History Commons^™

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3332), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3332. Letters of George Messer to his wife Lottie, written while serving with the 107th Illinois Infantry. Writing on 7-9 December 1862 from Camp Waller near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where part of his regiment is guarding the railroad, he describes the camp and includes a sketch; he also writes of two desertions, of procuring some fresh meat, of an officer who has contracted a venereal disease, and of the local populace who he finds “at least one half century behind the times.” In a letter of 25 July …

Standard Oil Company Of Kentucky (Sc 3331), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3331. Receipts, promotional material, and a photograph of a sign documenting the operation of the Standard Oil Company service station at the corner of College and Seventh streets in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Also includes a paper by Michael Mathews for a museum internship in which he examined the items in the collection. Because of the deteriorated condition of many of the originals, they could not be kept without causing damage to other material. A month of inventory sheets were kept from December 1922 to show a typical month’s operation for the station.

Campbell, Christopher Coe (Sc 3330), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3330. Summary of Dr. Delroy & Patricia Hire Internship performed by Christopher Coe Campbell in the Spring 2018 semester at Library Special Collections, Western Kentucky University. Includes interview with Jewell Keen about Douglas Keen of Scottsville and typescript of the same.

Southard Collection, 1924-1994 (Mss 650), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Collection 650. Financial records and some personal correspondence of Robert “Bob” Southard who ran an itinerant movie theater in a tent, 1931-1959, in south central Kentucky. Also includes research and promotional material for an exhibit titled “Breathless Moments: Green River Valley Picture Shows,” which showed at several public libraries in south central Kentucky.

Deaton, John T., 1846-1919 (Sc 3328), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3328. Affidavit, dated 7 April 1914, and taken by Justice of the Peace John T. Deaton, Breathitt County, Kentucky, for John J. Deaton in which the later states that a number of furs that he sent to the Corry Hide & Fur Co. of Corry, Pennsylvania were shipped back to him by the company but that he had never received them. Sent on stationery of the Noble & Noble General Merchandise store in Roosevelt, Kentucky.

Sanders, William Willard "Whitey," 1930-2021 (Mss 659), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 659. Correspondence, articles and miscellaneous material documenting the career of newspaper editorial cartoonist Bill “Whitey” Sanders. Includes letters from readers, public figures and fellow cartoonists, video of programs and appearances, and material related to Sanders’ books and his participation in professional organizations.

Redfern, Alfred Francis, 1848-1913 (Sc 3327), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3327. Letter, 24 December 1863, to his parents from Alfred Redfern, serving at Point Isabel, Kentucky with the 91st Indiana Volunteers. He reports orders to march to Knoxville, Tennessee, despite his hopes of remaining at the now-fortified camp until he is mustered out. He also reports on receipt of money and other gifts from home, sending some of his pay to a friend in New Albany, and the likelihood of a poor Christmas dinner of fat pork and crackers.

Friends Of Sbc Cooperative Missions, Inc. (Sc 3326), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3326. Mimeographed letter of Henry B. Huff, Louisville, Kentucky and William P. Thurman, Lexington, Kentucky, on behalf of Friends of SBC Cooperative Missions, Inc., a Kentucky non-profit created to work with similar organizations in other states “to represent the mainstream, cooperative Southern Baptist Churches.” The letter expresses concern over increasing control of the Southern Baptist Convention by political conservatives and fundamentalists, and asks for donations to support the organization’s representation at the upcoming national convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3312), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3312. Letter, 24 February 1863, of George Messer to his wife Lottie, written while encamped with the 107th Illinois Infantry near Woodsonville, Hart County, Kentucky. His news of camp life includes the engagement of an African American cook and a rumor of impending attack by John Hunt Morgan’s guerrillas, which he dismisses in light of the camp’s superior defenses. He describes holding money for safekeeping on behalf of his comrades, and of searching for vegetables to treat an outbreak of scurvy. He also discusses various matters relating to home, including deserters, honoring …

Warren County, Kentucky - Area Solid Waste Management Plan (Sc 3315), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3315. Five year update, covering the years 2018-2022, of Warren County, Kentucky’s Area Solid Waste Management Plan. Prepared by the Warren County Fiscal Court, it consists of data and supporting documentation submitted to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, Division of Waste Management. This collection is in digital format only in TopSCHOLAR.

Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3323), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3323. Letter, 20 February 1862, from John L. Hebron to his mother in Steubenville, Ohio. He reports his regiment’s arrival on the outskirts of Bowling Green, Kentucky, taken from Confederate forces “without firing a gun,” and describes attempting to cross a ruined bridge, his living quarters in a deserted house, and available food supplies. In a 25 February postscript from Nashville, Tennessee, he writes of the troops’ continued lack of success in crossing the river into Bowling Green, and mentions reports that the Confederates plan to “make a stand” south of Nashville. …

Lancaster, Lennie Young, 1893-1980 - Letters To (Sc 3325), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3325. Letters to Dr. L. Y. Lancaster, professor of biology at WKU and creator of its pre-med program, from friends, colleagues and former students. They write of their health, travel and activities, and congratulate Dr. Lancaster on the naming of a clinic at WKU in his honor. Some reference a shared interest in wildlife and the outdoors.

Minton, John Dean, Sr., 1921-2008 (Mss 660), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 660. Letters written by John D. Minton, Sr. to his brother, Layton Minton, while both were in military service during World War II. The collection also contains a small amount of Minton family correspondence and some vocational agriculture notebooks kept by the brothers while in high school.

Mitchell, Samuel Williamson, 1833-1902 (Sc 3324), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid, scan and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3324. Letter, 24 December, 1856?, of Samuel W. Mitchell, Danville, Kentucky (where he graduated from Centre College in 1857 and from the theological seminary in 1860) to H. B. Craig, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Mitchell tells of his profitable resale to area Presbyterians of books purchased from an agent, and of meeting a “very fine” young lady. Describing Christmas in Danville, he notes the noisy firecrackers and the visibility of local African Americans, who uncharacteristically venture into the cold under the “impulse” of the liberty granted them during …

Camp Paradise - Calloway County, Kentucky (Sc 3322), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3322. Letter, 7 June 1957, to a Mr. Hicks from Sid and Florence Jobs, owners and operators of Camp Paradise at Kentucky Lake, Calloway County, Kentucky, with suggestions on timely scheduling of a reservation. Includes a two-page mimeograph describing the Camp’s location, amenities, lodging facilities and rates; a color postcard of the camp, and black and white photographs of fishermen and of the Camp’s cottages.

Molloy, John Calhoun, 1855-1923 (Sc 3321), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3321. Letter, 14 December 1891, of John C. Molloy, Pastor of Fourth Street Presbyterian Church, Owensboro, Kentucky, to Reverend E. W. Bedinger, Anchorage, Kentucky. He encloses his church’s donation to the Synod’s Evangelistic Fund and hopes to add to it during the coming winter. Includes envelope bearing the postmark “Owensborough Ky.”

Scott Family - Letters To (Sc 3318), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3318. Letters to the Scott family of Ashland, Kentucky, chiefly to Sarah Asenath Scott from Fred Osborne, written from Clinchco, Virginia prior to their marriage. Fred refers to his work and health, their marriage plans, and a pending legal case. Other letters to Sarah are from childhood friends and classmates and friends of her mother. Includes a family letter to Sarah’s mother, and letters to her father from his sister and her children in Knoxville, Tennessee, which refer to farming operations and hopes for an improved economy under the new president, Franklin Roosevelt.

Smith, Ruth R., 1907-1992 - Letters To (Sc 3320), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3320. Invitation to a children’s party on 19 October 1912 sent to Ruth Smith, postmarked Johnston City, Illinois; also letter, 18 August 1922, to Ruth in Sebree, Kentucky, regarding graduation ceremonies for Webster County schools. The letter includes the program for the ceremony on 30 August 1922 and recommends attire for graduates.

Cunningham, Alice Evelyn, 1890-1943 (Sc 3319), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below") for Manuscripts Small Collection 3319. Letter, 27 February 1909, of Alice E. Cunningham, Louisville, Kentucky, to her cousin Earle Cunningham. The letter is addressed to Georgia, but Earle appears to be in Florida. Alice teases him with a description of a “Southern beauty” visiting her home and asks him to write with news of his “numerous love affairs” with Southern girls. She also describes attending a church social “overrun” with seminary students attracted by the food, a Martha Washington Tea held by her Young Ladies Society, and a show at Louisville’s …

Puckett, Dillon Huette "D. Hugh," 1929-2010 (Mss 658), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 658. Lewis family genealogy collected by Dr. Dillon Huette Puckett covering descendants in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri. Allied family files (those found in Box 4) are available in digital format only in TopSCHOLAR.

Cowan, Gilbert, 1903-1969 (Sc 3316), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3316. Letters, 28 July and 18 November 1931, of Gilbert Cowan, written to his brother Finley Cowan in Cannons Mill, Clinton County, Kentucky, while Gilbert was an inmate at the Kentucky State Reformatory in Frankfort, Kentucky. He asks Finley to help arrange a recommendation for him to the superintendent of the prison school, and doubts that he, unlike other inmates, will be able to apply for a reduced sentence. He also wishes he could attend church with Finley in order to “get me a gal.” The institutional …

Child, Charles B. (Sc 3317), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3317. Letter, 25 July 1869, of Charles B. Child, written on letterhead of the Office of the Maysville and Lexington Railroad Company (Northern Division), Maysville, Kentucky. He refers to an earlier report to an investor and details the current cost of construction work on the railroad, including his careful pricing of materials and rolling stock. In particular, he sets out the prices for a contract to construct 33 miles of track to Carlisle, Kentucky.

Claycomb, Marilou (Irwin), B. 1936 (Sc 3314), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3314. Collection of four Home Worker Handbooks detailing work done by Marilou (Irwin) Claycomb for Eleanor Beard, Inc. of Hardinsburg, Breckinridge County, Kentucky. Irwin did contract quilting from June 1959 until August 1966. Each of the four U.S. Department of Labor #FO-75 booklets list the date issued, number, style, article, rate, date returned, number completed, hours worked, wages and date of payment of her public contract work.

Holsapple, John Wright, 1854-1947 (Sc 3313), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3313. Letter, 4 April 1885, of J. W. Holsapple, Fairdealing, Kentucky, to J. F. McCartney, Metropolis, Illinois, on letterhead of the South Kentucky Christian Missionary and Sunday School Association. An evangelist for the Association, Holsapple advises that he is free to take engagements after the organization’s coming meeting in Henderson, Kentucky. While preferring a southern location, he encourages McCartney to make a proposal for them to discuss at the meeting.

Noel, Philip Jordan, Sr., 1874-1950 (Sc 3309), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3309. Image of Philip Jordan Noel, Sr. printed on paper (2 copies) and a ribbon worn at the 36th national encampment of the United Spanish War Veterans organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 1934. Also includes a page with some biographical information printed on it.

Ua19/16/1 Lady Topper Basketball Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

2019-20 women's basketball media guide produced by WKU Athletic Media Relations, includes athletic records and statistics, photographs, schedule and information regarding opponents.

Ua1c2/6 Barracks Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the barracks

Ua12/2/36 Gamma Sigma Sigma, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Gamma Sigma Sigma at Western Kentucky University.

Ua37/30/3 Faculty Personal Papers Lowell Harrison Wku Book, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Drafts and other records related to the publishing of Lowell Harrison's book Western Kentucky University.

Ua1b3 University Wide Committees/Events - Committees, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Unprocessed records created by and about university wide committees.

• Series 1. Master Plan Committee
• Series 2. Curriculum Committee
• Series 3. Athletic Committee
• Series 4. Wellness Committee
• Series 5. Cherry Statue Committee
• Series 6. Parking & Traffic Committee