Arts and Humanities Commons^™

0875: Mike Jones President Barack Obama Media Collection, 2008-2013, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is predominantly newspapers from 2008-2011 and magazines from the same time period. Other items include campaign paraphernalia such as a t-shirt, campaign signs (one covered in anti-Obama graffiti), campaign buttons, bumper stickers, and an advertisement for the coverage of the 2008 election by Arizona Daily Star, and VHS recordings of the election, inauguration of President Obama, and President Obama’s first 100 days in office

Review Of African American Workers And The Appalachian Coal Industry, By Joe William Trotter, Jr., Cicero Fain

History Faculty Research

Joe William Trotter, Jr., ranks among the pantheon of America's most influential historians. For more than forty years, beginning with his 1985 work Black Milwaukee: The Making of an Industrial Proletariat, 1915–1945, he has chronicled the African American experience, most profoundly on the centrality of the Black working class to America's economic, industrial, cultural, and political development. His pioneering and provocative work examining the intersections of race, class, labor, urbanization, and gender within diverse urban- and rural-industrial settings has challenged prevailing historiography and expanded our understanding of Black migration, labor relations, and community formation. It has also added important …

0865: Mccomas Family Letters, 1906 – 1930s, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The collection consists of eight folders of correspondence between various family members of the McComas family between 1906 – 1930s. The McComas family consists of Mr. and Mrs. George J. McComas, and their son, B.C. “Curtis” McComas, and daughter, Margaret McComas. The majority of the folders contain correspondence from Curtis McComas detailing his experiences in France and Germany during the First World War. Other soldiers, including Curtis and Margaret’s cousin, Henry, also sent letters to Margaret detailing their experiences or thanks for gifts provided to the war front. The rest of the collection include letters received during Margaret’s stay in …

0859: Mr. And Mrs. Paul R. Cooley Sr. Civil Rights Era Newspaper Collection, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains six newspapers from West Virginia, Virginia, and New York documenting historic events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement, specifically during the March on Washington on August 29, 1963 and the events that occurred after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968.

0074: Letters Received By The Office Of The Adjutant General [Microfilm], 1876-1896, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

These sixteen microfilm reels contain correspondence relating to military operations in the Departments of the Platte and Dakota against the Sioux tribes ("Sioux War Papers"), 1876-96. Letters are organized by date of receipt and include materials received between 1876 and 1896.

0778: Jim Taylor Photograph Collection, 1880s-1910s, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of 51 TIFF images representing 50 photographs of early Huntington, West Virginia. Photographic subjects include the D. E. Abbot frame factory in Huntington, WV, Twelve Pole Creek in Wayne County, WV, Norfolk and Western Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio railroad tracks, trestles, and trains, Big Sandy River, Kenova Electric Power Plant, log and timber in rivers, log cabins in Huntington and Kenova, WV, Camden Interstate Railway train cars, tie hoists, Johnson’s Lane car house, as well as a railway car wreck in 1906, Cabell County Courthouse, Cabell County Jail, Huntington Hospital, 20th Street Hill, Kessler Hospital, “H. …

0857: Kfeirian Reunion Foundation Papers, 1932-2017, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The majority of this collection consists of various printed media, including booklets, pamphlets, directories, and other materials focusing on the annual Kfeirian Reunion. Items date from the 4th Annual Reunion in 1936 to the 2017 85th Annual Reunion. The collection also contains pictures from various reunions, awards, name badges and other items related to the organization and its activities. The collection was donated by the Kfeirian Reunion Foundation and was organized into a number of manila envelopes. This order has been kept, and although some items had to be separated to fit into folders, the order of the items was …

In The Beginning... A Legacy Of Computing At Marshall University, Jack L. Dickinson, Arnold R. Miller Ed.E

Manuscripts

This book provides a brief history of the early computing technology at Marshall University, Huntington, W.Va., in the forty years: 1959-1999. This was before the move to Intel and Windows based servers. After installation of an IBM Accounting Machine in 1959, which arguably does not fit the modern definition of a computer, the first true computer arrived in 1963 and was installed in a room below the Registrar’s office. For the next twenty years several departments ordered their own midrange standalone systems to fit their individual departmental requirements. These represented different platforms from different vendors, and were not connected to …

Review Of Richard L. Davis And The Color Line In Ohio Coal: A Hocking Valley Mine Labor Organizer, 1862–1900, By Frans H. Doppen, Cicero Fain

History Faculty Research

Much has been written on union organizers' bitter struggle to establish collective bargaining in the coal mines of central and southern Appalachia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mine operators regularly employed deprivation, intimidation, black and white strikebreakers, violence, and murder to enforce their will. Thus, one can imagine the enormity of the challenges facing an African American coal mine labor organizer during this era. Yet, this is the task Richard L. Davis took on "among his 'colored brothers'" in the "microregion known as the Little Cities of Black Diamonds," located in southeastern Ohio's Hocking River Valley (p. …

0846: Earl F. Dickinson Papers, 1942-2009, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains photographs and papers related to Earl F. Dickinson’s personal life and time in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The bulk of the collection relates to Dickinson’s service in WWII and includes combat photographs, portraits and group photos, certificates, and military records. Personal materials include a 1938 Marshall Commencement booklet, family photographs, a birth and death certificate, newspaper clippings, and a brief personal recollections about Dickinson. Also included are artifacts such as USMC pins and a stone taken from Mount Suribachi.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Earl F. …

0848: Historical Images Slides And Guides, 1975-2004, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The Instructional Resource Corporation’s series of educational slides cover a variety of topics around world history. The collection covers Western Civilization, World History, and American History, which includes ancient to modern historical topics. There are three boxes of 35mm slides, each arranged by historical category. The lids of the boxes have color coded diagrams to the slides.

The collection was created with the intent to assist instructors in adding images to course lectures. Each box contains over a thousand slides that are then separated into categories or topics that are alphabetized. The categories are indexed with instructions and summaries on …

Part 6: Miscellaneous And Bibliography, Jack L. Dickinson

C.S.S. Alabama: An Illustrated History

The Alabama claims were a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Great Britain that arose out of the U.S. Civil War. The peaceful resolution of these claims 7 years after the war ended set an important precedent for solving serious international disputes through arbitration, and laid the foundation for greatly improved relations between Britain and the United States.

Part 3: Cruise Of The Alabama, Jack L. Dickinson

C.S.S. Alabama: An Illustrated History

“The Alabama was built for speed rather than battle. Her lines were symmetrical and fine; her material of the best. In fifteen minutes her propeller could be hoisted, and she could go through every evolution under sail without any impediment. In less time her propeller could be lowered; with sails furled, and yards braced within two points of a headwind, she was a perfect steamer. Her speed, independent, was from ten to twelve knots; combined, and under favorable circumstances, she could make fifteen knots. When ready for sea she drew fifteen feet of water.”

Century Magazine, 31, April 1886, p.911.

Part 5: Exploration & Excavation, Jack L. Dickinson

C.S.S. Alabama: An Illustrated History

During June and July 2001, the American CSS Alabama Association and the French Association CSS Alabama carried out an archaeological investigation of the remains of the Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama. Under the direction of Dr. Gordon P. Watts Jr., American and French archaeologists, French volunteer divers and French Navy personnel cooperated in an examination of the wreck that took place between 6 June and 4 July. Objectives for the investigation included video and 35mm photographic documentation of the wreck, limited test excavation in the officer’s quarters and recovery of selected artifacts exposed on the bottom surface. Unfortunately the most …

Part 4: Battle With Uss Kearsarge, Jack L. Dickinson

C.S.S. Alabama: An Illustrated History

“June 19: Lying off Cherbourg. Moderate breeze from the westward. At 10:20 am discovered the Alabama steaming out of the port of Cherbourg, accompanied by a French ironclad steamer and a fore-and-aft rigged steamer, showing the white English ensign. Beat to general quarters and cleared for action. Steamed ahead, standing offshore, being distant from land about 2 leagues; altered our course and approached the Alabama."

Official Records of Union and Confederate Navies, I, 3, p.64.

Part 2: Officers And Crew, Jack L. Dickinson

C.S.S. Alabama: An Illustrated History

During the Civil War naval officers were divided into four categories for purposes of berthing and messing aboard ship: cabin, wardroom, steerage, and forward officers. The captain had a private state room, and higher ranking officers had small cabins, while lower ranks only had individual lockers. This was the arrangement of the officers of the CSS Alabama.

Heritage And Identity: The Cockayne Family Bible, Elizabeth James

Librarian Research

The collection at the Cockayne Farmstead is eclectic, to say the least. Ranging in age from Adena arrowheads to a 2001 calendar, it is difficult to characterize the nature of the home’s archival holdings. However, amidst a plethora of nineteenth century correspondence, books, and printed ephemera, one item stands out as being particularly special. Within the collection is a Bible printed in 1775 on the Cambridge University Press in England, complete with a hurriedly scrawled listing of family birth and death dates on the back of the title page. This brief listing demonstrates how books were used for purposes far …

The People In The Papers: The Seaman Identification Card Of Joseph Sofka, Elizabeth D. James

Librarian Research

According to the enclosed documents, at the age of eighteen, Joseph Sofka enlisted as a Merchant Marine in Pittsburgh after traveling there from his hometown of Wheeling. A frequently little known branch of the armed forces, Merchant Marines were responsible for ferrying cargo from the United States to the front lines in Europe and the Pacific, and were instrumental in maintaining supply lines to sustain the troops overseas. Merchant Marine ships had to avoid submarines, ships, and mines from the enemy, making a seemingly simple task into a deadly effort. As a result, the Merchant Marines had the highest casualty …

0828: Richard Marks Collection, 1952-2014, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The bulk of this collection related to Richard Marks’ research as a genealogist working on his family history, including an index card file of names. Other materials in the collection include personal papers related to his life, materials related to his career as a professor and lecturer, correspondence, and published works on intelligence and local history seen in newspapers, magazines, serials, and books. The collection has been broken down into series to include personal, teaching, correspondence, published works, and genealogy research materials.

The Definitive History Of Marco: The Mascot Of Marshall University, Katherine Endicott

Marshall History

Marshall University has a long and unique history, but perhaps the most endearing custom of the institution rests in its furry friend, Marco, the school’s mascot. Initially nicknamed the ‘Big Green’, Marshall’s idea of a mascot did not come to fruition until Huntington sportswriter Duke Ridgley coined the phrase the ‘Thundering Herd’ in 1925. Later in the same year, football coach Charles ‘Trusty’ Tallman guided Marshall to its first win of the season. Headlines everywhere read ‘Trusty Tallman’s Thundering Herd.' The headlines, along with Zane Grey’s hit novel The Thundering Herd, popularized the term within the community. As such, …

0818: Floyd Hoard Stark And Pitt Hoard Stark Collection, 1820-1970, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Charles Brooks Hoard, known as C. B. Hoard within the collection, served in the New York State Assembly from 1837-1838, was Jefferson County Clerk from 1844-1846, and was elected to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1857-1861. During the American Civil War, Hoard attempted to patent the Watertown Musket and was contracted by the federal government to manufacture the muskets for the war effort. C. B. Hoard partnered with Eli Thayer in the development of Ceredo, Virginia, now Ceredo, West Virginia. Thayer, who had hopes of establishing a colony in Ceredo to …

0801: Larry Beuhring Collection, 1960-2013, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of family histories of the Beuhring, Carroll and Brumfield families, including associated families. Also included are detailed histories of John J.S.P. Carroll with documents related to the American Civil War and a biography of Frederick George Lewis Beuhring. All histories include scanned copies of documents, photographs, and associated articles.

Marshall University Chronology, Lisle G. Brown, Cora P. Teel

Librarian Research

A year-by-year listing of selected important events, from the founding of Marshall University in 1837 to the present. This was developed as part of the University's 175th anniversary.

0794: The Bon Ton Bullets In The Service, 1943-1945, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists copies of nineteen editions of a Huntington, West Virginia area newsletter titled, “The Bon Ton Bullets in the Service” published between 1943 and 1945. The newsletter describes activities of area service members during World War II, and published excerpts from letters sent from servicemen, news from home, addresses, and miscellanea. Also included is an index of individuals mentioned in many of the newsletters.

America's First Secession: The Lost State Of Franklin Fell Just Short Of Admission To The Young Union, Kevin T. Barksdale

History Faculty Research

On Dec. 14, 1784, a small assemblage of Tennessee Valley leading men met at a rustic courthouse in Jonesboro, N.C. under a darkening cloud of political uncertainty, 28 western political and economic leaders voted overwhelmingly to declare their communities' independence from their parent state of North Carolina and to form America's 14th state- Franklin.

“We Will Hold Our Land:” The Cherokee People In Postrevolutionary North America, 1781-1792, Kevin T. Barksdale

History Faculty Research

In June of 1783, Spain’s newly-appointed Governor of Louisiana Estevan Miro convened a conference of southeastern Indians in Pensacola with representatives from the dominant regional Amerindian groups, including the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creeks in attendance. Among the attendees at the West Florida congress was a small contingent of Chickamauga Cherokee, led by their principal chief Dragging Canoe. During the parlay, Governor Miro implored the Indians to “not be afraid of the Americans,” promised to provide guns and ammunition in their ongoing efforts to prevent the further loss of their lands, and urged them to “continue to fight against American” westerners.

Violence, Statecraft, And Statehood In The Early Republic : The State Of Franklin, 1784–1788, Kevin T. Barksdale

History Faculty Research

In December 1784, a small contingent of upper Tennessee Valley political leaders met in Washington County, North Carolina's rustic courthouse to discuss the uncertain postrevolutionary political climate that they believed threatened their regional political hegemony, prosperity and families. The Jonesboro delegates fatefully decided that their backcountry communities could no longer remain part of their parent state and that North Carolina's westernmost counties (at the time Washington, Sullivan and Greene counties) must unite and form America's fourteenth state.

0455: Brigadier General Chuck Yeager Collection, 1923-1987, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of manuscript materials, items, and books belonging to Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager . Items were created between1923 and 1987.

“Facing East” From Iberian America: Postrevolutionary Spanish Policies In The Southwestern Backcountry, 1783-1792, Kevin T. Barksdale

History Faculty Research

Following the American Revolution, the new United States government and its citizenry greedily cast their eyes westward across the expansive trans-Appalachian frontier. The contest between the region’s native peoples, Anglo-American westerners, and Spanish colonists for the trans-Appalachian West began long before the first shots of the Revolution were fired at Lexington & Concord. From the near perpetual regional Indian warfare to the diplomatic maneuverings of Euroamerican backcountry leaders, the struggle to control the land the Indians called the “western waters” defined borderland relations for most of the 18th century. Historians have devoted a great deal of scholarly energy to chronicling …

0770: Carrie Eldridge Collection, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Carrie Eldridge is a genealogical researcher in Chesapeake, Ohio. This collection contains photocopies of many county record books of the Appalachian areas of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, ranging from the American Revolution until the end of the Civil War. The collection also contains high quality photographs of one room school houses of Cabell County, West Virginia, an audio cassette oral history, books, and pen nibs.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Carrie Eldridge Collection here.