1920-1939

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.

Virginia Irene Meyers graduated from Dickinson in 1932. This scrapbook documents her college experience from 1928-32. It includes coursework and grades, academic awards, Dickinson memorabilia, campus event programs, Pan-Hellenic rushing information, personal letters and cards, notices from the College, and personal drawings.

This collection is comprised mainly of The Spirit of Britain and Pictorial Shakespeare, two examples of illustrated manuscripts by artist Montagu Frank Modder. Also included are miscellaneous drawings of literary and historical figures, as well as printer's engraving blocks.

The Fred Loomis Mohler collection contains articles written by Mohler and his colleagues that reflect their scientific research. The Writings-Mohler series consists of articles written by Fred Loomis Mohler. These documents focus on his discoveries, specifically in atomic physics, mass spectra of specific elements such as nitrogen, photoionization, recombination of ions, and cesium vapor. The Writings-Associates series contains scientific journal articles published by Mohler's colleagues and mentors. Many of these articles pertain to studies Mohler himself was performing, such as Boeckner's experimentation with cesium.

The collection consists of correspondence and manuscripts of Marianne Moore (1887-1972), the famous American poet. The letters generally discuss her literary work, but some personal business is included as well. Manuscript copies of several of her poems comprise a part of the collection as well.

Julia Morgan (1891-1948), Class of 1911, served as a medical missionary in China from approximately 1924 to 1941. This collection contains correspondence written primarily by Julia to her father, James Henry Morgan, during her time in China. These materials also include photographs of members of the Morgan, Curran, and McElfish families dating from 1869 to 1947.

Jacob Simmons Mosher (1834-1883) was a prominent physician and professor of medicine in Albany, New York. Samuel L. Southard (1787-1842) was a lawyer, politician, and cabinet member from New Jersey. These papers contain correspondence and other materials that reflect the professional and personal lives of these two men, as well as genealogical materials regarding their families.

T. Edward Munce Jr. (1914-1980) graduated from Dickinson College (class of 1939) and the Dickinson School of Law. He was a World War II veteran, State Department employee, and lawyer for the Public Utility Commission. The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence and Christmas cards from authors Robert Frost, Logan Pearsall Smith, and Nancy Byrd Turner. The correspondence also includes letters from Lord Wilfred Arthur Greene regarding the acquisition of a piece of rock from London's Inner Temple for the Dickinson School of Law. In addition, this collection contains World War II medals awarded to Munce by the British government in 1945.

Myrl Myers graduated from Dickinson College in 1906. Beginning as a student interpreter for the American Legation in Peking (Beijing) in 1907, he spent the next 40 years serving in various U.S. diplomatic posts in China. The journals and other items in this collection reflect some of his earlier appointments (1907-11) and later ones (1941-46).

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.

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 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 Consul of Nicaragua for the city. Potter's daughter married into the Guererro and James families; her daughter married into the Lord family. The bulk of the collections consists of correspondence; a large portion of these letters are addressed to Mary Agnes Guererro from her fiancé John Carlisle Lord, a professional ball player. The collection also contains a large amount of business materials, including papers relating to Potter's office as Consul, Dr. James' medical practice, and the sale of the family estate, La Hacienda Santa Enriqueta. A large scrapbook, maintained by Dr. James, contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, and programs of social events. The collection is supplemented by a large collection of photographs, some of which have been identified.

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 the collection are papers concerning the Fisher's Creek Improvement Company and from the files of Eli Kirk Price, Jr., correspondence and applications for the Keene Home for Women, a retirement home in Bristol, Pa.

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.

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 family members

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, where he would teach for thirty years until his death. He was elected a Pennsylvania state senator in 1928 and served for two terms. The collection contains material dated 1898-1937, and includes correspondence, legal documents, literary materials, printed materials, and other memorabilia. The bulk of the collection centers around manuscripts of Prince's research notes, sermons, speeches, and writings. Other materials in the collection include newspaper clippings, correspondence with other professors regarding lecture appearances, and printed material on the Kiwanis Club.

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 Correspondence is divided by recipients: John Sanford Batchelor, Augusta McClintock Longacre, Julius N. Proeschel, Lily Proeschel (Mrs. Matthew Miller), and Margaret Proeschel (Mrs. John S. Batchelor). Most of the letters are from family members, but among the letters received by Julius N. Proeschel are a number of letters from Reverend John McClintock and his son Emory. A number of letters are written in French.

Robert Fleming Rich attended Dickinson College from 1903-1906 before withdrawing to take up a position in the family business, the Woolrich Woolen Mills. He later became active in Republican politics, serving in the United States House of Representatives from 1930-43 and 1945-51. This collection contains papers related to Rich's role as a member of Dickinson's Board of Trustees and as an active alumnus.

This collection contains the correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings and other materials of Mary Lamb Riley. The bulk of the collection is correspondence sent to Mary Lamb Riley by her mother, Harriet Collins Lamb, and her daughter, Marjorie Lamb Riley. The collection also contains some Collins/Riley family memorabilia, including an announcement for the birth of Marjorie Lamb Riley.

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.

William Howard Sharp (1891-1958) graduated from Dickinson College in 1913. After graduation he worked as an insurance agent, was admitted to the New Jersey bar, and was elected to the New Jersey State Senate. This collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs that document Sharp's political career and civic involvement.

Spencer Bauman Smith (1911-1984) graduated from Dickinson College in 1934. He then attended the Princeton Theological Seminary and served as pastor of the Camp Hill (PA) Presbyterian Church for 34 years. This collection contains correspondence and memorabilia from his college days.

These images were distributed in the United States by the Soyuzfoto Soviet News Agency during the early 1930s. The images themselves date from 1918-1933 and depict notable individuals, places, and scenes from daily life.

These images are from a collection of photograph albums compiled by James Gordon Steese, an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers. Steese assembled these albums using photographs he collected while serving as president of the Alaska Road Commission during the construction of the Alaska Highway in the 1920s.

For more information about this collection, see the links under related entries.

James Gordon Steese (1882-1958) was a member of the Dickinson College class of 1902. Among his many activities, Steese served as president of the Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska; the Steese Highway in Alaska is named for him. He later was involved with the development of railroads in both Alaska and Maryland and with several oil companies. Diaries and journals chronicle Steese's military service and his later years. The collection contains mostly professional correspondence, pamphlets, and reports on the Alaskan Road Commission and Steese's military service. Also included are several newspaper articles, maps, charts, and correspondence with Steese's family. A large photograph collection, mainly in the form of photo albums, supplements the document collection.