Sixth Floor Finds: WCU Archives & Special Collections Blog

The Serpentine: -- Celebrating 100 Years (1911-2011)

A new exhibit on the second floor of F.H. Green Library, near QVC Information Commons, celebrates the 100^th anniversary of West Chester University’s yearbook, The Serpentine.  The exhibit takes the viewer through the last ten decades of the University’s history through yearbook spreads and artifacts found in the library’s Special Collections and Archives.  The exhibit will run through the end of the semester and can be viewed during normal library hours.  

Can’t get enough of The Serpentines?  Looking for a specific individual or event?  Check out F.H.G.’s digital archives online to look through specific years of The Serpentine: http://subjectguides.wcupa.edu/content.php?pid=84315&sid=626334.  

For more information about the exhibit or questions concerning the digital collection please contact Tara Wink at 610-436-3456 or twink@wcupa.edu.

New Digital Collections for your Viewing Pleasure!

Some new images have been added to our digital collections here at West Chester University. 

Please take a look at WCU's Sharples Collection, which includes the post cards previously written about as well as company advertisements and correspondence. The Sharples Company produced Cream Separators here in West Chester from the 1890's to 1930's.

 
Also take some time to browse WCU's Photograph Collection.  The photographs in this collection portray life and scenery on WCU's campus in the early 20th Century.  Included in the collection is a book of photographs, much like a yearbook, showcasing life in West Chester State Normal School, the predecessor of WCU.  The images give a brief glimpse into WCU's history and are sure to entertain.

Please check our digital collections often as new, freely accessible materials are added regularly!

So you thought Pop-Ups only occurred on your web browser...

A new exhibit at F.H. Green Library showcases a selection of welcomed pop-ups from Special Collection's Uel W. Combs Children’s Literature Collection.  The exhibit, titled "Pop-ups can be…The Imaginative and Creative World of Pop-Up Books," covers the gambit from "traditional" children’s pop-up books to sassy adult-themed volumes. 

Stop by and see the colorful 3-D display on the second floor of F.H. Green Library during normal hours through January 2011 and be reminded of how much fun and beautiful books can be.  Check back as some cases may change with the season or holiday!

Interested in libraries and books?  Curious as to how the digital world is changing the nature of the book and the library?  Be sure to check out the Friends of the Library and English Department's speaker Mark Dimunation on Monday, November 1, 2010 in Philips Library from 4-5pm.  The presentation is titled "Living with the Real Thing: from the Original to the Digital."  For more information see this announcement: http://ramble.wcupa.edu/fol.

A new face in Special Collections and other news!

After a long hiatus from the blog world, special collections has returned to blogging, with a new face!  No, not a digital face, a human face!  I am writing as the new Special Collections Librarian, Tara Wink and am happy to be a part of West Chester University.  So stop by the sixth floor of F.H. Green Library to see m and discuss some of your favorite sixth floor finds!

In other news...October is American Archives Month!  The theme of this year's celebration is "I found it in the archives," which will be a year-long quest to discover your interesting finds in archives and special collections across the country. For more information about the national celebration please see the Society of American Archivist's website. In celebration of this event please stop by the main (2nd) floor of F.H. Green library to see our "Ghostly Finds in Special Collections" exhibit.  This exhibit showcases some of our ghoulish materials found right here in special collections, including a 1930's copy of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales and a scrapbook belonging to Margaret Kochel, class of 1925.  Please also look for new exhibits coming soon outside of special collections featuring some of our favorite "finds."

In conjunction, with the national archive's month celebration, "I found it in the archives," please feel free to share, either through comments below or by email (libraryspecialcollections@wcupa.edu), some of your successful finds of personal records, family histories, heritage, and treasures in WCU's collections.  I look forward to hearing about your special collections' success stories!

Sharples Postcard Collection - New!

 A new digital collection is available from the West Chester University Special Collections.  The collection currently includes 10 digitized postcards depicting the Sharples Tubular Cream Separator, and additional digitized items are expected to be added in the future. 

And what, you may ask is a cream separator?  It was a device used to separate the butter fat from fresh milk, speeding up a time-consuming process for farm families.  The Sharples Cream Separator company, based in West Chester, manufactured these devices from the 1890s into the 1930s and played a major role in the area's economy.   The company advertised their products through a variety of media, including postcards.  The cards depict rosy-cheeked children, bucolic landscapes (doubtless based on the Chester County countryside!), and well-groomed cows. Click here to check out the full collection. We'd love to hear your comments!

Educating Teachers at WCU: A History

Interested in finding out more about the history of teacher education at West Chester?  Linda Hanna of the College of Education at West Chester University, with help from Laura Fiorenza, has put together an exhibit currently on dipsplay on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the stairwells in between, of the Recitation Hall on the West Chester University campus.  A total of thirteen panels depict aspects of the history of WCU, including information on the Demonstration School, the haunting of Philips Hall, building histories, student activities over the years, and much more.  Materials in the display feature the archival collections of the Special Collections & Archives department. So check it out! The display will be available through April 9, 2010.

Celebrating Stanley Weintraub...And Christmas!

Stanley Weintraub received his B.S. in education from West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania) in 1949, making this year (2009) his 60th anniversary year and, coincidentally, his 80th birthday as well! Professor Weintraub is a distinguished alumnus of West Chester, having received his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1956, and remaining on the faculty there until he retired in 2000.  He is also a prolific author, writing on a variety of topics including the Victorians, military history, and British history and literature.

Professor Weintraub has always kept his alma mater in mind, donating his manuscript collection to the West Chester and founding, with his wife Rodelle, the Rodelle and Stanley Weintraub Center for the Study of the Arts and Humanities, which was dedicated on November 11, 1982.  The Center is located on the 6th floor of FHG Library, and provides resources and research space for the study of the arts and humanities, as well as housing many valuable collections.

Professor Weintraub has authored many books and articles, including several with Christmas-related historical themes.  These include 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, and General Washington's Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783.  He is also celebrating the publication of his newest book, General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah 1864. 

To celebrate Professor Weintraub's life and the publication of his newest book, there is currently an exhibit on the 2nd floor of FHG Library, just outside the elevators.  The exhibit features books, photographs, reviews, and other information about the Professor Weintraub and his works. Please stop by and take a look!

Entertaining Epitaphs - A Halloween Treat!

WCU Special Collections & Archives contains a small collection of books with a certain creepy, spooky subject matter.  These books are collections of inscriptions and poetry from tombstones found in graveyards throughout the United States and Britain.  Some are sad, some are inspiring, and some are just plain silly. 

These books were all published during the Victorian era (in the first half of the 19th century), when death and romanticism combined to create a readership for these rather morbid collections.

William Graham published his volume of epitaphs in 1821, citing that "having always a particular pleasure from a walk among the tombs" he wrote the book to "dispose the mind to ponder on the brevity of life, on the imperfections and unsatisfactory nature of our enjoyments, and on the instability of the nature of all earthly possessions."

Other items in the collection express a slightly less noble purpose, citing the "ludicrous" and "witty" eptiaphs that they have come across during their strolls through the graves, like the following examples:

"Here snug in her grave my wife doth lie,
Now she's at rest and so am I"

"Here lies the bones
of Joseph Jones
Who at whilst he was able;
But once o'erfed,
He drop't down dead
And fell beneath the table."

If you'd like to take a look at any of these items in more detail, stop by FHG Library to see the "Spooky Scribbles and Entertaining Epitaphs" display on the 2nd floor (near the elevators).  This display will run through the beginning of November.  You can also contact the Special Collections librarian.

Hope you enjoy - and Happy Halloween.

West Chester Presidents Exhibit

Do you know this man???

Is he a character from Gone with the Wind?  A long-lost relative of Colonel Sanders? A mustache wax salesman? 

Not quite - he was William A. Chandler, the second president of the West Chester State Normal School, who served his term under the title of "Principal" from 1872-1873.  He was also a teacher, a doctor, and served in the Civil War before he was invited to serve as the leader of the fledgling teacher's college.  His first assignment was as a surgeon on the battlefield at Gettysburg! 

How about this fellow? 

This is Andrew Thomas Smith, who presided over the college from 1920-1927.  He was an alumnus of the West Chester Normal School, having graduated as president of his class in 1883.  He returned later to serve as a professor, and finally as president.  And some say he remains here to this day, haunting the Philips Memorial Building's auditorium as a ghost!

You might also recognize the names G.M. Philips, Charles Swope, and Earl Sykes, all past presidents who have buildings on campus named after them.

West Chester has had 14 presidents to date (including our current president, Dr. Greg Weisenstein), all with illustrious backgrounds and interesting stories.  An exhibit celebrating the past presidents of West Chester is currently ongoing.  Stop by the 6th floor of FHG Library to find out more about West Chester's leaders throughout the years.

Finding West Chester Campus Building Histories

Looking for information about the history of buildings on campus? There are several resources available online and in the Special Collections & Archives that will help.

First, check out our online resources.  Basic building information sheets are available from the facilities department.  This information will give you a basic overview of current buildings on campus.

You can find more historical information on campus buildings in Russell Sturzebecker's Centennial History of West Chester State College, which is a book which includes information on buildings up to 1971.  This book is available and searchable full text online here.  To search the book, open the "Read Online" version and use the search box.  You can also take a look at an index for this book here.

In conjunction with the book, you can also view a display documenting West Chester's history, including information on campus buildings. The display is located on the 2nd floor of FHG Library (Turn right as you enter the front doors).

Another useful resource, especially for photographs of buildings, are the West Chester University yearbooks.  These are also available and searchable online.  You can view the Pathfinder (1910 yearbook) or the Serpentine (1911-2008 yearbooks).  You'll have to open each individual volume in the "Read Online" format in order to use the search feature. 

There are also archival files in the Special Collection & Archives for many of the campus buildings.  The following is a list of buildings for which we have files.  If you are interested in viewing any of these, contact the Special Collections Librarian at libspeccol@wcupa.edu or (610)436-3456 to make an appointment. 

Philips Memorial

Philips Memorial Building - Library

Francis Harvey Green Library - Building - 1904

Francis Harvey Green Library - Building - 1964

Francis Harvey Green Library - Building - 1975

Gordon Natural Area

Old Main

Demonstration School/Model School/Ruby Jones - Building

Sykes College Union

Wayne Field

Old Gymnasium/Hollinger Field House

Memorial Plaza

Recitation Hall/Anderson Hall - Building

Ramsey Hall

Memorial Building

Ehinger Gymnasium

Tanglewood

Welkinweir

Messikomer Hall

E.O. Bull Learning Research Center

Tyson Hall (Dorm)

Schmucker Science Center

Swope Music Building

Goshen Hall

Killinger Hall

Lawrence Hall

Mitchell Hall

Sanderson Hall

Eisenhower Barracks

Farrell Stadium

Leach Hall

Sturzebecker Health Science Center (South Campus)

Glen Echo