priestley, the eighteenth century scientist and theologian best known as the discoverer of oxygen. Every year the award is presented to a distinguished…
Location: RG 9/2
Subject: Dickinson College Events, Education, Science and Technology
Format: Broadsides and Posters, Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera
Time Period: 1960-1979, 1980-1999, 2000-2019
Collection Inventory: RG 9/2 - Joseph Priestley Award Papers
1717-1964
This collection includes letters, documents, clippings, pamphlets, and photographs relating to Joseph Priestley and his descendants. It was presented to the college by Mrs. Temple Fay.
Location: MC 1998.1
Subject: Health and Medicine, Politics and Government, Science and Technology
Format: Artifacts and Objects, Engravings and Illustrations, Essays and Dissertations, Letters/Correspondence, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs, Scrapbooks
Time Period: Before 1760, 1760-1779, 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979
Collection Inventory: mc1998.01.pdf , Priestley Family Collection Pamphlet
1833-1994
This collection includes articles, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and programs about Joseph Priestley and related topics. Also included in the collection are genealogical materials - correspondence, notes, charts - collected by Priestley…
Location: MC 2003.8
Subject: Genealogy and Family History, Literary Pursuits, Religion and Spirituality, Science and Technology
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Essays and Dissertations, Letters/Correspondence, Maps and Diagrams, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines
Time Period: 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999
Collection Inventory: mc2003.08.pdf
1790-1937
Leon Cushing Prince (1878-1937) graduated from Dickinson College in 1898 and received his law degree from the Dickinson School of Law and his masters from New York University. Prince returned to Dickinson in 1907 to become a professor of history…
Location: MC 1998.7
Subject: Dickinson College Student Life, Economics and Finance, Education, Literary Pursuits, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Essays and Dissertations, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Scrapbooks, Speeches and Sermons
Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939
Collection Inventory: mc1998.07.pdf
1865-1926
Julius N. Proeschel was a French immigant who was an employee and friend of John McClintock, a professor at Dickinson College. The Proeschel Family Collection is comprised entirely of correspondence and is housed in one document box. The…
Location: MC 2001.3
Subject: Personal and Family Life
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1860-1879, 1880-1899, 1900-1919, 1920-1939
Collection Inventory: mc2001.03.pdf
1978-1993
The Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) collection consists of the various papers, newsletters, court dockets, and publications which were housed by PIRC in an effort to organize all efforts against the restart of Three Mile Island, following…
Location: TMI-PIRC
Subject: Health and Medicine, Legal Affairs, Politics and Government, Three Mile Island
Format: Artifacts and Objects, Books and Pamphlets, Financial Documents, Legal and Government Documents, Letters/Correspondence, Meeting Minutes, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Reports
Time Period: 1960-1979, 1980-1999
Collection Inventory: TMI-PIRC.pdf
1909-1912
Earl Eugene Rahn graduated from Dickinson College in 1912. This scrapbook includes images of people, places, events at Dickinson between 1909 and 1912, as well as at Rahn's home in Weavertown, PA.
Location: MC 2018.07
Subject: Dickinson College Student Life
Format: Scrapbooks
Time Period: 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: mc2018.07rahn.pdf
1786-1896
The collection consists of the correspondence of William Rawle (1759-1836), William Rawle, Jr. (1788-1858), William Henry Rawle (1823-1889), Charles Wallace Brooke, and William Brooke Rawle, primarily concerning legal and financial matters. The…
Location: MC 2000.5
Subject: Economics and Finance, Legal Affairs
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879, 1880-1899
Collection Inventory: mc2000.05.pdf
1818-1870
This collection contains the personal and legal papers of John Meredith Read, a Pennsylvania lawyer and state supreme court justice. The collection is housed in one document box and is divided into two categories: Correspondence and Legal and…
Location: MC 2001.19
Subject: Business and Industry, Legal Affairs, Personal and Family Life
Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1800-1819, 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879
Collection Inventory: mc2001.19.pdf
1889-1911
The records contained in the President George Edward Reed record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers are included in this record group. For records concerning Reed’s…
Location: RG 2/9
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education
Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence
Time Period: 1880-1899, 1900-1919
Collection Inventory: RG 2/9 - George Edward Reed
1941-1945
George Edward Reed II (1912-1998) graduated from Dickinson College in 1935. This collection contains journals that document his service during World War II. The journals include diary entries, which start in June 1941 and end in November 1945.…
Location: MC 2009.1
Subject: Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Travel and Tourism
Format: Diaries and Journals, Letters/Correspondence, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Newspapers and Magazines, Photographs
Time Period: 1940-1959
Collection Inventory: mc2009.01.pdf
1832-1861
The William Charles Ford Reed Collection was donated to the college in 1951 by the sons of William C. F. Reed, Class of 1851. The collection contains some of Reed's student writings, notebooks, and his complete set of school books. A subsequent…
Location: MC 2001.16
Subject: Dickinson College Student Life, Education
Format: Books and Pamphlets, Essays and Dissertations, Maps and Diagrams, Memorabilia and Ephemera, Notes and Notebooks, Photographs, Speeches and Sermons
Time Period: 1820-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1879
Collection Inventory: mc2001.16.pdf