Special Collections. Purdue University Special Collections

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The Indiana Poetry Society papers is a collection of manuscript poems and letters by members of the Indiana Poetry Society, as gathered by the society president and founder, Eletha Mae Taylor, along with some of her personal papers. Among the personal papers is a composition book containing notations on the study of poetry and literature and spelling/vocabulary lists, music scores, poetry, newspaper clippings and correspondence.

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The Vater Family scrapbooks compiled by Septimus Vater and Williamson Dunn Vater primarily contain newspaper clippings related to Indiana politics and elections as well as obituaries and sports analysis from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Postcards relating to Indiana scenes and history, collected by the Knowles family.

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The Heath Family Papers document the business dealings and transactions of one of Lafayette's early prominent families.

Scope and Contents The Indiana Engineering Society Records (1913-1937, 0.5 cubic feet) document the correspondence, activities and conferences of the Indiana Engineering Society. Highlighting individual members and other regional engineering societies, the collection shows the Indiana Engineering Society's involvement with the community. Although the records span the years of 1913 to 1937, the majority of the records cover from 1927 to 1937. Types of materials include: correspondence, meeting minutes, by-laws,...

Scope and Contents The Collection of Virginia Poullard Dupalais Twigg, Lucy Way Sistare Say, and Charles Alexandre Lesueur Works of Art (circa 1800-1846; 43 items) contains twenty-six pencil, pastel, charcoal and watercolor sketches on paper by Charles Lesueur and seventeen pencil and watercolor sketches attributed to Virginia Dupalais Twigg, Lesueur's niece and pupil who lived with him in New Harmony, or Lucy Sistare Say, a fellow artist teaching at New Harmony. Many of the sketches document life in New...

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The William Henry Harrison collection contains materials related to William Henry Harrison, his presidential campaign in 1840, and the Battle of Tippecanoe.  Materials include campaign songsheets, campaign ribbon, political document, newspaper clipping, and commemorative plate.

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Materials relate to the Office of State Technical Services (Indiana State Technical Services), the State Technical Services Act, and the Indiana Educational Services Foundation. Please see PDF Finding Aid for collection inventory.

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Bound volumes of medieval manuscripts, primarily religious texts. Further description is available in each item's details.

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The Red Crown Mini-Museum history and post card documents the chronological history of the museum. The collection consists of an 8 ½" x 11" sheet of paper detailing the chronological history, along with three copies of a picture post card of the Red Crown Mini-Museum.

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The Donald Schuder Collection documents Schuder's time as a member of the Greater Lafayette Aquarium Society (GLAS). This collection includes numerous monthly newsletters titled "Looking Through the GLAS", an applicaton to join the National Aquarium Club, a January-February 1966 magazine from "Aquarium Illustrated", and an undated article from "The Aquarist Shopper".

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The Collection of Robert Dale Owen notebooks contains three notebooks kept by Owen as a young man. Owen organized his notes by topic, with volumes related to science, engineering, Galileo, and a daily journal of his activities in spring 1824.

Scope and Contents The collection contains correspondence written to and from Thomas Perry, Chief/Consulting Engineer for the Jasper Wood Products Company, along with quotes and estimates for components of the prefabricated houses. There are reports from testing of the same components, along with timecards from the business. The collection also contains newsclippings from the 1930's relating to the housing industry. There are a few unrelated newsclippings from 1978 and 1980 and a company catalog from MacBeath...

Scope and Contents Bound manuscript on palm leaf base, possibly made in India, Burma, or Siam. Palm leaves were an early type of writing material. The scribe scratched characters into the leaves using a sharp pointed instrument or stylus, then applied soot mixed with oil or pigment into the incised lines to make the writing visible. Holes were punched in the leaves, which were then strung on cords to hold them together. This manuscript has cords with decorative coins, and is bound between two...

Scope and Contents These records document the Philosophy Born of Struggle Conference, an annual conference relating to the African American philosophy movement. Conference programs, abstracts, speakers, lectures, interviews, and publicity are included along with administrative information and historical perspectives regarding the Conference. Materials for the Struggle and Liberation Today/Lucha y Liberación Hoy virtual confernece sponsondered by the Philosophy Born of Struggle Conference and held in 2021 are...

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The Indiana Authors Letter Collection contains letters from some of the state's most successful authors. The collection encompasses the "Golden Age of Indiana Literature," a time period in which Hoosier authors achieved both national prominence and popular acclaim.

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Daily diary of J. Edgar Scholl, January 1, 1901 to December 8, 1902. The diary provides a daily account of the life of a young man in Indiana as he begins farming and prepares to marry.

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The Frederick Billerbeck collection on the Limited Editions Club includes publications and correspondence by the Limited Editions Club. Materials include monthly newsletters issued by the Limited Editions Club between 1944 and 1989, annual prospectuses and catalogs, correspondence from the Limited Editions Club to its members, and original printed ephemera by Limited Editions club, including holiday cards, woodprints, and pamphlets.

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The Marcia L. Barrows diary is a 2.5" x 4" leather bound diary with entries written by Marcia Barrows from January 1 to July 21, 1865. It contains information on social life in Indianapolis, a travel log from Indianapolis to Augusta, Maine, a list of books read, and items purchased and their costs.

The diary contains gaps between entries from April 19 to May 7, May 10 to June 10, and June 19 to July 9.

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The Etchings of Famous Engineers album, measuring 20 x 24 inches, contains print portraits of notable engineers alongside brief typewritten biographies of each. A typed table of contents lists fifty names in both chronological and alphabetical order, though fifty-nine men appear in the album. It is likely that the initial fifty names were in the album at the time of its donation to Purdue University and the additional entries added later.

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The Collection of Midwestern Maps (1825-1925; 7 linear feet) documents roads, counties, and geography of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Illinois. It features several pocket maps, including one attached to the inside cover of a small travel booklet. Some maps note territory status of current states, such as Michigan. Not all counties are represented on all maps. One map is written in French.

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The Ancient and Medieval Manuscript Leaves collection contains leaves from a variety of primarily religious texts in multiple languages. Most of the leaves are vellum; however, a few of the leaves are paper. The collection demonstrates a variety of medieval texts, languages, inks, and artistic styles. This particular collection is an excellent teaching tool for many classes in the humanities.

Scope and Contents The Rare Book Leaves collection contains leaves from Buddhist scriptures, Golden Legend, Sidonia the Sorceress, Nuremberg Chronicle, Codex de Tortis, and an illustrated version of Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils. The collection demonstrates a variety of printing styles and paper. This particular collection is an excellent teaching...

Scope and Contents The Collection of British Indentures documents seventheeth and eighteenth century British land laws and the transfer or renting of land between individuals and/or family members. All of the indentures are handwritten in English on vellum, which was standard for legal documents during this time.The indentures were written during the reigns of eight monarchs and exemplify British land law during the seventheeth and eighteenth centuries. Most of the indentures have either a blue...

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The New Harmony collection contains materials from and information related to the New Harmony community in Southern Indiana and the family of Robert Owen, one of its leaders. The collection includes correspondence, newspapers, illustrations, maps, pamphlets, and historical research about New Harmony.