There is an endless inventory of archival collections I want to see across the states. There is an abundance of letters, photographs, maps, telegraphs, flyers, brochures, and other ephemera that I know are waiting for me to visit them. Held by museums, archives, historical centers, and libraries, I can hear the pages whispering across time and space for me to remove them from their acid-free nests.
I find myself in the nerdy hobby of reading through random finding aids for extraordinary collections. Finding aids are usually searchable online these days and explain the collection and some essential information about what you can expect to see. Most archives will have highlighted collections on their site, but the digging is part of the fun. Most of the time, I’m reading through the names of people I don’t know, reveling in the humanness of us, reading the scope of the collection, and just browsing. Sort of like flipping through a magazine. Many collections aren’t digitized yet, so the records themselves aren’t available to view online – even more so the reason to visit them in person. Here’s a short list of some on the east coast I want to see in no particular order.
1. The Atlanta History Center’s Coca-Cola Company Antique Cookbook Collection (1820-1880)
Screenshots from the Atlanta History Center website.
“This collection contains four booklets containing handwritten recipes. One booklet identifies the owner as Sarah H. Woods from “Medway.” One bound manuscript, entitled “Recipe Book,” consists of mostly handwritten recipes. The front cover and inside back cover indicate the owner of this recipe book was Elizabeth A. White of Winchester, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland. The published cookbooks are cataloged separately in the location “Shillinglaw.”” – Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center
Who doesn’t want to see an early nineteenth-century cookbook with handwritten recipes? You can find out more about this collection here.
2. The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Medieval Manuscripts Collection (1000 – 1500 A.D) [Digitized]
Screenshots from the Free Library of Philadelphia’s website.
“Our manuscript collection includes most of the kinds of books used between 1000 and 1500 A.D.: prayer books and poetry, Bibles and political propaganda, philosophical works, and fantastic histories. Some manuscripts are elaborate and beautiful works of art; others are humble “owner-produced” books, copied out from a borrowed copy by someone who needed a particular text. Each one tells us something about a long-vanished age.” – Free Library of Philadelphia
Do I know Latin? No. Do I want to see these decorated manuscripts? Very much, yes. Find out more about this collection here.
3. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s Black Film Pressbook Collection (1919-1974)
Screenshots from the New York Public Library website.
“This collections consists of promotional literature for films with African American casts. Many of the films are from Norman Studios, which produced silent films featuring African American casts from 1919 to 1928. The rest of the films are mostly Hollywood productions, the majority of which are from the 1930s-1940s. The promotional material includes leaflets, advertisements, window cards, and other accessories for movie theaters. In addition, there are handbills for boxers Henry Armstrong and Joe Louis.” – Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Historical marketing materials are always fascinating. Learn more about this collection here.
4. Edgar T. Brown Local History Archive’s Bath House Collection (undated)
Screenshots from the City of Virginia Beach Public Library website.
“The Edgar T. Brown Local History Archive (ETBA) is Virginia Beach Public Library’s (VBPL) community archive serving the City of Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area.”
There isn’t much online about this Bath House Collection, but it seems to be a series of postcards featuring bathhouses, boardwalks, and swimming pool designs from the Hampton Roads area. The archive appears to be a small community-based archive with rich local history, and I would love to have a look through the collections. Find out more about the collection here.
5. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s Bruce Nugent Papers (1906-2009)
Screenshots from the Archives at Yale and Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library website.
“The collection consists of correspondence, writings, personal and financial papers, subject files, photographs, printed materials, and audiovisual materials. Bruce Nugent’s correspondence consists of family, professional, and personal correspondence, including letters from homosexual love interests. Writings include poetry, short non-fiction pieces, and various fiction pieces, including the novel Gentleman Jigger. Writings by others include draftsand papers relating to Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Thomas H. Wirth. Photographs consist of portraits and snapshots of Nugent, his love interests, friends, and family. The bulk of the audiovisual materials consist of interviews with Nugent. Printed materials include books inscribed to Nugent as well as various clippings and ephemera” – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
A fascinating collection and a worthy reason to visit this beautiful building. Find out more about the collection here.
If you have visited any archives and were blown away by their collections, I want to know about it! I’ll check in when I do finally get around to seeing these ones.
These look amazing! Those medieval manuscripts look so cool.