New ExploreUK launching next week

UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is pleased to announce the new ExploreUK will launch next week! More information on the new site can be found here.

Beta ExploreUK Available

Beta ExploreUK is now available! The new site was designed to improve discovery and use of UK Libraries’ rare and unique research materials, and is more ADA compliant and mobile friendly. We are actively working on the site and iterative changes will continue after launch. We welcome all suggestions and ideas -- please share these with us on our feedback form (link on top right).

Newly Digitized Collections on ExploreUK

Curious about hemp manufacturing in Lexington or turn-of-the-century medical practices and midwifery? Or perhaps you’d rather peruse the papers of a railroad detective and a prohibition agent. You can do this and more with the newly digitized collection available on ExploreUK!

The John Brand letter books, m-747

The John Brand letter books(dated 1811-1841; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 reel) consist of a microfilmed copy of two letter books belonging to Lexington hemp manufacturer John Brand.

Lyman Draper letters, 62m124

The Lyman Copeland Draper letters to Reuben Thomas Durrett (dated 1882-1886; 0.1 cubic feet; 68 items) consists of letters from Draper to Durrett concerning their mutual interest in the settlement and early history of Kentucky.

Ethnography, or the Origin of the Negro, 1899

The Gordon family papers, 51m40

The Gordon family papers (dated 1771-1924, bulk 1840-1859; 2 cubic feet; 4 boxes, 1 oversize box, and 1 folder) consists of the correspondence, papers, and a diary of the Gordon family of Georgia and Kentucky. The bulk of the collection consists of letters relating to Neal McDougal Gordon of Nicholasville, Ky., and his work in the education of Presbyterian ministers and the colonization of Liberia.

The Aden G. Lovell papers, m-805

The Aden G. Lovell papers (dated 1882-1923, undated; 0.1 cubic feet; 3 reels of microfilm) consist of the microfilmed medical record books, receipts, account books, business ledgers, and legal and insurance papers owned by Mt. Vernon physician Aden G. Lovell.

The Charles E. Lowther collection on Mining, m-809

The Charles E. Lowther collection on Mining (dated 1920-1977; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 reel) consists of microfilmed legal agreements between coal operators and labor, by-laws, an employee handbook, pay receipts, and union political ephemera.

Joseph Bruce Mathews papers, 62m98

The Joseph B. Mathews papers (dated 1890-1932; 0.73 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 1 wrapped item) of civil service files, a letter copying book, a letter, and two scrapbooks of newspaper clippings. The collection document Mathews work for the U.S. government, including his work as a railroad detective and a prohibition agent in New Orleans.

The Midwifery Collection, 94m2

The Midwifery Collection (dated 1926-1932, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) consists of reports and rules and regulations concerning midwifery in Eastern Kentucky during the early 20th century.

National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreements, 1947 and 1948

The Sidener family papers, 62m79

The Sidener family papers (dated 1849-1959, bulk 1853-1859; 0.1 cubic feet; 55 items) consist of correspondence, a diary, and a mimeographed history of the Sugar Ridge Presbyterian Church, which document the Sidener family of Loradale, Kentucky.

New Collection Guides posted to ExploreUK!

Daniel Weisiger Lindsey journal on the history of architecture, 1861. From the William B. Scott collection on Kentucky Architecture, 2015ms085.

A new batch of collection guides have been added to ExploreUK! The collections document string bands, Kentucky architecture, women authors, Kentuckians during WWII, and affordable housing in Appalachia. See the full list below.

New Collection Guides

Crockett family papers, 2017ms032

The Crockett family papers (dated 1896-2016, undated; 3.09 cubic feet; 5 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 4 shoeboxes) comprise song books of original Crockett compositions, scrapbooks of song lyrics and performance reviews, tour itineraries and set lists, correspondence, and photographs that document the Crockett family and their shared professional career as members of the string band music group, the Crockett Family Kentucky Mountaineers.

"Spiders and Alcohol" for Violin. From the Crockett family papers, 2017ms032.

William B. Scott collection on Kentucky Architecture,2015ms085

The William B. Scott collection on Kentucky Architecture (dated 1855-1960; 3 cubic feet; 1 flat box, 3 case folders, 6 boxes of rolled drawings) consists of architectural plans, drawings, notebook, and ledger collected by William B. Scott, architectural historian, mainly documenting various architecture firms and individual buildings in Louisville and Frankfort, Kentucky.

John White Stevenson papers, 58m3

The John W. Stevenson papers (dated 1868-1885; 2.25 cubic feet; 5 boxes) consist of diaries, letter books, receipts, and a will, documenting the life and career of Kentucky lawyer and politician John W. Stevenson.

Isabel McLennan McMeekin papers, 46m72

The Isabel McLennan McMeekin papers (dated 1850s-1950s, bulk 1940-1950; 0.9 cubic feet; 4 boxes) consist of manuscripts, photographs, a civil war scrapbook, and a book jacket, which document McMeekin's work as an author.

Dorothy Park Clark and Isabel McLennan McMeekin at Morris Book Shop signing for Show Me a Land, 1940. From the Isabel McLennan McMeekin papers 46m72.

Dearinger family papers, 2017ms069

The Dearinger family papers (dated 1864-2007, bulk 1919-1945; 2.8 cubic feet; 5 boxes and 1 item) primarily comprises letters, memoirs, diaries, and World War II related materials, including photographs, that document the service of the Dearinger siblings of Lexington, Kentucky, John Arthur Dearinger, Emily Susan (Sue) Dearinger, and Eugene Lewis Dearinger.

Melba Porter Hay research files, 2017ms040

The Melba Porter Hay research files on Madeline McDowell Breckinridge (dated 1834-2008, undated; 3 cubic feet; 3 boxes) primarily comprise research notes, note cards, manuscript drafts, interview notes, and materials that document the research process of Melba Porter Hay while writing Madeline McDowell Breckinridge and the Battle for a New South.

William K. Hubbell papers, 58m44

The William K. Hubbell papers (dated 1931-1938, undated; 0.33 cubic feet; 1 box and 1 item) consist of a scrapbook and published copies of writing and photographs by Lexington, Kentucky, writer William K. Hubbell.

Rogers and Anne Morton papers, 2017ms033

The Rogers and Anne Morton papers (dated 1945-1987, undated; 7.06 cubic feet; 32 boxes, 2 items) includes photographs, photograph albums, letters, and memorabilia relating to Rogers and Anne Morton during Morton’s travels as Secretary of the Interior.

Richard Alexander Spurr papers, 69m44

The Richard Alexander Spurr papers (dated 1844-1961, bulk 1878-1899; 1.3 cubic feet; 4 boxes, 1 folder) consist of correspondence, financial records, genealogical sketches, autograph albums, photographs, and a recipe book documenting Spurr's career and family life.

Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. (FAHE)records, 2014ms0101

The Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. (FAHE) records (dated 1967-1992; 20.8 cubic feet; 21 boxes, 1 oversize box) consist primarily of office files and program files relating to FAHE's work on community development and affordable housing in the Appalachian Region.

Revised collections

Northern Bank of Kentucky ledger, 64m110

Barlow family scrapbook, 60m180

Breckinridge family scrapbook, 59m115

Paul Hudson scrapbook, 56m314

January's additions to ExploreUK

This year we are trying something new and announcing each month's newly digitized collections from UK Special Collections Research Center. The following collections were digitized and added to ExploreUK in January 2018. Enjoy! 

William Jason Fields Scrapbook

The William Jason Fields scrapbook (dated 1911-1923; 0.6 cubic feet; 1 box, 1 item) contains materials he collected during his years in the United States House of Representatives.

Hathaway family papers

The Hathaway family papers are letters, scrapbooks, diaries, and general materials of Leeland Hathaway, his wife, Mattie Wheeler Hathaway, and daughter, Carrie Lee Hathaway.

Scrapbook page from the Hathaway family papers

Thomas Henry Hines papers

The Thomas Henry Hines papers, (dated 1772-1954, bulk 1860-1889; 2.84 cubic feet; 10 boxes, 2 items, 3 folders) comprise letters, diaries, legal papers, manuscripts, maps, military documents, newspaper clippings, notebooks, handwritten notes, political papers, printed materials, realia, scrapbooks, and family papers, which document Thomas Henry Hines' career as a Confederate soldier, a Confederate spy, a lawyer, and a judge.

Barrow Unit papers 
The Barrow Unit papers (dated 1899-1957, bulk 1917-1919; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 reel) include correspondence, printed articles, newspaper clippings, official orders, and rosters documenting the military medical unit known as the Barrow Unit, which provided medical services in England to personnel of the United States Army during World War I.

William Sylvester Taylor papers 
The William Sylvester Taylor papers (dated 1899-1937; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 reel) consist of materials related to the Kentucky gubernatorial election of 1899 and its aftermath.

The Marlow Cook moving image and audio recordings
The Marlow Cook moving image and audio recordings (dated 1969-1974, undated; 1.25 cubic feet; 1 box, 2 items) consist of color and black and white 16mm films, reel-to-reel audio recordings and one 2-inch quadruplex videotape documenting the family life and political career of Marlow W. Cook (1926-2016), member of the United States Senate from Kentucky in the 91st, 92nd and 93rd Congresses (1969-1974).

Caleb Powers papers
The Caleb Powers papers (dated 1900-1941; 6 cubic feet; 9 boxes, 1 item) consist of materials relating to the third and fourth trials of Caleb Powers, which took place during 1903-1904 and 1907-1908.

Clinton Jones True papers
Clinton Jones True served in the Civil War as a captain in the 40th Regiment and a colonel in the 53rd Regiment of the Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. After the Civil War, True was appointed consul on the island of St. Thomas by President Ulysses S. Grant. After disappearing in the early 1880s, True was later declared legally dead. The Clinton Jones True papers consist of various military papers, correspondence, a copper engraving, and broadsides relating to the life of Clinton Jones True. Letters concerning health, money, and other personal matters from True to his wife, Harriet, comprise the bulk of the correspondence. 

Race horses: Pedigree, Description, History by S.F. Touchstone 

UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center Digitizes Original Early English Romantics Manuscripts

University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center recently organized and digitized the W. Hugh Peal Manuscript Collection, comprising approximately 7,000 items (43.94 cubic feet) of original letters and documents of English and American Romantic and early Victorian authors. The collection is available on the University of Kentucky digital library ExploreUK.

Print of Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb and the Lamb family.

W. Hugh Peal (1989-1987) was a native Kentuckian, a lawyer and UK alumnus. He collected books, manuscripts and letters while a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford (where he obtained law degrees in 1924 and 1925) and continued during his law practice in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. His collections, along with his acquisition books and journals, were donated to UK in 1981.

The Peal Manuscript Collection represents one of the strongest holdings of original documents of the early English Romantics in the United States. The core of the manuscript collection centers around the best-known Romantic authors, Charles Lamb (98 letters), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (51 letters), William Wordsworth (37 letters) and Robert Southey (64 letters and 16 manuscripts).  

Charles Lamb manuscript, "How I Want Thee, Humorous Hogarth," 1826.

American authors comprise approximately 900 items, including Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and William Dean Howells.

There are manuscript letters or poems by virtually every significant English author who wrote during the period 1790 to 1830. English Victorian era authors (1830-1900) are also represented, including several letters from Charles Dickens, as well as English writers from 1880-1940. 

In addition, there are letters and manuscripts by French authors and politicians, including Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and Alexis de Tocqueville.

Robert Southey letter to William Wordsworth from the Peal Collection.

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at UK Libraries sustains the Commonwealth’s memory and serves as the essential bridge between past, present and future. By preserving materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of Kentucky, the SCRC provides rich opportunities for students to expand their worldview and enhance their critical thinking skills. SCRC materials are used by scholars worldwide to advance original research and pioneer creative approaches to scholarship. UK Libraries SCRC is the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press, the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, the Bert T. Combs Appalachian Collection, the John G. Heyburn Initiative and ExploreUK.

For more information on the Peal Collection, contact Sarah Dorpinghaus, director of Digital Services, at sarah.dorpinghaus@uky.edu or 857-257-3329, or Megan Mummey, collections management archivist, at megan.mummey@uky.edu or 859-257-6942

Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. (FAH) records now available

The collection guide for the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. (FAH) records is now available on ExploreUK!

The FAHE records are the final collection in the “Action in Appalachia: Revealing Public Health, Housing, and Community Development Records in the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center” project. The two-year project, funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant, proposed to make available 645 cubic feet of War on Poverty-era records from Appalachian social justice organizations.

The Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1980 with the mission to eliminate poverty in Appalachia. FAHE focuses on public health, education, and affordable housing, using an interconnected group of non-profits across the Appalachian Region, including in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. The collection contains reports, minutes, correspondence, printed materials, and program files, which document FAHE's work on community development and affordable housing in the Appalachian Region from 1980 until 1992.