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Indiana University women’s residence hall scrapbooks, 1925-1959

A Guide to the Collection at the Indiana University Archives

Finding aid prepared by Julia Kilgore and Mary Mellon

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
Indiana University, Bloomington. University Archives (2016- )

Title
Indiana University women’s residence hall scrapbooks, 1925-1959

Collection No.
C631

Extent
82 volumes

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
This collection consists of 82 scrapbooks produced by the residents of Forest Hall, Memorial Hall East, Memorial Hall West, Morrison Hall, Sycamore Hall, and Walnut Hall, most of which were women’s residence halls located in the Agnes E. Wells Quadrangle on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington, Indiana. The scrapbooks were created between 1925 and 1959 and contain photographs of dormitory residents, residential counselors, and various locations on the Bloomington campus. Many scrapbooks also contain memorabilia and ephemera such as dance cards, invitations, correspondence, event programs, sports schedules, newspaper clippings and other items related to campus events and activities that were either sponsored or hosted by the dormitories or attended by the women residing there.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Administrative History

Indiana Unversity admitted its first female student in 1867. In 1922 Indiana University put forward a plan to raise money to build the first dormitory for women as part of the Memorial Fund campaign. The building was named Memorial hall and opened for students in 1925. Additional women’s dormitories were built in the subsequent decades including Forest Hall (1937), Beech Hall (1940), and Sycamore Hall (1940), forming the Agnes E. Wells Quadrangle. In 1942, Beech Hall was renamed Morrison Hall in honor of Sarah Parke Morrison, the first female to graduate from Indiana University. Forest Hall was converted to a men’s residence hall sometime after 1953 and was renamed Goodbody Hall in 1964.

Due to a shortage of classroom space on campus, the Wells Quadrangle buildings were converted to academic buildings during the 1960s: Forest/Goodbody in 1963, Morrison in 1965, Sycamore in 1968, and Memorial Hall from 1969-1970. In 2016, plans were announced to convert Goodbody and Morrison Halls back to residence centers. The two dormitories reopened to students in Fall 2017 as the Wells Quadrangle Residence Hall.

University entities overseeing residential policies for women's dormitories from the 1920s through the 1950s included resident counselors, the IU Halls of Residence Committee, and the Dean of Women's Office. Each dormitory also had a house council elected by its residents, as well as representation in the IU Women's Residence Hall Association.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into six series of volumes: Forest Hall, Memorial Hall East, Memorial Hall West, Morrison Hall, Sycamore Hall, and Walnut Hall. Volumes are arranged chronologically within each series.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of 82 scrapbooks produced by the residents of Forest Hall, Memorial Hall East, Memorial Hall West, Morrison Hall, and Sycamore Hall, all of which were women’s residence halls located in the Agnes E. Wells Quadrangle on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington, Indiana. It also includes one scrapbook from Walnut Hall. The volumes date from 1925 to 1959 and are grouped into five series according to the name of the dormitory from which they originated.

These scrapbooks typically contain individual and group photographs of dormitory residents and residential counselors, usually with accompanying textual information. They also often contain interior or exterior photographs of the buildings of Wells Quadrangle, as well as other sites on campus, such as the Indiana Memorial Union and the Student Building. Besides formal photographs, there are images of everyday dormitory life, such as students studying, dining, or participating in athletics and other activities.

Many scrapbooks also contain memorabilia and ephemera such as dance cards, invitations, correspondence, event programs, sports schedules, newspaper clippings and similar items related to campus events and activities that were either sponsored or hosted by the dormitories or attended by their residents. Events frequently represented in these volumes include Homecoming, the Little 500, seasonal formals, and celebrations of holidays such as May Day and Christmas.

  • Indexing Terms

  • The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the catalog using these terms.

Related Material

Some photographs from this collection have been digitized and are available in the Indiana University Archives Photograph Collection (APC). Related images digitized from other sources may also be available through the APC.

Other collections held by the Indiana University Archives that document life in women's residence halls include the Indiana University Halls of Residence Committee minutes, 1939-1971 (Collection C310) and the Indiana University Dean of Women's Office records, 1876-1951 (Collection C165).

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Accession: 0076, 1226-1238, 1240-1300, 1302-1307
Usage Restrictions
Copyright interests for this collection have not been transferred to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[item], Indiana University Women's residence hall scrapbooks, Collection C631, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Transferred to the Indiana University Archives at an unknown date.
Processing Information
Processed by Julia Kilgore and Mary Mellon.

Completed in September 2017.

Container List


Series: Forest Hall, 1936-1953, bulk 1940-1949 

Scope and Content

This series contains thirteen scrapbooks, titled the Forest Folio , from Indiana University's Forest Hall dating from 1936-1953. Individual scrapbooks dating from the academic years of 1943-1944, 1944-1945, 1947-1948, 1950-1951, and 1951-1952 are either missing or were never created.


Forest Folio,

v. 1 1936-1937 

v. 2 1937-1938 

v. 3 1938-1939 

Includes images of the Sunken Garden, Student Building, Maxwell Hall, Kirkwood Hall, the Rose Well House, Franklin Hall, the old Assembly Hall, a trip to McCormick's Creek State Park, Foundation Day, Herman B Wells, and Paul Barker and his orchestra.


v. 4 1939-1940 

v. 5 1940-1941 

Includes images of the Winter Formal and Senior Banquet.


v. 6 1941-1942 

Includes images of the Student Building, the Indiana Memorial Union, the Sunken Garden, and students "boressing."


v. 7 1942-1943 

Includes flyer from the Coronation Ball and an image of the Sunken Garden.


v. 8 1945-1946 

v. 9 1946-1947 

v. 10 1948-1949 

(1 of 2)

Includes images of May Day festivities and the Indiana Memorial Union.


v. 11 1948-1949 

(2 of 2)

Includes images of May Day festivities, a fall carnival, and spring festival.


v. 12 1949?-1950? 

Includes inages of The Gables restaurant, Senior Walk-Out, a quarry, carnival scenes, and Christmas caroling.


v. 13 1952-1953 

Series: Memorial Hall East, 1925-1959 

Scope and Content

This series contains 30 volumes of The Towers, which were annual scrapbooks created by the residents of the east wing of Memorial Hall, known as Memorial Hall East. Seven of these volumes are additional copies of Volumes 1-4 that vary slightly from each other in terms of content.


The Towers,

v. 14 1925-1926 

(3 copies)

Copies vary slightly in terms of images included. The bound copy is the most complete and includes images of The Towers editorial staff and residence officers and a description of the Memorial Hall Dedication, November 20, 1925.


v. 15 1926-1927 

(3 copies)

Copies vary slightly in terms of images included.


v. 16 1927-1928 

(3 copies)

Copies vary slightly in terms of images included. Copies 1 and 2 include images of May Day festivities and intramural athletes. Copy 3 does not contain images.


v. 17 1928-1929 

(2 copies)

Copies vary slightly in terms of images included. Both include images of May Day festivites and the Martha Washington party.


v. 18 1929-1930 

Includes images of the Senior-Junior banner battle, May Day festivities, intramural athletes, men working, and the Sunken Garden.


v. 19 1930-1931 

Includes images of May Day festivities, and intramural athletes.


v. 20 1931-1932 

Includes images of May Day festivities and the Martha Washington party.


v. 21 1932-1933 

v. 22 1933-1934 

Includes images of May Day festivities.


v. 23 1935-1936 

Includes images of May Day festivities, Memorial Hall construction, trips to Brown County and McCormick's Creek State Park, and the Sunken Garden. Also includes clippings from 1935-36 school year, dance cards, and programs.


v. 24 1936-1937 

Includes images of residents at Spring Mill Park, May Day Festivities, McCormick's Creek outing, workers building a sidewalk (?), and residents on horseback. Also includes dance cards, invitations, and programs.


v. 25 1937-1938 

Includes Disney and Snow White stickers and a program from a faculty dinner.


v. 26 1938-1939 

Includes images of the interior of the IU Bookstore, residents with their boyfriends, and building construction.


v. 27 1940-1941 

v. 28 1941-1942 

v. 29 1942-1943 

v. 30 1944-1945 

Does not contain photographs. Includes dance cards, invitations, ticket stubs, and other material related to campus life.


v. 31 1946-1947 

v. 32 1947-1948 

v. 33 1950-1951 

Includes images of Homecoming queen candidates, the Indiana-Notre Dame football game, Homecoming parade, Christmas party, the Med-Law Boress, the Memorial Hall basketball team, the Spring Festival, Mother's Weekend, and the Little 500.


v. 34 1951-1952 

Includes images of an Indiana football game, Homecoming decorations and parade, Phi Psi house, and Christmas and birthday parties.


v. 35 1957-1958 

Includes images of Homecoming decorations, a fall carnival, and Little 500 festivities.


v. 36 Girls of Memorial 1958, 1958-1959 

Includes images of the fall carnival, Little 500, Homecoming festivities, and a Christmas party.


Series: Memorial Hall West, 1926-1946 

Scope and Content

This series contains 16 volumes and 1 duplicate of The Castle Chronicles, which were annual scrapbooks created by the residents of the west wing of Memorial Hall, known as Memorial Hall West.


The Castle Chronicles,

v. 37 1926-1927 

v. 38 1927-1928 

(2 copies)

Includes picture of the Jordan River.


v. 39 1928-1929 

v. 40 1929-1930 

v. 41 1933-1934 

v. 42 1934-1935 

v. 43 1935-1936 

Includes picture of the Jordan Grill


v. 44 1936-1937 

v. 45 1937-1938 

v. 46 1938-1939 

v. 47 1939-1940 

Includes images of Homecoming decorations and the Bowery Dinner.


v. 48 1940-1941 

Includes pictures of the Memorial Hall arch, Senior Ring Dinner, Marching Hundred, Homecoming decorations, and an Easter egg hunt.


v. 49 1941-1942 

Includes images of the plaque outside Memorial Hall, the Rose Well House, Franklin Hall, Jordan River, the Marching Hundred, the Sunken Garden, and a tandem bicycle.


v. 50 1942-1943 

Includes a picture of the Rose Well House.


v. 51 1944-1945 

v. 52 1945-1946 

Series: Morrison Hall, 1941-1946, 1950-1957 

Scope and Content

This series contains eight scrapbooks, with various titles, from Indiana University's Morrison Hall dating from 1941-1943, 1945-1946, 1950-1953, and 1955-1957. The scrapbooks bear various titles, with the 1941-1942 volume being named for Beech Hall, the original name of the dormitory.


v. 53 Beech Leaves, 1941-1942? 

Dedicated to Lorraine Lindsey.


v. 54 Memories of Morrison Hall, 1942-1943 

v. 55 Life in Morrison Hall, 1945-1946 

Includes issues of the Morrisonian (Morrison Hall newsletter).


v. 56 American College Home, Morrison Hall, 1946-1947 

Includes images of dorm rooms, study halls, and the cafeteria, as well as some correspondence.


v. 57 Morrison Hall, 1949-1952 

One scrapbook volume covering three academic years. Includes images of the Spring Sing, the Little 500 race, and depictions of Memorial Hall as the “Happy Hunting Ground” during sorority rush.


v. 58 Morrison Hall Scrapbook, 1952-1953 

Includes IU programs, IU calendar, correspondence, and invitations.


v. 59 Morrison Hall, 1955-1956 

Does not contain photographs. Includes newspaper and magazine clippings from 1955‑56 school year, correspondence, and other college life materials.


v. 60 Morrison Memories, 1956-1957 

Includes images of Bill Jordan, unidentified residents, and Homecoming decorations. Also includes correspondence, invitations, and programs.


Series: Sycamore Hall, 1939-1955 

Scope and Content

This series contains 13 volumes of the Sycamore Log , scrapbooks created annually by the residents of Sycamore Hall. Most of the scrapbooks, which date from 1939 to 1955, include pictures and lists of names of all the Sycamore residents, their hometowns, and their current academic level. A special section is often dedicated to graduating seniors in which seniors write short biographies or impart words of wisdom and general advice to junior students. One log book includes a song composed by underclassmen describing some personal aspect about each graduating senior. Others sometimes include a “Last Will and Testament” in which seniors pass on absurd things to underclassmen within the dorm such as personality traits and special abilities. .


The Sycamore Log,

v. 61 1939-1940 

Includes images of Arbutus beauty contestants, dorm rooms, and the exterior of the University School.


v. 62 1940-1941 

Includes invitations, dance cards, and newspaper clippings.


v. 63 1942-1943 

Includes a dance card and newspaper clippings.


v. 64 1944-1945 

Includes newspaper clippings, a dance invitation, and images of Homecoming decorations, Woodburn Hall, Memorial Hall, and the Indiana Memorial Union.


v. 65 1945-1946 

Includes newspaper clippings, programs, and invitations.


v. 66 1946-1947 

Includes images of residents singing, sunbathing, studying, and playing cards, as well as newspaper clippings.


v. 67 1948-1949 

Includes images from University Sing, the Valentine's Day dance, and the Sadie Hawkins dance, as well as newspaper clippings.


v. 68 1949-1950 

Includes images of Homecoming and Arbutus beauty queen candidates and a Christmas card from Herman B Wells.


v. 69 1950-1951 

Includes images of a Christmas party, faculty teas, mixers, Mortar Board members, the Senior Banquet, various dances, and a group of carollers.


v. 70 1951-1952 

Includes images of Herman B Wells, Homecoming queen candidates, the Indiana Memorial Union, and the North Hall Barons Little 500 team.


v. 71 1952-1953 

Includes images of the Little 500 and a Homecoming(?) parade.


v. 72 1953-1954 

Includes correspondence and newspaper clippings.


v. 73 1954-1955 

Includes images of the Fall Carnival, as well as correspondence and invitations.


Series: Walnut Hall, 1947-1948

v. 74 Walnut Hall Log, 1947-1948

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