The Lawrence people files of the Archives vertical file collection are now processed and a finding aid is available here.
Given what a mess the collection was before I processed it and that it took me a year to complete this project, I am very glad the collection is much more accessible and that I’m done with this project! On to something else…
One of the strangest questions to hit the Archives in quite a while-where is my great- grandfather’s leg buried on campus? A patron e-mailed this question, saying her great-grandfather was a student here in the 1890s and a member of the Lawrence pole vaulting group. He injured his leg while pole vaulting, it became infected and had to be amputated. It was buried somewhere on campus. While there are no records of it being buried on campus, my guess is that since there were 4 buildings on campus in the mid-1890s – Main Hall, Sampson House, Ormsby Hall, and Underwood Observatory, it was likely buried in that area.
The Summer/Fall 2009 issue of Voyageur magazine features an article on the founding of Lawrence, written by University Archivist Julia Stringfellow with assistance from LU history professor Jerald Podair. The article includes pictures of the first graduating class of 1857 and other early pictures of Lawrence. A copy of the magazine is available on Level A of the library and in the Archives on Level B.
The current “Lawrence history through the Archives” article looks at Memorial Union in the 1950s and 1960s, including Union Grill, the absence of a Viking Room, and the visit of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy to Riverview Lounge in 1960. The link to the article is provided below.
If you’ve ever visited the Archives, you’ve probably noticed the safe. The origin of the safe, when it was brought to the Archives, and what is inside it are all unknown. People have tried to open it, but none have succeeded. One person has now come forward with a mission of opening the safe. Professor of history Jake Frederick will try to open the safe. News of his progress will be provided on this blog as well as the Archives Facebook page. If you would like to be contacted to witness the opening of the safe, let me know.
A biweekly column on aspects of Lawrence’s history is featured in the Lawrentian beginning with the current issue. This first article looks at the creation of Memorial Union, a building that took six years to complete. The link for this article is provided below.
Future articles will look at the Union of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as Downer. If you have suggestions or would like to see a certain aspect of Lawrence’s history covered in an article, let me know.
The Buildings of the Past digital collection has been updated and includes photographs, correspondence, and programs of nine buildings that are no longer part of the Lawrence campus. Take a look at the link below.
http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/buildingspast.shtml
Unusual Archives Treasures
The exhibit, done in honor of April Fool’s Day, provides a sampling of the many unusual items in the University Archives that rarely see the light of day. Photographs of unusual dorm rooms, student traditions, the actual Junior spade and spoon, and the ever popular death mask are on display through the month of April in the cases on the first floor of the library.
The physical collection of materials of Hamar Union and Memorial Union have been processed and a finding aid has been completed.
The digital collections for both Hamar Union and Memorial Union can be viewed at the link below.
http://www.lawrence.edu/library/contentdm/archives/about.html
Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC), 1968-2009
This exhibit includes pictures, newspaper articles, and other materials mainly from LUCC’s first year, 1968-1969. LUCC is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an exhibit in the Mudd Gallery that will open February 20, and with a party being held February 27 in the Union.
A list of past LUCC member is provided at the following link.
