On Thursday, January 18, Ed took part in the First Citizen Award ceremony in the Maryland Senate. As he has in the past, he spoke on the meaning of First Citizen and the role of Charles Carroll of Carrollton in the Antilon/First Citizen debate with Daniel Dulany in 1773 about the rights of citizens and the role of government. It was a particular pleasure for Ed to take part in this year's ceremony because one of the two recipients was Judge Robert C. Murphy who, as chairman of the Hall of Records Commission since 1972, has been a friend and supporter of the Archives. The other recipient was Judge Robert F. Sweeney, Chief Judge of the District Court of Maryland. Each recipient received a copy of Peter Onuf's book Maryland and the Empire, 1773: The Antilon - First Citizen Letters and a certificate beautifully presented in boxes created by Andie Beard.
STAFF NEWS
On Wednesday, January 10, we said goodbye to Tina Moreland who left to take a job in the health care field.
On January 18, Betsy Bodziak and Elaine Rice, along with Jane McWilliams, attended a reception at the Maryland Historical Society in honor of their acquisition of an eighteenth-century portrait by the British artist John Wollaston, who lived and worked in Annapolis between 1753 and 1754. The subject, John Ross (1696-1766), served as the Mayor of Annapolis for several terms between 1748-1765, and was commissioned naval officer of the Patuxent in 1761. He was the great-grandfather of Francis Scott Key, author of the "Star Spangled Banner."
The Commission on Artistic Property was initially offered the portrait and a family coffeepot by Anne Heather Cumyn Sullivan, daughter of the donor, the late Anna Key Bartow Cumyn. Mrs. Sullivan was put in touch with the APC through Betsy's mother, Mrs. Diane Steele, whose husband Charles is a direct descendant of John Ross. After considering the offer, the Commission recommended that the items be given to the MHS, where they could join the other Ross family portraits and be displayed in a permanent museum setting. The reception offered the opportunity for all of the people who assisted in bringing these important items to Maryland to meet and view the portrait and coffeepot which will become a part of the Historical Society's renovated colonial history gallery.
VOLUNTEER NEWS
Many of you will have heard by now of the terrible loss suffered by Agnes Kane Callum last week when her home in Baltimore burned down. Everything was lost, including all of her research and family artifacts. A Friends of Agnes Kane Callum Fund is being established to help her restore some of her reference materials and research tools. This effort is being coordinated by Sylvia Cooke Martin, who is in the process of compiling a list of books, periodicals, microfilm, and equipment, such as a reader and a computer which can be either donated or purchased with funds from the account. Details on this are not complete and we will have an update in the next issue of the Bulldog. In the meantime, for more information, please contact Pat Melville.
"I MAKE FREE MEN FROM CHILDREN WITH BOOKS AND A BALANCE":
In 1696, a grammar school named for King William was founded in Annapolis to teach Latin, Greek, writing, arithmetic, and navigation for the "Propagation of the Gospel, and the Education of the Youth of this Province in good Letters and Manners." Although there were numerous attempts to turn the small grammar school into a college - all the early American colleges were first grammar schools, since colleges needed students who were prepared for them, it took almost a hundred years for the upper and lower houses of the General Assembly to agree on provisions for the charter. Finally, in 1784, the legislature chartered St. John's College and gave it the unfinished Governor's Mansion known as Bladen's Folly. Three years passed, however, before the building (now known as McDowell Hall) was in good enough shape to hold the college. On November 11, 1789 a parade of dignitaries and the students of King William's School marched from the State House to McDowell to dedicate the new college.
Despite terrible financial difficulties in the early 19th century, the college survived, even squeaking through the Civil War, when the campus was commandeered by Northern troops, first as a parole camp, then as a hospital. During this time, a single professor (who never got paid) kept the charter from being violated by teaching the younger students in City Hall.
Military training had been at the college since 1820 as a voluntary program, but in 1884 it was made compulsory for all students. By the early twentieth century, St. John's was one of the top six military academies in the country, which meant that its students could be commissioned as a second lieutenants in the army upon graduation. The college was also known for its football prowess, and its lacrosse team which in the 1920s beat the Canadian National Lacrosse Team. In fact, the St. John's coach is still known as having the most wins in lacrosse history. After a hazing incident in 1924 in which a student was killed, the military department was disbanded, and St. John's began a slow downhill slide. In fact, the college probably would have dissolved if it had not been taken over by a dynamic group from the University of Chicago who wanted to try out the new curriculum they had developed.
The Great Books Program, started in 1937, is still in use at St. John's today. It is a four year, non-elective course which uses the original writings of the great thinkers of the Western World. All classes are run as discussions, and in addition to reading the Great Books, students must take four years of math, two years of ancient Greek, two years of French, three years of science and a year of music theory. Graduates get a degree in Liberal Arts.
The State Archives houses the early records of the college. The St. John's College Collection [MSA T 1466] contains the papers of the college from 1784 to circa 1940 (few of the records of King William's School have survived). It contains such gems as letters from George Washington to John McDowell (the first President of St. John's) regarding Washington's step-grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, a letter from Lafayette, the minutes of the Board and Faculty, and reports of various presidents which give an interesting picture of education in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of my favorite reports is from the 1850s by President Hector Humphreys. It recommended that the college construct another building, since McDowell Hall was getting crowded. In the report Humphreys emphatically stated: "I would rather stay in the Black Hole of Calcutta than in Professor Decker's room for any length of time!"
The more recent records are kept in the archives of the St. John's Library, including photographic collections and the papers of Jacob Klein, who was Dean from 1947 to 1956.
A year of 300th anniversary celebrations will kick off in June 1996 with the dedication of the new library in the old Hall of Records building (now known on campus as the "Hole of Records" because of the excavations) and the unveiling of the St. John's Commemorative U. S. Postal Card. Still being planned are special concerts, a recreation of the ball held for Lafayette in the 1820s, and lectures. An illustrated history of St. John's College, which I have been working on, is due to come out in October. Events will be open to the public, as the third oldest college in the United States celebrates its history.
INK TESTING IN THE 18TH CENTURY by Pat Melville
Bill Dow, one of our researchers, discovered interesting notations about the qualities of ink used for recording documents. The comments were written by Solomon Wright, clerk of the court in Queen Anne's County, on a front flyleaf in (Docket) 1775-1777 [MSA C1391-16]. The first remarks are headed "Queen Annes County Docketts for the Years 1775, 1776 & 1777." Below that he wrote: "The above was written with an Ink made of the ripe Elder Berries pressed, and strained, and a small piece of Copper as dissolved therein, in order that posterity may be benefited by the discovery if this ink is as lasting as beautiful: October 25th 1777." About another ink he noted: "This Ink is made of the Ripe Elder Berry pressed and strained and a small piece of Allom dissolved therein. An ounce of Allom is sufficient for two Quarts of the Juice of the Berry."
REFERENCE REPORT
Many researchers took a break during the month of December in order to prepare for the holidays. Others pursued genealogical research and other areas of interest. Civil war topics included Maryland's decision to remain in the Union and Confederate flags. Someone else was interested in Prince George's County in the antebellum period. Another Prince George's County topic involved the history of the states attorney's office and the names of the office holders.
Other subjects included the history of canning on the Eastern Shore, settlers on Piney Point in St. Mary's County, 1st Maryland Regiment in the Revolution, Paca House, efforts to get a NFL team in Baltimore, adding machines, and Margaret Brent.
Total record circulation in December declined 5.4%, 7096 items compared to 7501 last year. Use of original materials fell 47%, 1086 compared to 2144. The library category dropped 19%, 902 compared to 1111. Film usage continued to rise, up 18%, 5108 compared to 4346. One third of that film was perused during the four days the search room was open between Christmas and New Years. The total number of researchers in December decreased 25%, 796 compared to 1062 in 1994. New patrons dropped 37.1%, 195 compared to 310. Returning researchers declined 20.1%, 601 compared to 752.
For the first time activity in telephone reference failed to show an increase in double digits. The number of calls in December rose by only 7.7%, 796 compared to 739. The daily average fell slightly to 40 contacts per day.
Income from photoduplication orders taken in the search room fell 11.9%, $1367.75 compared to $1553.00 last December. Reader printer income, on the other hand, jumped 25.5%, $944.00 compared to $752.00.
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|