Nashville (Tenn.)--History

 Subject
Subject Source: Local sources

Found in 60 Collections and/or Records:

Lamar Alexander Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0734
Abstract

This collection contains the papers of former Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education, and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander. Currently, only the material predating Alexander's tenure as Senator (pre-2002) is processed for research use. Processing of the Senatorial Papers is expected to be completed in Fall 2023. Please contact Special Collections with access inquiries related to Senate materials.

Dates: 1939 - 2020

Edward East Barthell Lantern Slide Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0332
Scope and Content Note This is a collection of 433 lantern slides and glass negatives, exclusive to Vanderbilt University and/or the Nashville, Tennessee area. Lantern slides were invented in 1849, ten years after the invention of the photograph. This medium allowed for viewing photographs and images in an entirely new format, visible to a substantial group of people. Lantern slides were used at Vanderbilt alumni events and contain images that aren’t available in other formats. This particular collection contains...
Dates: multiple

Nathaniel Baxter/Robert Jackson Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0036
Abstract

This .42 linear feet collection contains 51 items (of which 20 are photographs) relating to the lives of the Baxter and Jackson families, Nashville, and Vanderbilt University.

Dates: 1875 - 1969

Anne Scales Benedict Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0039
Abstract This 1.05 linear feet collection, 4 boxes, has two series: Series I contains materials related to the activities of the Vanderbilt Alumnae Council, especially their efforts to persuade the University to hire a Dean of Women, build a women’s dormitory, and to raise money toward these ends. Series II contains materials unrelated to Vanderbilt Alumnae Council and includes some personal correspondence, ephemeral items, a Bible, pamphlets, a postcard album with 155 cards plus 5 individual...
Dates: 1896 - 1951

Aileen Bishop Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0602

Frances M. Crater Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0665
Scope and Content Note Most of these papers are records of Fran Crater’s work with the women’s movement in the first half of the 1970’s when the growth of the National Organization for Women (NOW) was countrywide, and when the work for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment was a major movement throughout the United States. Fran Crater, along with her mother-in-law Flora Trimmer Crater, whose work is also represented in these papers, were important organizers in the women’s movement and in NOW and ERA....
Dates: multiple

Wilbur F. Creighton, Jr. Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0092
Abstract

This .21 linear feet collection contains 6 items related to the history of Foster & Creighton Company, the story of the Parthenon, and other construction projects in Nashville. There are two photographs: one of the Parthenon, and the other of the Athena Sculpture in the Parthenon.

Dates: 1885 - 1985

Howell Tatum Davis Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0856
Scope and Content The Howell Tatum Davis collection, 1835-1859, is comprised of 123 letters both to and from Davis, 4 account receipts, 4 sheets of classroom notes and poetry, 8 miscellaneous envelopes, and 1 address card. The majority of the collection consists of incoming correspondence from Davis’ friends, family, and business partners in Matagorda County in Caney, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. Many letters also have notes scribbled on the envelope or reverse sides that appear to have been written by...
Dates: 1835 - 1859

John Davis Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0858
Abstract

This collection provides information on the life and career of an early settler in Nashville, John Elisha Davis. Much of this collection consists of land documents and early survey records. Researchers interested in the Davis family history will also find rich material in a short family booklet.

Dates: 1792 - 1899

Walter Durham Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0881

John Egerton Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0128
Abstract

The John Egerton Papers, 1950s-2003, include correspondence, manuscripts of writings, speeches, research materials, publication materials, publicity for books, reviews, legal and financial documents, memorabilia, clippings and photographs, programs from cultural events, scrapbooks and periodicals on race relations and school desegregation, and audio and video tapes.

Dates: 1950’s–2003

John Egerton Papers, Addition

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0695
Scope and Content Note Most of this addition to John Egerton Papers (MSS128) consists of freelance articles Egerton wrote between 1966 and 2006. There are also additional materials relating to his books: A Mind to Stay Here (1970); The Americanization of Dixie (1973); and Nashville: The Faces of Two Centuries (1979). Other materials include speeches, book reviews, and planning for Nashville’s first Southern Festival...
Dates: multiple

Mary Ella Calhoun Foote Estate Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0149
Abstract

This collection contains the papers of Mary Ella Calhoun Foote. Upon her death in 1918, she left her entire estate to Vanderbilt University to erect a building in memory of her father, William Henry Calhoun, a Nashville jeweler. The bulk of this collection contains correspondence, with other miscellaneous estate papers at the end.

Dates: 1844 - 1929

Susie Daniel Kirtland Green Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0180
Scope and Contents

The collection documents Green's professional life as a birth control advocate.

For more information on Susie Daniel Kirtland Green and birth control in Tennessee see article “Class, Controversy, and Contraceptives: Birth Control Advocacy in Nashville, 1932-1944” by William B. Turner in Tennessee Historical Quarterly. Fall, 1994.

Dates: 1932 - 1967

William Giles Harding Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0189
Scope and Contents This .42 linear feet collection is divided into three series: Series I includes original, handwritten general correspondence sent to William Giles Harding primarily from Matthew Fontaine Maury, 1827-1872. The letters discuss Agricultural and Meterological Societies, importation of Llamas and Alpacas from South America to Tennessee, the Civil War, and politics. It also includes an address by Matthew Fontaine Maury before the...
Dates: 1827-1872

Harpeth Valley Garden Club Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0559
Scope and Contents

This collection contains three bound volumes of minutes from the meetings, and one award ribbon. A list of members is also contained in the volumes.

Dates: 1930 - 1938

 

About this Site

This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.

Requesting Materials

Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.