Monday, April 16, 2018

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(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.

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.



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 (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 (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.

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 (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 (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.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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


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.

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.


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.


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.



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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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