UR 1.1 James MacAlister papers, 1889-1941, 0.66 cubic feet
James MacAlister (1840-1913) served as the first president of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry from 1891 to 1913. He was a proponent of vocational and technical education throughout his career. This collection documents his term as president, his views on education, and his involvement in the early history of the Drexel Institute. Records include MacAlister’s letters, a book that he published, lectures, and his personal notebook, as well as research notes believed to have been compiled by Harriet Worrell for the book Drexel Institute of Technology 1891-1941: A Memorial History. Of particular interest in the collection are letters to Booker T. Washington and Andrew Carnegie and correspondence with James Wilson and Wilson Brothers & Company, the architectural firm that designed Drexel’s first two buildings.
George W. Childs (1829-1894) was the founder and editor of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, a noted philanthropist, and a longtime friend of Anthony J. Drexel. He was influential in encouraging Drexel to establish a school for the education of men and women, and he served on the institute’s board of trustees from the school’s founding until his death. The bulk of the collection consists of scrapbooks containing clippings published on the event of Childs’s death and shortly after it. The rest of the collection consists of publications about Childs, memorial addresses in his honor, and some correspondence, including a letter signed by President Grover Cleveland from 1891. Most of the material is from the 1890s, but a few later articles and letters about Childs were found with the collection.
This collection is partially processed. A preliminary inventory is available in the archives; contact the archivist at archives@drexel.edu for more information.
PC 3 Early photographs of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry, 1885-1931, 2.56 cubic feet
This collection consists of photographs of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry from 1891 to 1936. It includes photographs of the exterior and interior of the Main Building, men’s and women’s athletic teams, and students from various academic departments.
This collection consists of a series of files containing photographs of individual people, primarily Drexel faculty, trustees, and staff, as well as some alumni. Photos date as early as 1880 and as late as 2000, but are chiefly from the 1980s and early 1990s; many are undated. The bulk of the photos are black-and-white or color prints, but files also contain a few negatives and contact sheets. Some photographs transferred from the Office of University Relations have captions or annotations associated with them, providing dates and additional information about the subject of the photograph.
Although the provenance of the photographs is not known, it is believed that most were originally transferred to the University Archives from the Office of University Relations. Archives staff have also occasionally added photos to this collection as they are found among unrelated records or accessioned.
Some additional photographs of people are filed with biographies, CVs, newspaper clippings, and other materials about the individual in UR 10.2, the Biographical Reference Collection.
James MacAlister (1840-1913) served as the first president of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry from 1891 to 1913. He was a proponent of vocational and technical education throughout his career. This collection documents his term as president, his views on education, and his involvement in the early history of the Drexel Institute. Records include MacAlister’s letters, a book that he published, lectures, and his personal notebook, as well as research notes believed to have been compiled by Harriet Worrell for the book Drexel Institute of Technology 1891-1941: A Memorial History. Of particular interest in the collection are letters to Booker T. Washington and Andrew Carnegie and correspondence with James Wilson and Wilson Brothers & Company, the architectural firm that designed Drexel’s first two buidlings.
MC 1 Drexel family collection, 1826-1991, 9.3 cubic feet
The collection contains correspondence, memoirs, genealogical charts, newsletters, pamphlets, family reunion material, scrapbooks, legal documents, publications, and newspaper clippings related to the descendants of Francis Martin Drexel. Includes a diary written by Francis Martin Drexel in 1826-1830 and three letters authored by Anthony J. Drexel, the founder of Drexel University. The bulk of material dates from the twentieth century and is contained in eleven volumes of scrapbooks that begin with the death of Anthony J. Drexel in 1893.
MC 2 Frank Thomson papers, 1826-1915 (bulk dates 1863-1864, 1871-1872, 1897-1899), 2.6 cubic feet
Frank Thomson (1841-1899) was a senior administrator of the Pennsylvania Railroad and served as its president from 1897 to 1899. This collection documents his career on the railroad, beginning with his service with the United States Military Railroads in the South during the Civil War, detailing an official state visit by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis, and ending with his promotion to president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and his death in 1899. Records include Mr. Thomson’s personal and business correspondence; material such as timetables, tickets, maps, and publications relating to the U.S. Military Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad; various printed matter; and several photographs and drawings.
