Special Collections Receives Gifts
Special Collections has received a number of noteworthy
gifts from a diverse group of friends in recent months.
Gifts such as these enable us to expand our collections, and
to make new primary source material available to the Lehigh
Family and beyond.
Most notable, perhaps, is the gift of the “Four-language
Ship’s Papers” from the Girdler Family. The document,
carefully preserved since its implementation in 1807, was
most recently displayed in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Mercer Girdler, ’39, until his death last year at age 93.
This historical document was jointly donated to Special
Collections by several of Mr. Girdler’s nieces and nephews.
During much of the nineteenth century, ship’s captains were
required to carry documentation, often written in four
languages, to facilitate communication in remote ports of
call. The documents, which authorized the captain to command
a sailing vessel, were signed by the President and Secretary
of State of the United States of America. The Girdler
“Four-language Ship’s Papers” commissioned Lewis Girdler to
command The Betsy, a schooner of approximately seventy-one
tons.
Dated
1807, the document, which bears the Presidential seal, is
signed by both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In
addition to English, languages represented include Dutch,
French, and Spanish.
Our Lehigh history collections continued to grow
as well this semester, as Mr. and Mrs. Mike Shanley, and
Mrs. Shanley’s brother Robert Packer Linderman, donated a
selection of memorabilia relating to the university’s
founder and his descendents to Special Collections. Included
are portraits of Garrett B. Linderman, Asa Packer, Robert
Linderman and Robert H. Sayre; and an invitation to a flag
raising issued by Robert H. Sayre and his family that was to
take place on July 4, 1900.
Also
included in the gift were broadsides detailing “Rates of
Freight on Coal over Lehigh Valley Railroad,” and a Notice
to Coal Shippers from the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The final
item in this gift, the cover of the June 4, 1879 issue of
Puck magazine, depicts a generous Asa Packer sharing his
wealth.
Continuing its tradition of building collections to document
the history of the Lehigh Valley, Special Collections was
named the repository for the LEPOCO archives. LEPOCO, the
Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern, is a non-profit citizens
group of approximately 1000 members, based in the Lehigh
Valley. Founded in 1965 to oppose the war in Vietnam,
LEPOCO's concerns have broadened to include a range of
problems that endanger peace and our planet. The collection
includes memorabilia preserved from different events,
newsletters, meeting minutes, and publications. Once
processed, the collection will be available for research.
Also noteworthy was the acquisition of the Blair Birdsall
Papers, which will further strengthen Special Collections
holdings in bridge design and construction. Birdsall, a
prominent civil engineer who joined the Roebling firm after
graduating from Princeton, went on to contribute to the
design of a number of significant structures, including the
Golden Gate Bridge, throughout his long and industrious
career.
Many Lehigh alumni may be counted among the Birdsall
family, and Special Collections is grateful to be selected
as the repository for this important archive. It is thanks
primarily to the generosity of Blair Birdsall’s son Jim
Birdsall, and grandson, Jim Birdsall, that Special
Collections is able to preserve this remarkable archive,
which includes drawings, writings and publications, and
selected business records. The collection will be open for
research once the acquisition is complete and the collection
fully processed.
Please contact Special Collections at 610-758-4506 or via
email at inspc@lehigh.edu for more information. Should you
wish to donate historical material to Special Collections,
please contact Lois Black, Curator of Special Collections,
at 610-758-5185
- Lois Fischer Black
Article posted November,
2010
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