| The Archives' manuscript collections are
listed alphabetically in this guide. The name of the collection may be that of a person,
business, organization, institution, subject, or donor. To facilitate your research, links
to various collections are available through the following selected subject index. This is
by no means an exhaustive list. Researchers should scroll the entire guide when looking
for a subject or person not covered in the index.
Antebellum: Croom,
Delano, Circuit
Court, Illinois Central RR
ALABAMA
DRY DOCK AND SHIPBUILDING COMPANY ALCOA
On September 22, 1993, a tugboat operator mistook a railway bridge over Bayou Canot for a barge and plowed into the bridge, setting in motion the worst train disaster in Amtrak's history. When the Sunset Limited attempted to cross the bridge, its cars derailed, sending them and the train's passengers into the bayou. The derailment killed 47 people. This collection consists of four 4" notebook binders filled with information related to the accident compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board. The reports discuss operation of the train and its crew, and various other aspects of the disaster. 1 cu. ft.
Established in 1980 by a
small group of local women, the Azalea City Quilters Guild has held quilt shows since its
second year. The group also holds workshops and donates quilts for fundraising to various
local charities, including the Ronald McDonald House and Project Linus. This collection
consists of organizational records, photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, quilt
show programs, quilt patterns, correspondence, and other memorabilia collected by members
of the group. An inventory to the collection is
available on this web site. 10.5 cu. ft. Back to Top Frances Beverly (1865-1954) was related to the noted botanist, William Bartram. Beverly worked as a reporter for the Louisville Courier Journal and later wrote about Mobile's past for the Works Progress Administration. Using her collection of WPA manuscripts, she set out to publish "The Story of Old Mobile" in 1947 at the age of 82, which she later apparently self-published. Her papers consist of typed and handwritten manuscripts, including essays, short stories, poems, and brief biographical sketches that have been divided into subject files. The original Beverly Collection was microfilmed in the early 1990s by the Historic Mobile Development Commission. That microfilm is also available. The collection also includes Beverly's journals, which contain handwritten versions of most of her typed manuscripts. A finding aid to the collection is available on this web site. 1.5 cu. ft.
This is a collection of materials pertaining to Brookley AFB, 1942-64. It includes photographs, newsclippings, and a few issues of the Brookley Bay Breeze from 1942 and A la MOAD from 1943-44, and a more complete run of the Brookley Spotlight from 1959 to 1969. 5 cu. ft. Back to Top Ten audio cassette tapes recorded with Dr. James F. Caldwell in January and February 1997 by former University of South Alabama history graduate student Peter Wilson. Dr. Caldwell (1909-2002) was director of development and contracts at the University of South Alabama from 1964 to 1971 and then acted as the vice president for development from 1971 to 1973. On the tapes Dr. Caldwell discusses his role with and the history and development of the university. The information provided by Caldwell was later used to write a narrative about the school's early years, which is entitled "Magic, no. Miracle, yes!" That narrative is also available. In addition to the tapes, the collection includes a memoir written by Dr. Caldwell, which briefly describes his years at USA; a copy of a history of the university written by John Craig Stewart; a transcript of a meeting between USA administrators regarding the conduct of the Black Student Union (1970); correspondence (1957-1990) which is primarily related to his duties with the university; and other assorted ephemera. 1.5 cu. ft. CASE, DELENE A collection of personal
correspondence and religious and educational published materials relating to the Chastang
family of Chastang and Bucks, Alabama (1756-1935, bulk 1880-1935). Most of the
correspondence is from Edward Chastang and F. Z. Chastang. Among the printed
materials, one file of interest contains literature about the Knights of St. Peter Claver
(1911-16). Box inventories are available on this web
site. 3 cu. ft. Correspondence, professional papers, photographs, genealogical records, and memorabilia pertaining to John T. Cochrane, Sr., his wife Katharine Crampton Cochrane, her step-brother Dr. Guy Chester Crampton, her father Dr. Orson Lucius Crampton, and other members of the Cochrane and Crampton families. The materials date from 1815 to 1985. Biographies and box inventories are available on this web site. 4 cu. ft.
The records from Congregation Ahavas Chesed, organized in 1894, consist of minutes, financial data, scrapbooks, deeds, yearbooks, and bulletins. The materials date from 1923 to 1985 and have been microfilmed. An inventory is available on this web site. 9 cu. ft. Dr. James Conlon was a professor in the art department at the University of South Alabama from 1967 until 1997. His collection consists of material related to various programs and projects he and a fellow art professor, Dr. James Kennedy, worked on during their professional careers. Dr. Kennedy joined the USA art department in 1969, retiring the same year as Dr. Conlon. Projects discussed in the collection include the Afro-American Visual Aids Project, the Ethnic American Art Slide Library Project, a program in cultural inquiry, a children's playground pilot project, a proposal for a materials design center, an estuary project for the Mobile Municipal Airport, a USA ceremonial mace project, and an "at play" project for the USA Children's and Women's Hospital. Also included is material on the 1993 First Night Mobile, a city-sponsored event that takes place each New Year's Eve in downtown Mobile. Of particular interest may be a file related to black student grievances in 1969 and a file on the subject of academic freedom. 1 cu. ft. Back to Top This collection focuses on material associated with the USS Alabama, the Battleship Commission, and Battleship Park. Stephens Croom was instrumental in the acquisition and establishment of Battleship Memorial Park and served as the first secretary of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission. 1 cu. ft. (See also PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS.) Back to Top This collection consists of correspondence between various Croom family members and friends from 1840 to 1906, as well as personal papers and literary manuscripts. Most of the letters were written between 1850 and 1870 by Cicero Stephens Croom, his sister Elizabeth Whitfield Croom Bellamy, and their parents, William Whitfield Croom and Julia Stephens Croom. The personal papers include a journal kept by Stephens in 1863 during the siege of Vicksburg while he was serving on General Forney's staff. Also included are numerous school essays written by Stephens while he was attending college at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and by Elizabeth who studied at the Spingler Institute in New York City. The literary manuscripts in the collection--poems, short stories, and novels--were written by Elizabeth between 1865 and 1900. Her early works were published in national magazines under a pseudonym, Kamba Thorpe. In later works she used her married name, Elizabeth W. Bellamy. The collection also contains her notes for lectures on literary subjects. Biographical information about the Croom family and box inventories are available on this web site. Appointment requested for use of this collection. 5 cu. ft. Contains a twelve
page program describing the 50th anniversary of the Murphy High School class of 1927. Also
includes a personal scrapbook of William Cummin's father, who was the circulation manager
at the Mobile Press Register. The scrapbook gives interesting insight into how
the paper motivated its delivery boys. .25 cu. ft. (See also the Caldwell Delaney collection.) A collection of letters, receipts, and invoices, 1835-44, from various ship captains in Mobile to the ship owners, Benjamin Delano and Son of Kingston, Massachusetts, and Thatcher Magoun and Son of Boston. The ship captains describe their cargo and their experiences in the port of Mobile. .25 cu. ft.
These papers contain
correspondence, printed matter, notes, and newspaper clippings relating to Downing's
legislative career in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1962 to 1974. During those
years he introduced legislation in support of the Mobile Greyhound Park, the East and West
Fowl River connection, and the University of South Alabama Health Service Foundation.
Includes materials through 1984. A guide to the
collection is available on this web site. 7 cu. ft. A small handwritten
journal (ca. 1903-1908) that appears to have been kept by Dan Drago, the leader of the
Drago Band. In the early twentieth century, the Drago Band was very popular. The journal
documents this fact. Hardly a day passed when the band wasn't requested to play at some
ball, hotel ballroom, wedding, or social club. The journal notes the days and places of
concerts, lists the members of the band, and shows the amounts each member was paid.
.25 cu. ft. These are the official papers of Congressman Jack Edwards, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives, District l, Alabama from 1964 to 1984. The papers include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, tapes, etc. They have been restored to their original chronological order and inventoried. Of particular local interest are materials relating to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Project and the closing of Brookley Air Force Base. Also included in the collection are papers relating to the Watergate scandal, school desegregation, and civil rights in general. 251 cu. ft. These papers primarily consist of printed material and photographs relating to Dr. Samuel Eichold's research into and contribution toward the 1984 publication Dictionary of American Medical Biography, and to his interest in the medical field in general. Some of the doctors whom Dr. Eichold catalogued include Josiah Nott, Henry Levert, and Eugene Bondurant. There is also a sizeable collection of manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and ephemera compiled by Dr. Eichold and collected by Dr. Tucker H. Frazer, once dean of the Alabama Medical College. Religion and Prohibition are the two major topics covered in the clippings. There is also an interesting patient log dating from 1915 to 1921 of the Inge-Bondurant Sanitorium. A guide to the collection is available on this web site. (See also Eichold, Samuel in PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS.) 4 cu. ft. This collection contains
documents relevant to the Environmental Protection Agency's public hearing in 1983-84
which was held to gather information relating to proposed PCB incineration aboard the
vessel Vulcanus. Researchers interested in the subject of Mobile and the
environment should also consult the Mobile Bay
Audubon Society Papers and the Papers of the League
of Women Voters of Mobile. 3 cu. ft. Daniel Geary was Brigade Ordnance Officer for the City of Mobile during the Civil War. When the war ended, Geary apparently kept some of the records of the Ordnance Office. These papers consist of some of the day-to-day records of that office, including invoices, vouchers, and receipts. An inventory of the collection is available on this web site. 1.5 cu. ft. This benevolent organization was
active in Mobile from 1866 to 1941. The collection is in both German and English, with
English used after 1917. Included are minutes, membership lists, correspondence, and other
material relating to the organization from 1866 to 1943. A guide to the collection is available on this web
site. 5 cu. ft. These papers (1968-1988) contain newsclippings and ephemera related to the life, achievements, and interests of the one-time director of the Voice of America Kenneth R. Giddens. Of interest are photographs of and documents about the former archbishop of Mobile Thomas J. Toolen, color slides of former Miss America Yolande Betbeze and Mobile's Azalea Trail, newsclippings and magazine articles about the 1970 Junior Miss Pageant, and material about various construction projects throughout Mobile. .5 cu. ft. Elizabeth Gould, an
architectural historian, taught at the University of South Alabama from 1966 to 1975. This
collection contains her research notes for three books: Nineteenth Century Mobile
Architecture: An Inventory of Existing Buildings (1974); From Fort to Port: An
Architectural History of Mobile, Alabama, 1711-1918 (1988); and From Builders to
Architects: The Hobart-Hutchisson Six (1997). Box inventories are available.
10.5 cu. ft. (See also Gould, Elizabeth
and Thompson, Paul in PHOTOGRAPHIC
COLLECTIONS, and Hutchisson, C. L in MANUSCRIPT
COLLECTIONS.) GOVERNMENT
STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH GREER, VIRGINIA Mr. Higginbotham is a local
historian, author, and retired director of the Mobile Municipal Archives. His papers
include, photos, articles, books, correspondence, and other material written by or about
Mr. Higginbotham between 1981 and 1999. Box inventories are available.
2 cu. ft. Karl Newbery (or Newberry)
Howard was a lifelong resident of Mobile who served in the Army Air Corps during World War
II. During his lifetime he also worked for the local paper, for the Selective Service, and
for the state's department of industrial relations. His scrapbook contains newsclippings,
postcards, photos, and official documents related to his military service and his various
travels while in the service and after his discharge. A guide
to the collection is available on this web site. 1 cu. ft. C. L. Hutchisson Jr. (1902-93)
was the last of five generations of a family of builder-architects who were extremely
influential in the architectural development of the city. This collection contains his
personal correspondence and business records, minutes and newsletters from the Mobile
Housing Board (1939-46), the Alabama Society of Architects (1949-58), and the Alabama
Association of Registered Architects (1933-49). Also includes 200
architectural drawings of structures designed by C. L. Hutchisson Sr. and Jr. (ca.
1908-72). The drawings are indexed by address as well as the client's name. Box
inventories are available. 21 cu. ft. (See also Gould,
Elizabeth B. in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) Includes approximately 700 bound volumes (minute books, journals, ledgers, etc.) and 250 cubic feet of engineering and administrative files generated by the Illinois Central Gulf, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, the Mobile and Ohio, and other subsidiary railroads. The records date from the 1840s to the 1980s. An inventory is available. (See also Mobile Union Station, Brock, Glen Porter, and Kotheimer, Phillip in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.)
Three undated manuscripts written by Marietta Johnson (1864-1938), founder of the Organic School in Fairhope, Alabama, entitled "How it Began," "The Fairhope Idea in Education," and "Thirty Years with an Idea." .25 cu. ft. A diary describing fur trading activities and written between 1912 and 1914 by Mattie May Jordan, a young woman living in Washington County, Alabama. The diary has been published under the title Where the Wild Animals is Plentiful: Diary of an Alabama Fur Trader's Daughter (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1999). .25 cu. ft. The Junior League of Mobile was originally founded in 1925 as the Mobile Charity League. In 1932 it was incorporated into the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). The Junior League is committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through effective action and leadership. This small collection consists of 20 volumes, dating from 1952 to 1960 (with the issues from 1954 and 1955 missing), of the Folio, the group's tri-yearly publication. .25 cu. ft. Includes copies of many
nineteenth- and twentieth-century maps of Alabama and the Gulf Coast area from the
National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Mobile City Engineer's Office; U.S.
Geodetic Survey maps for many counties in Alabama; and county maps from the Alabama State
Highway Department. An inventory is available.
KIWANIS CLUB OF MOBILE Consists of two scrapbooks (June 1944 to November 1967) containing photographs, annual reports, newspaper clippings, ads, correspondence (some), announcements, flyers, and thank you cards. The fifty-five black-and-white photographs depict special events and a variety of Kiwanis Club functions. They include some prominent Mobilians such as Frederick P. Whiddon and Albert J. Tully. Many of the images were used in publications. The clippings highlight various club activities and the works and achievements of various Kiwanis members. A finding aid to the collection is available on this web site. Back to Top Contains approximately 400 maps
for the tracks and right of ways of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, from Mobile, Alabama
to Jackson, Tennessee, including complete coverage of the Bay Shore Line in Mobile County,
Ala. Also included are copies of the Historical Society News of the Gulf, Mobile &
Ohio Railroad (1978-90), the Illinois Central Gulf News (1972-79), and the
annual reports of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad (selected years from 1879-1939), the Gulf,
Mobile & Northern Railroad (selected years from 1921-38), Illinois Central Railroad
(1958; 1968-69), Illinois Central Industries (1966-76), and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio
Railroad (1940-70). (See also Brock, Glen P. and Illinois Central Gulf RR in MANUSCRIPT
COLLECTIONS.) 24 cu. ft. Minutes, annual reports,
newsletters, correspondence, and miscellaneous papers of the Mobile chapter of the League
of Women Voters dating from 1955 to 2007. Also includes a series devoted to environmental
issues. Researchers consulting the collection for that series should also examine the Mobile Bay Audubon Society Papers and the EPA Vulcanus Papers. An inventory
to the League collection is available on this web site. 15.75 cu. ft. Contains videotaped interviews with Joseph Langan, O. B. Purifoy, Dr. W. B. LeFlore, Janet LeFlore, Fred Richardson, J. C. Randolph, Hon. James T. Strickland, Henry Williams, Geraldine Clark, and Lancie Thomas. The interviews, filmed in 1996, are available on 34 VHS video tapes. They were produced under a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation for a documentary on John L. LeFlore. An index for the tapes is available. (See also John LeFlore in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) Correspondence, journals (1862-1901), and account books of Daniel W. Logan, a bookkeeper. Born in Charleston, SC, in 1835, Logan lived in Mobile from the 1860s until his death in 1906. 2 cu. ft. LOTT, VIRGINIA Virginia Lott was an information specialist for the Mobile County Commission, where she worked from 1945 until 1986. The papers in the collection (1955-1986) include manuals, handbooks, articles, and newsclippings relating to both the 1888 and 1958 Mobile County courthouses, as well as to forts, historic buildings, and other historic information relating to Mobile County. 1.25 cu. ft. (See also the Virginia Lott photographs in PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.) LYONS, MARK Correspondence of Mark Lyons (1840-1887), Confederate States Army, February 18, 1861 to June 19, 1865. The letters are addressed to his fiancee (and later his wife) Amelia Horsler (1845-1916). Lyons first period of service began at Camp Beulah, Mobile. He was in Mississippi through 1862, resigned from the army, and married Amelia Horsler in 1863. He then re-enlisted in May 1864 and was stationed at various batteries in the defenses of Mobile until the end of the war. The letters have been transcribed by a relative. Some background about Mark Lyons and historical notes about the activities of the Confederate Army are included. 2 cu. ft.
This small collection consists of several letters and
postcards sent to the donor by Nobel Prize-winning authors and other famous people. The
writers include William Golding (Nobel Prize 1983 and author of Lord of the Flies),
Nadine Gordimer (Nobel Prize 1991 and author of A Guest of Honour), Doris Lessing
(Nobel Prize 2007 and author of the Martha Quest series), Walker Percy (author of The
Moviegoer), and Adlai Stevenson (1952 Democratic nominee for president of the United
States). These letters and postcards can be viewed by going here. 1 folder Audio tapes of interviews conducted by Dr. Melton McLaurin of
the University of South Alabama History Department in 1970 and 1972 with local civil
rights activist John LeFlore, former mayor Joseph Langan, and Frank Thomas, editor of the Mobile
Beacon. Transcriptions are available
on this web site. (See also LeFlore,
John L. and Non-Partisan Voter's League in
MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) Back to Top Contains correspondence, notes, maps, publications, and other
research materials relating to two books, Fleur de Lys and Calumet, Being the Penicaut
Narrative of French Adventure in Louisiana (1953) and Iberville's Gulf Journals
(1981), and several articles written by Richebourg McWilliams (1901-86). McWilliams served
as head of the Department of English at Birmingham- Southern College and Professor of
English at the University of South Alabama. An inventory is available. 3 cu. ft. Notes and other research materials used in the production of
Tennant McWilliams's book Hannis Taylor: The New Southerner as an American (1978).
Dr. McWilliams is a professor of history and currently Dean of the School of Social and
Behavioral Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 1 cu. ft. Miscellaneous correspondence, minutes, reports, and materials of the Mobile Bar Pilots Association (1910-1916). Includes the records of the Harbor Master and Boards of Port Wardens and Pilot Commissioners (1896-1914). .5 cu. ft. Includes newsletters, minutes, agendas, resolutions,
correspondence, and notes of the organization (1970-c. 2000). It also contains numerous
articles, reports, and studies from various sources dealing with a wide range of
environmental and developmental issues pertaining to Mobile, southern Alabama, and the
Gulf Coast in general (e.g., the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Cochran Bridge
replacement, the management of chemical waste, and disposal of dredging materials). An oral history interview and memoirs of the past president, as well as an index to the collection and a box level inventory are available on this web site. Appointment
requested for the use of this collection. 56 cu. ft. Includes correspondence, meeting notes, membership lists, newsclippings, and photographs of the Mobile British Women's Club from 1964-94. .5 cu. ft.
The Mobile County Circuit Court records include 613 linear
feet of individual case files and over 300 bound volumes of minutes, final records, etc.
The materials date from ca. 1830 to ca. 1917. An inventory is available on this web site. MOBILE FEMALE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY Founded in 1829 as a non-denominational organization to aid indigent widows through the donation of food, clothing, and medical supplies, in 1835 the Mobile Female Benevolent Society built and maintained several houses called "Widow's Row" at Dearborn and Warren streets. Later the society purchased the Gazzam home at the corner of Government and Ann streets to house the women. This is the present site of a new facility known as Murray House, owned and operated by the Episcopal diocese of the Central Gulf Coast under the auspices of the Mobile Female Benevolent Society. The collection contains correspondence, financial records, the 1831, 1937, and 1951 constitutions, articles of incorporation (1841), inmate policies and legal agreements, resident lists (1873-1960), and minutes from 1860-64, 1886-92, 1897-98, 1953-54, 1982-83, and 1988-89. 2 cu. ft. The records of the Mobile Housing Board cover roughly the years 1950 to 1980 and concern the urban renewal projects which the housing board directed. These project areas included Water Street, East Church Street and Central Texas Street. The collection contains appraisal reports with photos of acquired properties, project planning books, maps of project areas, correspondence between the Mobile Housing Board and the Department of Housing and Urban Development officials, various HUD publications, as well as files concerning the activities of the Mobile Community Action Committee. An introduction to the collection is available on this web site and box inventories are available at the archives. 336 cu. ft. (See also Mobile Housing Board in PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS.) Blueprints of floor plans, elevations, and architectural details of Mobile Union Station (M&O Railroad) showing the original building in 1905 and alterations in 1946, 1957, and 1977. An inventory is available. (See also Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) MOWA BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS Photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, journals, books, court documents, and other research related material gathered by historian Jacqueline Anderson Matte, and relating to the MOWA band of Choctaw Indians, a group of people who reside along the Mobile and Washington counties' borders. Matte used the information in writing her book They Say The Wind is Red and in her appearance in front of the U.S. Senate's committee on Indian affairs, before which the MOWAs were seeking federal recognition as an Indian tribe. Also included are research materials Matte used to compose The History of Washington County, Alabama. A guide to the collection is available on this web site. 24 cu. ft.
The
Neighborhood Organized Workers (NOW) was established in Mobile, Alabama, in July 1966. NOW
carried on direct action in an effort to achieve political, social, and economic reform in
the African-American community. This collection contains copies of NOW's FBI files
(1968-1971) and covers topics related to African-American leadership, race relations,
civil rights activities, school desegregation, voter registration, economic boycotts, and
black nationalism in Mobile, Alabama, and surrounding areas. These files were obtained
through a U.S. Department of Justice Freedom of Information Act request, and include
memorandums, informant reports, newspaper clippings, and copies of handbills gathered by
the Mobile, Alabama, FBI Field Office in its investigation of NOW and its activities.
The FBI's primary correspondent is Mobile's Special Advisory Commission (SAC).
These records of a civil rights
organization in Mobile, 1956-87, contain materials Minutes, correspondence, newsletters, newsclippings, and photographs relating to the Old Dauphinway Historic District from 1976 to 1988. 2 cu. ft.
Dating to 1923, the Edna Evelyn Olson scrapbook contains memorabilia Ms. Olson collected the year she graduated from Barton Academy. Included are classmate autographs, graduation programs, calling cards, photographs, ticket stubs, and brief compiled lists of meetings for the "Better Speech" club. (See also Barton Scrapbook in our Women's History Guide.) .25 cu. ft. Correspondence, photographs, and other personal effects belonging to Second Lieutenant Earl O. Parish, United States Army. Lt. Parish was born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1918 and was killed in Italy on December 9, 1943. 1 cu. ft. Contains three manuscript
versions of Rayford's novel about Mike Fink entitled Child of the Snapping Turtle
(1951). The earliest manuscript is undated and incomplete, the second is dated 1948, the
third carries revisions of the 1948 manuscript. They are available on microfilm. Contains one scrapbook consisting of the personal memorabilia
of a member of one of Mobile's prominent families. The scrapbook contains invitations and
other such miscellaneous items, as well as photographs (many of which are unidentified).
Although he did not live a life of wealth, the scrapbook does reflect the social life of
someone of Ross's standing between the 1920s and the 1940s. There are no negatives for the
photos. .5 cu. ft. The Rotary Club of Mobile, an affiliation of the Rotary
International, was organized on May 14, 1914. This small collection consists of two of the
club's rosters. One is undated but provides an image of each member and gives the member's
birthday, date of affiliation with the local club, and the member's place of employment.
The second roster, dated, 1979, lists the same information, but it also gives the member's
birthplace, spouse's name, and address. .25 cu. ft. Founded in 1840, this Mobile church maintained a continuous congregation until 1993. Its records include membership rolls, marriages, baptisms, newsletters, and church bulletins, as well as historical information on ministers that served the church, and files on church members who were featured in local newspapers. Available on 19 reels of microfilm. (See also Downtown Service Men's Center in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) Back to Top Scrapbooks, programs, and minutes of the Clara Schumann Music Club (1894-2004), an organization founded to "advance the interest, and promote the culture of music in the city of Mobile." A toast to the club and box inventories are available on this web site. 2.5 cu. ft.
Newspaper articles, art magazine clippings, magazine articles, ads, postcards, and photographs related to the Sienna Vista Garden Club and its mission to promote beautification in their neighborhood. The Garden Club was founded in 1948. As part of their beautification efforts, homeowners on Siena Vista Street agreed to decorate their homes and yards during the Christmas season, something for which they became renowned. Viewing the decorations became an annual tradition for many Mobilians. A finding aid for the collection is available on this web site. .25 cu. ft. Dancer, choreographer, and film
maker, William "Billy" Skipper (1921-1987) spent much of his life in New York
and on the West Coast, but this native Mobilian also maintained contact with artists in
the Mobile area and made several films locally. This collection contains twenty-six
letters from Julian Lee Rayford to William Skipper (1966-75); slides, negatives, and
photographs of Rayford and his folklore drawings; a tape recording of Rayford. There are
also several versions of an unpublished play written by Skipper about Tempy Smith, a black
woman from Macon County, Alabama, who was a spiritual healer and mid-wife. Films include
"As the Grass" produced by Spottswood Studios and featuring Sally Maloney and
William Skipper, and unedited footage showing construction of the Wallace Tunnel, the
Mobile Civic Ballet, and the Blessing of the Fleet at Bayou La Batre. (See also Rayford, Julian Lee in MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) The materials in this collection formed the basis for an
article written by John Sledge, architectural historian with the Mobile Historic
Development Commission, about Dr. Robert Rea, historian and professor emeritus at Auburn
University. They include biographical and professional career notes written by Rea,
correspondence between Sledge and Rea (1980-95), copies of some of Rea's articles, and a
few newsclippings and photographs. Also included is a copy of Sledge's article which was
published in the Gulf Coast Historical Review (Spring 1995). .25 cu. ft. Daniel Holcombe Thomas was born in Prattville, Alabama in 1906. He was appointed to the federal bench by Harry Truman in 1951. Although Judge Thomas retired in 1972, he retained supernumerary status until his death in 2000, making him one of the United States' longest serving justices. Known as a conservative, Judge Thomas served on several civil rights cases, the most important to our area being the Birdie Mae Davis v Mobile County School Board school desegregation case. He also developed a national reputation for presiding over maritime cases. This collection consists of 13 personal scrapbooks that contain miscellaneous speeches, letters, pictures, programs, and articles that span Thomas' entire judicial career, and one bound volume of congratulatory letters to him on the 15th anniversary of his installation as judge. An inventory is available on this web site. 2.5 cu. ft. An unpublished manuscript by Mary Duggar Toulmin, "Annals
of Mobile Theater, 1808-1861," and supporting research material. 2.5 cu.ft. Documentation generated in four civil suits heard by the U.S.
District Court in Mobile includes court exhibits, depositions, pleadings files, newspaper
clippings, correspondence, and other official documents. (See also Blacksher, Menefee & Stein in the
MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS.) 3. Jail Inmates v. Purvis (1980-85) concerns prison overcrowding in Mobile
County. Back to Top Eugene Walter was the recipient of an Arts Council Residency Grant prepared by W. W. Welch that allowed Eugene to live in Baton Rouge for five months in 1980. The grant application and materials relevant to it are contained in the collection. Other material in the collection include correspondence between Walter Wade Welch and Eugene from 1979 to 1994, newspaper clippings, and Alabama publications featuring Eugene Walter. Also included are recipes, drawings, and a Harlequin Intrigue novel that features Eugene as a major character. The collection also contains information and memorabilia from Eugene’s funeral, as well as information concerning the Renaissance Man Celebration and the book, Moment’s With Eugene. In addition, this collection contains colorful commentary by Eugene concerning Welch. .5 cu. ft.
Back to Top Correspondence (1924-51), legal papers, and memorabilia
pertaining to Alice Armistead Jones Williams, a member of the Toulmin family. The
collection includes mail order catalogs, women's health and beauty magazines (1902-1904),
and newspaper clippings, and a notebook with fictional writing. 2 cu. ft. This collection dates from the founding of the Episcopal Church Home in Mobile in 1864. It includes a diary (1864-65) kept by Sister Harriet, one of the first three sisters at the home, a ledger book (1867-72), an admissions journal (1875-1911), a record book (1915-19), a minute book (1913-22), miscellaneous photographs, and a Master's thesis by Alice Blasingame, "A Study of the Episcopal Church Home in Mobile, Alabama" (Tulane University, 1941). 1 cu. ft.
The Wistaria Study Club was organized in 1937 to "encourage educational betterment and stimulate intellectual and liberal culture." One of the club's most far-reaching efforts to aid education was its nursing scholarship program, which the group sponsored from 1940 to 1965. In addition to the nursing program, the Wistaria Study Club supported various local, state, and national charities or groups such as Murphy High School, the Miss Alabama Scholarship Fund, and the Creek Indian Fund. The records (1941-2002) consist of club minutes and correspondence, as well as information on the scholarship program. In addition, the collection has ten scrapbooks that relate to Wistaria Study Club activities and contain programs, newsclippings, and photographs, among other material. A guide to the collection is available on this web site. (See also Forum Club and Woman's Clubhouse Association) 4.25 cu. ft.
Consists of one minute book (1927-1933) containing the
organization's constitution and by-laws as well as membership and attendance records. The
organization's objective was to enlist the women of Chickasaw in active Christian service
for the betterment of civic and social conditions. Some of the topics discussed included
entertainment, giving money to families in need, and helping people who were ill, widowed,
or orphaned. A scrapbook containing newsclippings, photographs, letters, and programs of the Mobile YWCA from 1904 to 1949 is available on microfilm. 1 reel. |