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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 and document descriptions contain a representative image and a summary of the contents.
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1854-1859
Alexander McClure writes seventeen letters to Eli Slifer in which he discusses the political campaigns of various Pennsylvania politicians, denies his opposition towards Whigs, expresses joy at the success of Pennsylvania Governor James Pollock and James M. Sellers in elections, and discusses other developments in local politics. Transcripts included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 2003.4, B7, F11
Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letters from Alexander McClure to Eli Slifer, 1854-59
July 13, 1854
This sample Union Philosophical Society Diploma is dated July 13, 1854.
Format: Certificates and Diplomas
Location: Diploma Collection
Subject: Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Union Philosophical Society Diploma (Sample)
July 13, 1854
William Charles Ford Reed (Class of 1854) receives his Master of Arts Diploma from Dickinson College on July 13, 1854.
Format: Certificates and Diplomas
Location: Diploma Collection
Subject: Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Master of Arts Diploma - William Reed
July 13, 1854
John Fletcher Hurst receives his Bachelor of Arts Diploma from Dickinson College on July 13, 1854.
Format: Certificates and Diplomas
Location: Diploma Collection
Subject: Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Bachelor of Arts Diploma - John Hurst
July 13, 1854
This copy of the printed program for the commencement exercises held on July 13, 1854 shows the members of the graduating class and the speeches that they were scheduled to deliver.
Format: Memorabilia and Ephemera
Location: Dickinsoniana Programs
Subject: Dickinson College Events
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: 1854 Commencement Program
July 13, 1854
Henry Hamilton Pfeiffer prepared this oration, entitled “American Literature," for the commencement ceremonies held July 13, 1854. Authoring an original speech was among the graduation requirements for Dickinson College seniors at that time. Transcript included.
Format: Speeches and Sermons
Location: Orations-1854-P526a
Subject: Literary Pursuits, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: "American Literature," by Henry H. Pfeiffer
July 13, 1854
Noah Bowlus prepared this oration, entitled "Napoleon," for the commencement ceremonies held July 13, 1854. Authoring an original speech was among the graduation requirements for Dickinson College seniors at that time. Transcript included.
Format: Speeches and Sermons
Location: Orations-1854-B787n
Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: "Napoleon," by Noah Bowlus
July 27, 1854
US Minister to the United Kingdom James Buchanan thanks Sir William Molesworth for his speech on "Naval Prizes." While "the agreement is unanswerable," Buchanan tells Molesworth that he "presented more historical information on the subject, in a clear and distinct manner, than I have ever seen embraced within the same compass." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Friends-2002-1
Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to Sir William Molesworth
August 2, 1854
Diplomat and politician Richard Rush writes to "the Messrs. Corbin of Virginia, Maryland, and their collaterals" to meet and investigate their claims to the Jennings Estate. Rush also recommends his son, Benjamin, as someone qualified to serve as a source of legal advice.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Friends-1976-12
Subject: Land and Real Estate, Legal Affairs
Time Period: 1840-1859
August 29, 1854
President Franklin Pierce writes to Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland regarding how to handle Kentucky Representative John Cabell Breckinridge. "I wish to oblige Breckinridge if it can be done with any propriety," as President Pierce explains. McClelland is a member of the Class of 1829.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1953-21
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
September - December 1854
Horatio Collins King's diary during his first semester as a student at Dickinson College. King is a member of the class of 1858. Transcript included.
Format: Diaries and Journals
Location: MC 1999.9, B2, F6
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Editor's Note -- Diary of Horatio Collins King , Diary of Horatio Collins King, Fall 1854 (Transcript)
October 19, 1854
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to J. Mason Campbell and describes his time at Old Point. While his daughter "Alice had a letter from [her niece Phoebe] yesterday," Taney notes that Campbell has not sent any letters recently. Justice Taney regrets that he will have to leave soon to return to court: "You will perhaps think the lassitude of age has come upon me when I tell you that I look with sorrow upon the near approach of the day which compels me to leave this place & resume my judicial duties." Taney plans to leave Friday or Saturday, but Mrs. Taney will remain in Old Point with the girls through November. As a result, Taney explains that "I mean to ask Lizzy & Stevenson for a home until my own folks return."
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1965-19
Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
1855
The Dickinson College catalog for the 1854-1855 academic year. Through the years, the annual catalog was variously titled "The Bulletin," "Catalogue and Register," "Course Catalog," and similar variants. The catalog typically includes the list of courses offered, requirements for enrollment, requirements for graduation, tuition and other fees, and campus facilities, college policies, and lists of teaching faculty, college trustees, and various administrators.
Format: Books and Pamphlets
Location: Dickinsoniana Periodicals
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Catalogue of Dickinson College for the Academical Year, 1854-55
c.1855
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes Deputy Marshall Samuel G. Phillips and asks for information about an individual who asked for an autograph. "Can you tell me any thing about the writer" because, as Taney explains, "I am not willing to send my autograph to a woman, of whom I know nothing." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1969-9
Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
1855-1872
Charles Collins records his thoughts and activities during his latter years as president of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and then as the head of State Female College in Memphis, Tennessee. Collins's entries also include detailed notes for his sermons as well as copies of letters, particularly those that relate to the purchase and establishment of the State Female College. In addition, some of Collins' journal entries from the 1860s refer to the effects that the Civil War had upon the family and the State Female College. "At present all is ruin. The South is ruined - business is ruined - my school is ruined," as Collins observes. Transcript included.
Format: Diaries and Journals
Location: MC 2003.6, B2, F2
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality
Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879
View Item: Journal of Charles Collins (Transcript)
1855-1860
John W. Killinger writes four letters to Eli Slifer discussing candidates for local elections as well as other political matters. "I have secured a place for [Snyder], after such a struggle as exceeded all my past political experiences," as Killinger notes. Transcripts included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 2003.4, B6, F15
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859, 1860-1879
View Item: Letters from John W. Killinger to Eli Slifer
1855-1859
Israel Gutelius writes sixteen letters to Eli Slifer in which he primarily discusses his political activity and its relation to his paper, a German language newspaper published in New Berlin, Pennsylvania (The Der Demokrat, which is also known as the Union Demokrat). "You know if I am elected you will have a true and sure friend in the Legislature, I know you can do much for me in a few days in our Senatorial district and so can Mr. W. Cameron," as Gutelius notes. Transcripts included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 2003.4, B5, F8
Subject: Business and Industry, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letters from Israel Gutelius to Eli Slifer, 1855-59
January - July 1855
Horatio Collins King's diary during the spring of his first year at Dickinson College. King is a member of the class of 1858. Transcript included.
Format: Diaries and Journals
Location: MC 1999.9, B2, F6
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Editor's Note -- Diary of Horatio Collins King , Diary of Horatio Collins King, Spring 1855 (Transcript)
January 20, 1855
James M. McKim, a member of the Class of 1828 and an editor at the Philadelphia based The Anti-Slavery Standard, writes to a subscriber, Mr. Worrell. McKim mentions the major slavery related event of the day as well as the Anglo-French siege of Sevastopol (Sebastopol) in the Crimean War. Sevastopol was a major hub for the Black Sea slave trade. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Friends-2013-6
Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government, Social Reform and Advocacy
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James M. McKim to Mr. Worrell
February 27, 1855
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney writes to attorney J. Mason Campbell and discusses the potential government purchase of the Exchange in Baltimore for public offices. Justice Taney explains why this purchase would be a poor decision.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1964-9
Subject: Economics and Finance, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
March 17, 1855
Senator William H. Seward writes to Dr. John McClintock and notes that he cannot send a copy of the speech that McClintock had requested. Seward promises to send this speech to McClintock at a later date.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-BeachW-1974-5
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
March 30 - December 7, 1855
James Buchanan, the United States Minister to the United Kingdom, writes four letters to General James Watson Webb regarding Buchanan's experiences living in London and international affairs, including the Ostend Manifesto, the Vienna Conference, and the prospects for peace. Buchanan also notes the collapse of the Whigs as a national party and discusses prospects for the 1856 Presidential Election. "In regard to the future I now feel as independent as a wood sawyer, having effectually banished the Presidential maggot from both my head & heart," as Buchanan explains. Transcripts included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10
Subject: Business and Industry, Economics and Finance, International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government, Travel and Tourism
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letters from James Buchanan to James Webb
April 1855
A printed advertisement for Carlisle Springs, which announces June 10, 1855 as the opening date and lists prices for board and horse keeping.
Format: Broadsides and Posters
Location: I-SellersC-1961-1
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Land and Real Estate, Travel and Tourism
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Broadside for Carlisle Springs
June 1, 1855
James Buchanan writes to Sir Edward Curt and conveys his regrets that he cannot attend Her Majesty's Ball because he has "been unwell for the last two or three days." Buchanan is the Minister to Great Britain during President Franklin Pierce's administration.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Friends-2005-3
Subject: Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
June 2, 1855
John Gilmore, class of 1856, writes to his sister and discusses his life as a student at Dickinson College. Gilmore discusses the recent weather, his fellow students especially the women who he says "are very fine looking rather handsome, intelligent and interesting, rather aristocratic." In addition, Gilmore comments on his normal weekly schedule and describes Sunday as "a dull day in college." Gilmore also mentions several campus events, including students' plans to "erect a fountain in the campus - it will be fifteen or sixteen feet high." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Original-1855-3
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Personal and Family Life
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from John Gilmore to His Sister