Carlisle and Cumberland County

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 Allen.

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 extensive runs of Philadelphia and Carlisle turn-of-the-century theater programs are all included in the collection, as well as accounts of Carlisle and Cumberland County history. College memorabilia includes his own drawings for Dickinson's yearbook. The collection also contains the Conodoquinet Yacht Club Archives. Miscellaneous materials include journals and accounts for homes he designed and built as well as those for proposed real estate development in Carlisle. The correspondence reflects Beetem's longtime interest in U. S. island possessions, which is the subject of his large collection of publications and books housed in our library.

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 in favor of founding a second church; he had become disenchanted with the current minister, George Duffield. Some of the correspondence relates to Blair's attempts to downplay the scandal that followed. Most of it, however, is written by Blair to his son-in-law, Rev. J.A. Murray, discussing both personal and church-related topics. The miscellaneous materials of the collection consist mainly of newspaper clippings, including obituaries for Blair, as well as items relating to town matters.

The collection consists of a scrapbook of clippings from both the Carlisle Herald and the Mechanicsburg Weekly Gazette. The scrapbook was kept by William M. Porter, who succeeded Captain E. Beatty as editor, 1857-1860. Porter served as editor until January 11, 1860, when Albert K. Rheem purchased the paper.

The subjects of the articles include Dickinson College, Irving Female College, popular literature, and local events.

This collection contains a number of items purchased as a group from Robert Rowe in 2014, and features the business papers of Milton I. Zeigler, postcards, ephemera, and publications from the Carlisle Indian School. Zeigler served as the industrial instructor for the shoe and harness department at the Carlisle Indian School from about 1901-1909. His business papers include correspondence with government agents and material suppliers as well as vouchers for expenditures during various business trips. The postcards in this collection all feature images of the Carlisle Indian School. The ephemera in this collection include commencement programs and quotation cards printed by the Carlisle Indian School Press. The Publications section includes multiple government publications about the Carlisle Indian School as well as souvenir booklets about the school and a copy of Stiya: A Carlisle Indian Girl at Home, written by school matron and printing supervisor Marianna Burgess.

Most of the materials in this collection are available online at the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center.

This collection contains a series of letters received by Dr. Cornelius Rea Agnew, a noted surgeon from New York City who was a strong supporter of, and significant donor to, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The majority of the letters were written by Richard Henry Pratt, and discuss a number of topics including donations to the school, renovations and purchases for the campus, Pratt’s attempts to gain further support and funding from politicians in Washington, and various trips undertaken by the two for the benefit of the school. One letter, from Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior M. S. Juslyn, discusses approval for funding for one of Agnew’s trips to the American West, and two letters from Amy A. Carothers, an early teacher at the school, discuss activities in her classroom.

These items about the Carlisle Indian School were acquired by the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections individually and are not part of any larger collection.

This collection consists of the essays and sermons of Walter L. Crowding, Dickinson Class of 1925 and Methodist minister. Most of the essays are written upon various topics in religion, but also included are treatises on art and literature. The majority of the collection is comprised of more than 800 sermons presented by Crowding from 1921 to 1975.

The papers of John Price Durbin contained within this record group pertain only to the years that he spent as president of Dickinson College, from 1834 to 1845. This includes the papers collected during the period of Durbin's sabbatical, during which Robert Emory served as acting president for one year. The Durbin records are divided into three series: General Business, Personnel, and External Affairs.

The bulk of the diaries is a day by day account of Harnish's life in Carlisle - what he did, whom he saw, etc. Four diaries contain accounts of his years at Dickinson College: accounts of the social life, (Theta Chi fraternity), and academic information - not greatly detailed. Also included are detailed accounts of his joining the army, his search for summer employment, and his financial endeavors - particularly the Chicken Account- and descriptions of profit/expenses of raising his chickens. The diaries end with descriptions of his life as a teacher in Chicago.

This collection primarily provides evidence of the personal and professional life of Charles Francis Himes, student, photographer, scientist, teacher, administrator, amateur historian and father. Also found in this collection is evidence of the lives of family members including, most notably, C. F. Himes' wife Mary and her father Joseph A. Murray. Information on Dickinson College is featured prominently throughout this collection through the close association of C. F. Himes with the institution during most of his life. Beyond family and institutional history, this collection offers information on a number of social, political, economic, and historic topics. Some of these broader topics include post-secondary education in the latter half of the nineteenth century, south central Pennsylvania society, the history of photography, and nineteenth century travel.

Zatae Longsdorff Straw (1866-1955) was the first woman graduate of Dickinson College as a member of the class of 1887; she went on to a successful career as a doctor and politician. The collection of her papers includes correspondence, printed and manuscript materials, scrapbooks and scrapbook materials, photographs, and artifacts. The bulk of the documents in this collection focuses on Zatae's life in Manchester, New Hampshire, both private and professional. There are some items, however, about her life at Dickinson, namely her dress and medal for the Pierson Prize in Oratory, 1886, and her writing desk.

Lonna Malmsheimer collection consists of assorted newspaper articles, transcripts of interviews and audiotapes collected during her work with various other Dickinson College professors and students concerning the public reaction to the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979.

These images were taken from just a few of the maps and atlases housed in the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections.

The sources include:

Thomas T. Smiley's Smiley’s Atlas for the Use of Schools and Families… (1839) 
S. Augustus Mitchell's New Universal Atlas… (1857), Mitchell’s New General Atlas… (1866), and  Mitchell’s Ancient Atlas, Classical and Sacred… (1873)
Frederick W. Beers' Atlas of Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania: From Actual Surveys (1872)
Joseph R. Bein's Atlas of the State of Pennsylvania: From Original Surveys and Various Local Surveys Revised and Corrected (1900)

This collection primarily provides evidence of the personal and public life of Frank E. Masland Jr., environmentalist, preservationist, explorer, entrepreneur, author, and community leader.  Also found in this collection is correspondence from prominent twentieth-century figures such as leaders of the National Park Service, journalists, politicians throughout the world, and American presidents. Information on Dickinson College is featured prominently throughout this collection through the close association of Masland with the institution during most of his life. This collection offers information on a number of social, political, economic, and historic topics through the eyes of a man who witnessed nearly the entire twentieth century.  Some of these broader topics include the industrialization of the United States, south central Pennsylvania community, the rise of environmentalism, reactions to communism, the rise of the New Left, and twentieth-century exploration. The processing of this collection was made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

William C. McPherson graduated from Dickinson College in 1829 before beginning a life-long career as a physician. The collection is comprised of two diaries that contain entries dating from his college days, some notes from medical school lectures, and his post-college daily life in Marietta, Pennsylvania.

The records of Metzger Institute (Carlisle, PA) date from 1881 to 1913. They include catalogs and promotional materials, documentation of student grades and deportment, financial records, library circulation records, ephemera, and scrapbooks.

Hiester Henry Muhlenberg (1812-1886) was a member of the distinguished Muhlenberg family of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1829. This collection contains almost 200 letters, most of which were written by members of Muhlenberg's immediate family. These letters reflect American politics, European diplomacy, social life, and the student experience at Dickinson College. The collection also includes photographs and engravings of some members of the Muhlenberg family.

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 chronologically; a description of the contents and donor information for each newspaper are included in this inventory. In order to find newspapers dealing with particular individuals or events, a subject index has been included with the collection.

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 alumni such as James Buchanan and Roger Brooke Taney. The newspapers are arranged alphabetically by title and then chronologically; a description of the pertinent article, its location in the paper, and donor information are included in this inventory. In order to find newspapers dealing with particular individuals or events, a subject index has been included with the collection.

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 given by Norcross between 1870 and 1904. Norcross preached many of these sermons on more than one occasion. The front page of each document, therefore, contains a list of locations and dates for each instance when a sermon was given.

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 of the chaplaincy, as early as 1924. The bulk of the material, however, dates from the appointment of Paul Kaylor in 1967 to the resignation of Mary Anne Morefield in 1989. The record group is organized in eleven series:

Series 01 General Administrative Materials

Series 02 Finances

Series 03 General Correspondence

Series 04 Chapel Programming for Weekday Services and Special Events (before fall 1965)

Series 05 College Church Programming for Sunday, Holiday, and Other Special Services

Series 06 Events

Series 07 Social Action

Series 08 Other Religious Traditions/Organizations

Series 09 Other Campus Organizations

Series 10 Other Chaplain’s Activities

Series 11 Chaplains’ Personal Papers

A fuller description of each series is given before each series inventory.

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 interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Reed records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

The Charles Arthur Robinson Collection was donated by Charles L. Robinson on January 14, 2012. The collection is housed in two document boxes, one oversized box, 57 photograph folders, and one small artifact box. The collection contains materials related to Charles A. Robinson ('20) and Reba M. Beam’s ('22) Dickinson College careers as well as their married life. It also includes items belonging to Dickinson graduates Harry Delmar Robinson ('18) and Dorothy Anne Robinson ('45). The Collection is arranged into eight series: Academic Papers, Correspondence, Ephemera, Financial Papers, Photograph Albums, Miscellaneous, Oversized, Photographs, and Artifact.