Kenneth Spencer Research Library

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing an item from our Kansas Collection. While I frequently share books, photos, and diaries from the collection, it houses so much more. The collection also contains historic documents such as Douglas County records, architectural drawings and blueprints, and other planning documents. Today I share A City Plan for Lawrence, Kansas, from 1930. The document is a 92-page typescript report that includes recommendations regarding streets and transportation, public properties, schools, and zoning. The report was prepared by Hare & Hare, a Kansas City, Missouri, landscape architecture and planning firm that was founded by a father-and-son team in 1910. The firm’s projects ranged from cemeteries and parks to larger scale planning projects. One of the firm’s most notable projects was the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.  After a couple of mergers over the years, today the firm is known as Ochsner Hare & Hare, a Design Studio of Olsson Associates.

As seen by the table of contents shown below, the plan covers a wide range of topics including transit, zoning, growth and distribution of population, and private property. The plan opens with some general historical background of the city to help readers situate themselves. Of the pages shared, the “Cultural Opportunities” section seems to be hopeful that the city will have a lasting impact on students at the University of Kansas and Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) who come from out of town. The “Parks and Recreation Areas” section seems to urge the city to take pride in its leisurely spaces and to preserve those areas for use. It can be interesting to look back in time and see what the priorities were for those running the town then compared to those who are in charge now. Similar to looking back at pictures, you can “see” how things have shifted throughout time.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Having taken over the Ringle Conservation Internship from my predecessor and colleague Brendan Williams-Childs for the processing of the Hannah Scott photography collection, I have continued the necessary tasks and procedures to appropriately rehouse, organize, clean, and inventory thousands of glass plate negatives (3,821 to be exact) that comprise a mere fraction of the entire collection. These inventorying and rehousing procedures are much the same as other archival projects completed by interns and professionals in the field. Maintaining careful records and attention to detail are of paramount importance. The basic steps involve removing the old housing (acidic envelopes), notating the identifying information of each individual plate in a spreadsheet and on the new acid-free, four-flap enclosures, removing dust with a soft brush, and finally placing the completed rehoused plate into a new box.  Such processes have been discussed, in detail, in many archival projects across repository institutions.  

Rather than repeat the processing steps discussed by my predecessors, I examine the potential research opportunities and significance this collection embodies. Not only is this collection invaluable for genealogical research (Hannah’s meticulous record keeping make this collection a researchers dream) but also for women and gender studies. The uniqueness and increasing fascination I have discovered in this collection and internship lies with the photographic abilities and entrepreneurial spunk displayed by Hannah Scott as an independent businesswoman in the early 20^th century. Her distinct ability to photographically capture lively images of young children combined with her apparent business acumen make her a noteworthy example of Kansan and female ingenuity.  

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It seems that Hannah’s work process encouraged taking multiple photos with different backgrounds, props, and poses. In several of the plates, elements of the studio were inadvertently captured including figures not part of the carefully crafted tableaux. Particularly with the young children, there seems to be a degree of collaboration with the mothers who attempt to gain the child’s attention and happy expression. Hannah seems to have encouraged these interactions to achieve the desired image results. Hannah’s skill with timing and attention to detail while coordinating with the parent was one of her greatest strengths as an artist-businesswoman, achieving crystal-clear, natural images. Many of her other images are conventionally posed and formatted to express family relations and pristine pseudo-intellectualism (many older children and adults stiffly hold/read books, magazines, and diplomas). Like today, these artistic choices responded to the desires of the clients and the photographic conventions witnessed in the popular media.

Later images start to appear more relaxed and natural overall. Perhaps this indicates a shift in how people understood photography not as just a formal once or twice in a lifetime event but a more commonplace fun activity in which they felt freer to express their personality with a technology they had become familiar with as children. It should also be noted that there are significantly more women who are commissioning portraits than men. Images of children make up most of the portrait subject matter but the plates and register books indicate a “Mrs.” John Smith, more often than the given name of the child or male name. The sheer number of plates and named clients attests to Hannah’s popularity as a portrait photographer. 

Hannah Scott was born in Canada in 1872 to Scottish immigrants who later settled in Kansas. She was the fifth of seven children and the only girl. Hannah chose her career path through the inspiration of an article in the Ladies Home Journal by Edward Bok. This article advised that ladies with an artistic inclination were well suited for studio photography as this was deemed suitable work for women at the time. With the approval and support of her family, Hannah pursued a photographic career. With unflagging initiative and energy Hannah apprenticed and advertised with the local photo studio, the Stone Front Studio, owned and operated by Allen Brown. Eventually Hannah bought out Allen Brown to open her own studio, “The Hannah Scott Studio,” later “Scott Photography Studio.” Starting out on her own in 1898, she rented studio space on the second floor of a local commercial building in downtown Independence KS. In 1916 she purchased a lot at 111 South 8^th street in Independence and commissioned a new studio building. The titles for this property were in Hannah’s name and over the years three mortgages were taken out and quickly paid off indicating Hannah’s autonomy and success as a businesswoman. Later she hired her younger brother Hugh to work in the development process and as a junior partner, but Hannah maintained primary control of the business until her death.  

More research is needed to fully examine Hannah Scott’s life and work. As an important example of women in business and industry, Scott’s life can expand current perceptions of women’s work in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Previous scholars have mentioned the Independence Historical Society might have more information about Hannah and her family in the local archives. Once fully indexed with a published online finding aid, this collection will prove invaluable for genealogical research for southeastern Kansas.  

Hannah Johnson
Ringle Conservation Intern, 2023-2024

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing an item from our Wilcox Collection, which is one of the largest assemblages of U.S. left- and right-wing political literature in the country. Since it was established in 1965, the Wilcox Collection has grown to include coverage of more than 10,000 individuals and organizations. The collection covers a wide array of topics including women’s rights. Most of the materials date from 1960 to the present.

The item shared today is a book titled 101 Wonderful Ways to Celebrate Women’s History. Written by Bonnie Eisenberg and Mary Ruthsdotter, the book (which is also referred to as a guide) was published in 1986 by the National Women’s History Project. It offers many different ideas on ways to celebrate women’s history. Shown today are some of the ideas presented for potential school programs. The guide notes that the activities within the section were “developed and recommended by classroom teachers around the country.” Other sections within the guide include school-community programs, as well as community programs. Some program ideas include designing women’s history posters, writing short public service announcements, and exhibiting books and works written by women at libraries. The book also has a slew of appendices that offer a wealth of information surrounding women’s history.

One of the guide’s authors, Mary Ruthsdotter, was actually a founder of the National Women’s History Project in 1980. A couple of years earlier, several of the group’s founders organized a local Women’s History Week in Sonoma County, California. Inspired by their success, women’s groups around the country lobbied for the week of March 8th to be National Women’s History Week. Congress later voted to make the entire month of March National Women’s History Month. Mary Ruthsdotter worked as the National Women’s History Project director for twenty years. The organization, now known as the National Women’s History Alliance, is still around today. National Women’s History Month continues to be celebrated today to ensure important women who fought for our rights are not forgotten.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a book from our Kansas Collection. The book, titled Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes, Together With “The Rhyme of the Border War,” was written by Thomas Brower Peacock and published in 1888. The book is a compilation of older revised poems as well as poems Peacock had never published before. The copy of the book housed at the library is signed and dated by the author.

The library houses many other books by Peacock including The Vendetta, and Other Poems (1876), The Rhyme of the Border War (1880), and a later addition of Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes, Together With “The Rhyme of the Border War” (1889). As one can see, The Rhyme of the Border War is included in the book shown today and was originally published as a stand-alone book in 1880.

This is one of those books I found while walking through the stacks. It just seemed to jump out to me on one particular day and I took note of the call number to pull it for the blog. It can be frustrating sometimes when I pull a book and cannot find much information on it or the author, but I suppose that should be expected especially the older the books are. Nevertheless, I do still get to enjoy the smell of old books while fumbling through the pages.

KU’s second copy of the book is available to check out from Watson Library, or it can be viewed online through the Library of Congress. The Internet Archive also has an online copy of Peacock’s 1872 work Poems. Finally, Washburn University offers a nice overview of early poems about Kansas that includes a mention of Peacock’s work.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a Civil War-era item from the Kansas Collection. My research for this post sent me down a rabbit hole of sorts finding new and interesting information at every turn. It has been a while since I have found an item that has piqued my interest as much as this one has and I am truly excited to be able to share it on the blog for others to see. At face value, the item itself might seem quite boring, but it is the story the item tells that truly resonates with the viewer. That’s the thing with housing rare materials: much of it might seem “useless,” but you never know what that one newsletter, postcard, banknote, diary, etc. might mean to someone and their research. Much of what the library houses is about preserving history for future generations to access.

The item I am highlighting is a daily journal (diary) that belonged to Aaron Pugh. From the finding aid, Aaron Pugh was born in Carrol County, Ohio, on January 21, 1833. Aaron enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 4, 1863, at the age of 30. The 1860 federal census says that, prior to joining the Army, Pugh was a (married?) farmer in Marcy, Iowa. Preliminary research indicates that the diary follows Pugh’s life from approximately July 4, 1863 to March 25, 1984. As a side note, I actually stumbled upon this item by looking for Fourth of July items. That’s the fun of finding aids; sometimes search terms bring up somewhat unrelated but still quite interesting results. Once enlisted in the Army, Pugh was a soldier in Company M of the 8th Regiment of Iowa Cavalry. IAGenWeb, a side project of the free genealogical website USGenWeb, lists a roster of the members of the 8th, which includes an entry for Pugh. The roster says that Pugh entered the Army as a Fourth Corporal and was promoted to Second Corporal March 26, 1864. March 26th is where the diary entries come to an end.

Much of the diary contains basic daily entries commenting on the weather or stating that the unit had stayed at camp or moved camp. Some entries are more in-depth about trips Pugh went on or letters he wrote. The diary is slightly larger than my palm with three days per page, which leaves little room for entries. When first looking over the diary, I thought it was cool but didn’t feel it was worth sharing. I wasn’t sure there was much to write about or anything that would draw users in. However, through a basic search of Aaron’s name and the dates of the diary I found that the University of Iowa houses a collection of letters that he wrote during his time in the Army. A few of those letters coincide with entries in Pugh’s diary. I one letter, from December 8, 1863, he writes to his friends about where his unit had been camping and how things were going. He notes that they had taken some thirty prisoners in recent times. He also states that in the last few days “we chased some forty [,] five or six miles and captured several there.” This is where it gets interesting because looking back in the diary, there is an entry on December 4, 1863, that says “chased Bushwhackers caught four or five.” The combination of the letter and the diary really gives you a glimpse into what Pugh was experiencing at the time. The next few days in the diary go back to mentioning being at camp all day as if nothing ever happened. Another letter on January 16, 1864, also coincides with the diary. While the letter seems to just be a general update to his friends, Pugh notes in his diary that he “wrote a letter home.” Making the connection between the letters and the diary adds a layer of excitement to the journey the items take the reader on.  

Between the diary, letters, and online resources one can follow the journey of Aaron Pugh and his regiment through the Civil War. On July 30, 1864, Pugh was captured as a prisoner-of-war during McCook’s raid on the Atlanta and West Point Railroad near Newnan, Georgia. Pugh died a prisoner-of-war at Andersonville, Georgia, on October 4, 1864. Records from the time list his cause of death as “scorbutus,” i.e. scurvy. Pugh is buried in Andersonville National Cemetery, plot 10297. There is also a memorial to Pugh in Hill Cemetery in Boone, Iowa. Historic photos of Andersonville prison – taken when Pugh was there – are available online through the National Park Service.

It took a lot of digging to find some information on Pugh and the events he may have endured but in the end, I feel it was worth it. Until I stumbled upon it, the item had no past transactions of being used. I feel like now it has a new level of meaning and might someday be of use to a researcher.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services