The Texas Collection posts newly accessible resources each month. If you have any questions or would like to use these materials, please let us know and we would be happy to assist!
The Thomas W. Gaines collection contains correspondence, legal and financial papers, military records, and books of military tactics from the American Civil War. Gaines was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 50th Illinois Infantry.
The Alexander Hunter Chamberlin papers include letters to his wife, Temperance Killinsworth Aldridge Chamberlin, about his temporary work in the California gold fields.
The Walker Family papers consist of correspondence, legal, financial, and photographic materials from various family members, especially James Frances Walker Jr. and William Collett Walker. The Walker Family moved to Texas from Kentucky as part of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred Colony.
The Pier Family papers contain transcriptions of letters written by Samuel Bradford Pier during the Civil War, color photocopies of members of the Pier family, genealogical information, photocopies of clippings, programs, and other materials.
Every month The Texas Collection posts recently published finding aids for you to use. If you have any questions or would like to use these materials, please let us know and we would be happy to assist!
William H. Pierce papers (#537) are comprised of one letter written in 1862 and describes Pierce’s experience as a Confederate soldier in a training camp near San Antonio.
John Merriman McGhee papers (#374) contain four handwritten and typed transcripts of letters he wrote home as part of the 16th Alabama Infantry during the American Civil War.
Museum Association of Waco records (#586) contains correspondence, financial and legal documents, minutes, and event information generated by the association, as it supports member organizations through marketing, educating, and financing initiatives.
A.C. Bowles papers (#371): Contains a single transcribed letter from Bowles near the end of the American Civil War, describing conditions in camp, possible upcoming troop movements, and rumors of peace
BU Records: Museum Studies Department (#BU/355): Consists of a variety of materials from the museum studies department at Baylor University; primarily correspondence as well as administrative records.
BU Records: Aerospace Studies Department (#BU/5): Correspondence, scrapbooks, photographic material, and literary productions produced by the Baylor University Aerospace Studies Department, a University-sponsored military preparation program in partnership with the U.S. Air Force.
Zadock Woods Family papers (#4014): Contains two manuscripts about the Woods family in Texas, including details about frontier and family life, Texas history, and religion.
L. L. Sams and Sons Company Records (#2921): Records highlight the works of the church furniture company through project photographs, catalogs, advertisements, and business records.
L. L. Sams Stained Glass Studio records (#3223): Include project files, renderings, and slides that document the creation and installation of stained glass windows in Texas institutions such as churches, schools, and military installations. Correspondence, sketches, photographs, product samples, oversize drawings, and colored renderings are included.
Waco Chapter American Institute of Architects records (#240): Provides insight into the organization from its inception in 1962 until 1971. Materials include meeting minutes, membership applications, support documents issued by the national organization, correspondence, and financial documents.
BU Records: International Programs Office (#BU/341): Contains materials largely related to Baylor’s international partnerships and programs. Materials contain correspondence, pamphlets, research materials, photographs, and administrative materials.
Ronald W. Matthews papers (#4042): Consists of certificates of baptism, marriage, and confirmation from German-Americans in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.
Howe Family papers (#2648): Transcribed letters from George Plummer Howe back home during his service in the World War I.
George C. Burch papers (#356): Includes letters written by Burch during the American Civil War. Burch was a member of the 1st Florida Infantry, captured at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, and imprisoned for the rest of the war at Fort Delaware.
September’s finding aids By Paul Fisher, Assistant Director and Processing Archivist
Mary McCaulay Maxwell was a student at Baylor University in 1908. In her scrapbook, preserved at The Texas Collection, she saved photographs, notes, clippings, and more about her time at Baylor. Pictured here is her room, probably in Georgia Burleson Hall. You’ll find this item in the Mary McCauley Maxwell papers, Accession #2080, box 1, folder 1, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
BU Records: Baylor Orators Toastmasters Club (#BU/387): Includes materials about the founding of the professional development society through its chartering as an official club and first decade of existence at Baylor University.
Cornelia Marschall Smith papers (#666): Resources include materials from Smith’s time at Baylor University, both as a student and professor, and from her time at Stetson University in Florida. Also included are personal materials that include programs, copies of a manuscript, invitations, photographs, negatives, slides, and postcards.
BU Records: Summer School (#BU/166): Contains a variety of materials relating to Baylor University’s Summer School program during the years of 1926-1949.
Samuel Newton Clabaugh Family papers (#426): Memoirs, newspaper clippings, and handwritten notes generated by Samuel Newton Clabaugh and his daughter, Ora Easter Clabaugh Wells.
Ollie Mae Moen papers (#4051): Contains handbooks and certificates from workshops attended by Ollie Mae Moen relating to the Waco Parent Teacher Association.
Dr. Stephen Corwin Cameron Park Zoo records (#4037): Documents the efforts of the Central Texas Zoological and Botanical Society to move the Central Texas Zoological Park to Cameron Park and the transitional period during this move, as well as the formative years of the Cameron Park Zoo and the Cameron Park Zoological Society. This collections shows the extensive efforts made to build a natural habitat zoo in an urban environment.
Madison Alexander Cooper, Jr. papers (#1342): Correspondence, galley proofs, clippings, book reviews, photographs, a scrapbook, and financial records related to Madison Alexander Cooper Jr., especially regarding the publication of his first novel, Sironia, Texas, in 1952.
Wilford Wolfie Naman papers (#2128): Resources include a variety of materials having to do with the activities of Wilford Wolfie Naman as a soldier during World War I.
Mary McCauley Maxwell papers (#2080): Scrapbook of collected materials related to Mary McCauley Maxwell, who graduated Baylor University in 1908. She went on to lead the History Department at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor 1908-1913, and worked for decades to collect and preserve relics of Judge R.E.B. Baylor and other founders of Baylor University.
BU Records: Pi Gamma Mu (#BU/133): Includes materials documenting the founding of the Texas Beta Chapter on campus and its 40 years of activities.
BU Records: Sigma Xi (#BU/406): Contains materials relating to the founding of the chapter on campus as well as materials related to the activities of the organization, such as events and bylaws.
Mary McCaulay Maxwell and several of her Baylor friends lost no time in exploring their new hometown of Waco, Texas, while in college. Here they look to be exploring a windmill near Waco. You’ll find this item in the Mary McCauley Maxwell papers, Accession #2080, box 1, folder 1, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
August’s finding aids By Paul Fisher, Assistant Director and Processing Archivist
BU Records: Immortal Ten #BU/109): Contains scrapbooks documenting the tragedy and aftermath of a fatal bus-train accident that occurred in Round Rock, Texas, on January 22, 1927, while the Baylor Men’s Basketball team was traveling to Austin for a game against the University of Texas. The scrapbooks contain clippings, photographs, letters, sympathy cards, and telegrams from the days surrounding the event.
BU Records: Sigma Nu (#BU/336): Clippings, event flyers, rosters, and leadership development curriculum related to the Sigma Nu fraternity at Baylor University.
One of many condolence telegrams that poured in to Baylor University after the Immortal Ten crash. This one is from the University of Texas at Austin, whom Baylor was supposed to play against the day of the crash. You’ll find this item in the BU Records: Immortal Ten, Accession #BU/109, box 1 OVZ, item 2, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
Texas has changed quite a bit over the years, as is readily seen in our vast photograph and postcard collections. To help bring some of those changes to life, we’ve created a “Texas over Time” blog series that will illustrate the construction and renovations of buildings, street scenes, and more. Our collections are especially strong on Waco and Baylor images, but look for some views beyond the Heart of Texas, too.Continue Reading
Each month, we post an update to notify our readers about the latest archival collections to be processed and some highlights of our print material acquisitions. These resources are primed for research and are just a sampling of the many resources to be found at The Texas Collection!Continue Reading
Each month, we post an update to notify our readers about the latest archival collections to be processed and some highlights of our print material acquisitions. These resources are primed for research and are just a sampling of the many resources to be found at The Texas Collection!Continue Reading
Each month, we post an update to notify our readers about the latest archival collections to be processed and some highlights of our print material acquisitions. These resources are primed for research and are just a sampling of the many resources to be found at The Texas Collection!Continue Reading
Our Sharing Student Scholarship blog posts showcase original scholarship written by Baylor students who conducted research using primary source materials in The Texas Collection. This post is the second of five in a series of blog posts written by graduate and PhD students from the Fall 2018 Foundations & History of Higher Education Leadership course.
by Rachel Jones, Rachel Ticknor, Rachel Henson, Jillian Haag, and Lela Lam
Following its merger with Waco University in 1886, Baylor University set forth a series of initiatives that were progressive in terms of extending college access to various student groups-specifically to women and transfer students. These initiatives included Baylor’s promotion of coeducation and the university’s establishment of formal articulation agreements with Texas high schools and other Baptist colleges. Because of these efforts, a Baylor education had become more accessible to a wider network of students. However, despite these progressive strides, some students (mainly female students) still faced inequality and a lack of access to certain resources/activities once they actually matriculated on campus.
With the establishment of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT)’s Education Commission in 1897, Baylor focused on leveraging the Commission’s existing partnerships in order to create formal articulation agreements with the other correlated Baptist colleges. Under these agreements, students that completed a standardized two-year curriculum and graduated from the affiliated colleges could transfer to Baylor, without an entrance examination, in order to complete their four-year degree. Baylor utilized a similar model in order to establish formal articulation agreements with a variety of high schools. These two initiatives collectively increased access for, and enrollment of, students who graduated from the affiliated high schools and colleges.
Despite their successes, it is possible that some of Baylor’s most groundbreaking initiatives were inherently exclusionary towards students who did not belong to/identify with the parameters that had been established (e.g. students who did not attend the affiliated high schools or colleges). Moreover, Baylor did not ensure that all students would receive equal levels of access to campus resources and programs once they actually enrolled at Baylor, which resulted in a sense of tension among the university community.
Group photo of The R.C.B. Literary Society, 1908. Found in the 1908 edition of The Baylor Round-Up. Courtesy of The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
This tension is perhaps most evident in the experiences documented by Baylor’s female students and faculty members between 1900 and 1910. Although Baylor had taken a rather progressive stance on coeducation and allowed men and women to meet in the classroom and in the chapel together, women still faced unfair treatment in terms of housing policies and educational, financial, and extracurricular opportunities. Two examples of this treatment are evident when one takes a closer look at the student literary societies and faculty job opportunities.
Photo of Dr. Lula Pace, 1908. Lula Pace was the first female professor at Baylor to hold a doctoral degree, and served as the chair of the Department of Botany and Geology. Found in the 1908 edition of The Baylor Round-Up. Courtesy of The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
As with most topics regarding student access during this time, the issue of women’s participation in literary societies was complex. There was collaboration and partnership between the male and female societies, but this did not always result in equality for their respective members. Though there were a number of benefits that came from women’s membership in literary societies, it is evident that when compared to their male counterparts, female students who chose to participate in such societies faced marginalization. This marginalization is especially evident when one considers the limited opportunity for scholarships.
In a similar vein, female faculty members at Baylor also experienced inequality. Although Baylor had taken a progressive stance on hiring more female faculty members, women comprised less than half of the faculty, were paid less than their male counterparts, and were generally considered lower-level “instructors” rather than full professors. In addition, Baylor rarely hired married female faculty members, notwithstanding that the majority of male faculty were married. All of these examples confirm that Baylor female faculty members faced inequality that was similar to what Baylor female students faced.
As progressive as Baylor was in 1900 to 1910, it was still a far cry from the experience that Baylor women have today. Finally, as Baylor continues to extend access to a variety of students, the university should build intentional partnerships whilst remaining mindful of any possibilities of exclusion.
