Special Collections & Archives at Wesleyan University
A place for news and information about rare books, manuscripts and university archives.
Valerie Gillispie As we watch the many dangerous hurricanes striking the Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and southern Atlantic Coast of the U.S. in recent weeks, those of us in New England might feel lucky to be so far out of harm’s way. You might be surprised to learn that Wesleyan–and New England as a whole– faced a major … Read more
We started a new school year this week. The weather has been hot but the leaves are starting to turn, which always reminds me of research! Fall is the time when our senior thesis writers conduct most of their archival research, and we always have a number of other students who research Wesleyan and local … Read more
Steven St. Onge, a Quinnipiac University student and history major, is working in Special Collections & Archives this summer, describing some of our 19th century diaries. His discoveries have been fascinating, and I asked him to share some of his findings: After a month of deciphering handwriting from the 1800s, I’ve finally produced two finding … Read more
Congratulations to the class of 2008! The upcoming weekend will be a celebration of our newest graduates, as well as a gathering time for alumni of all ages. There will be two WESeminars–presentations open to all students, alumni, parents, and visitors–related to Wesleyan University history. One is “A History of Wesleyan Presidents,” a look back … Read more
In March 1936, a severe flood struck Middletown. Especially hard hit were the low lying areas near the Connecticut River in Middletown’s North End. This is a photograph facing north with the river on the right-hand side. Wesleyan students, although safe on the high ground of the campus, helped with flood relief. Some worked with … Read more
Our new president, Michael Roth, will be inaugurated on November 2. The inauguration is being combined with Homecoming/Family Weekend, and there will be a lot to do and see on campus. Special Collections & Archives is having an open house on Saturday, November 3 from noon to 4pm. Stop in and visit the beautiful Davison … Read more
We recently posted a bunch of new finding aids (guides to collections) on our website Benjamin Arthur Caleb Papers, 1851-1861 Laban Clark Papers, 1794-1935 Deutsche Verein Records, 1909-1960 Monday Club Records, 1892-1995 Dana Plante (Class of 1959) Collection, 1954-1960 Phyllis Rose Collection, 1977-1984 Beatrice Witkin Papers, 1949-1988 With the help of our great student employees, … Read more
Here is a great video of a real letterpress being used to make postcards, operated by Dylan Fareed, class of 2002. Pretty different than the laser printers we’re used to!
Next time you wonder when a Wesleyan building was constructed, or who this Davison guy was, or just how the Douglas Cannon came to be the unofficial Wesleyan mascot, stop by Special Collections & Archives and take a look at our Vertical Files. These are subject files where we keep clippings, memos, reports, notes, and … Read more
Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University has created this delightful guide to copyright–and challenges the fairness of recent changes to copyright laws.
