CAC Manuscripts | HCGL Manuscripts

Center for Archival Collections

MS 8 YMCA (Lima, Ohio)
Records, 1887-1969.
Minutes, correspondence, annual reports, and scrapbooks. Photographs transferred to general collection. (8 linear ft.)

MS 14 Abraham Huffman, M.D.
Records, 1847-1854.
Account books and day books, of a Woodville, Ohio doctor, in practice with J.A. Walker. (.5 linear ft.)

MS 19 O. B. Workman (1908-1971)
Papers, 1878-1971.
Correspondence, literary manuscripts, printed material, photographs, and oral interview tapes related to the agricultural, industrial, and small town life of Paulding County, Ohio. Includes Workman family genealogy. (1.25 linear ft.)

MS 23 mf Kinsey Komedy Kompany
Scrapbooks, 1902-1963.
Scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, tickets, playbills, posters, programs, and handwritten records, of a touring theatrical family. Microfilm

MS 25 Bowling Green (Ohio) Chamber of Commerce
Records, 1940-1970.
Minutes, correspondence, subject files, and financial records. (7 linear ft.)

MS 45 Dorothy Ringle
Papers, 1862-1961.
Family collection, including extensive material on Rolla M. Myers, the Ohio Marketing Quota Protest Association, general Myers Family material, and a small pocket diary and correspondence of Leander Coe, a corporal serving with Co.D of the 123rd O.V.I. (3.5 linear ft.)

MS 48 American National Red Cross. Sandusky County Chapter (Ohio)
Records, 1917-1939.
Membership records, general correspondence, reports, contracts, newsclippings, and printed material. Case files are closed, under confidentiality restrictions. (2.5 linear ft.)

MS 51 J. E. Hershberger
Correspondence, 1922-1926.
Correspondence created during period of service as Brigadier General Commanding of the Ohio Brigade of the Knights of Pythias. (.25 linear ft.)

MS 54 Community League of Sylvania (Ohio)
Records, 1957-1961.
Minutes, correspondence, committee files, and financial data. (.5 linear ft.)

MS 57 George W. Pearson
Papers, 1883-1902.
These records are associated with George Wilkerson Pearson, a reporter for the Toledo Blade from 1893 to 1920 and from 1922 to 1947, a period of fifty-two years.

MS 58 mf Ginnivan Dramatic Company
Scrapbooks, 1920-1969.
Photographs, playbills, clippings and correspondence of a touring theatrical troupe. Microfilm

MS 76 Frank Trevorrow
Map collection, 1921-1951.
U.S. Geological Survey maps, annotated with locations of locks, culverts and aqueducts of the Miami and Erie Canal. (22 maps)

MS 83 Ohio State Joint Textile Board
Records, 1945-1977.
Minutes, correspondence, agreements, and financial records. (17.5 linear ft.)

MS 84 Once Upon a Time in Ohio
Scripts, 1941-1970.
Radio scripts for a series of juvenile programs on Ohio history, co-produced by the Ohio State University Radio WOSU and the Ohio Historical Society. (4.5 linear ft.)

MS 96 Ivan "Doc" Lake Collection
Papers, 1911-1971.
Newspaper clippings, subject files, printed material, correspondence, and manuscript material related to the history of Bowling Green State University and early BGSU activities.

MS 140 mf Bowling Green Country Club (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Records, 1955-1979.
Minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings, including correspondence, financial reports, and club regulations. Microfilm

MS 141 mf Middle Bass Club (Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie)
Records, 1874-1977.
Records, including ledger, guest lists, scrapbook, and material of the Toledo & Lake Erie Boating and Fishing Association. Microfilm

MS 157 Robert J. Dodge
Papers, 1887-1982.
Correspondence, personal papers, literary productions, newsclippings, and photographs focusing on Put-in-Bay, Ohio and South Bass Island, Lake Erie. (4.5 linear ft.)

MS 162 Ercoupe Owners Club
Records, 1937-
Correspondence, technical manuals, blueprints, articles, newsclippings, photographs, newsletters, audio and video tapes relating to the Ercoupe airplane. (6.5 linear ft.)

MS 171mf Joseph C. Bowsher
Papers, 1909-1994 (scattered)
A history of the Lima Police Department and the support documents used in its writing, including a 1909 history of the department, annual police reports, yearbooks, newspaper articles, and photographs.

MS 174 YMCA (Toledo, Ohio)
Records, 1865-1977.
Minutes, correspondence, financial and legal documents, reports, printed material photographs, maps, scrapbooks, and blueprints. Access to some confidential material is restricted. (46 linear ft.)

MS 184 John Himmelein
Papers, 1892-1905.
Correspondence, contracts, receipts, box office statements, and plays of the theatrical company "The Ideals", of a theater manager in Sandusky and Elyria, Ohio. (2.25 linear ft.)

MS 191 Soroptimist International of the Americas. Bowling Green Chapter
Records, 1944-1980.
Minutes, correspondence, subject files, newsletters, financial records, scrapbooks, and photographs. (2.25 linear ft.)

MS 198 Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle. Oak Grove #18 (North Baltimore, Ohio)
Records, 1912-1931.
Minutes, proceedings, constitution, correspondence, reports, and printed material. (.5 linear ft.)

MS 245 American Lung Association of Toledo
Records, 1920-1979.
Minutes, correspondence, scrapbooks, subject files and photographs. (5 linear ft.)

MS 247 Toledo Board of Trade
Records, 1849-1981.
Minutes, correspondence, financial and business reports, printed material, and photographs. (10 linear ft.)

MS 275 Findlay Garden Club (Findlay, Ohio)
Records, 1934-1982.
Minutes, correspondence, and scrapbooks of a community garden club in Findlay. (1.5 linear ft.)

MS 275 Men's Literary Club (Sandusky, Ohio)
Records, 1899-1954.
Minutes, club calendars, membership lists, speakers lists, and miscellaneous papers. (.5 linear ft.)

MS 305 Black Swamp Players (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Records, 1968-
Minutes, correspondence, financial reports, contracts, newsletters, clippings, and posters of local amateur theater company. (4.5 linear ft.)

MS 306 R. Serge Denisoff
Papers, 1960-1990.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Research notes and manuscripts of a BGSU faculty member, documenting several book projects on the American music industry. The collection also includes research papers by others submitted to journals Denisoff edited on sociological, musical and popular culture topics.

MS 308 Christian A. Risser (1841-1909)
Correspondence, 1879-1888.
Correspondence with a cousin, also named Christian, primarily about family matters, business transactions, and local events, including the Wood County, Ohio oil and gas discoveries. (.25 linear ft.)

MS 323 Northwest Ohio Volunteer Firemen Association
Papers, 1877-2004.
Proceedings, subject files, legal and financial documents, records of local organizations, as well as training material and photographs of this professional organization.

MS 332 Robinson Locke (1856-1920)
Papers, 1885-1922.
Correspondence and scrapbook material documenting Locke's career primarily as a theater critic of the Toledo Blade publisher.

MS 350 Evelyn Steidtmann (1901-2004)
Papers, 1944-1994.
Correspondence, programs, membership rosters, instruction materials documenting the social life of a Bowling Green, Ohio woman, especially emphasizing her role in teaching contract bridge in the university and off-campus community. Her work with foreign students is also documented.

MS 373 National Alliance for Optional Parenthood
Papers, 1970-1982.
Correspondence, newsletters, and publications of a support group for non-parents.

MS 377 Phillips Family
Papers, 1844-1976.
Correspondence, educational files and scrapbooks of George A. Phillips, a Black educator; diaries kept by Myrtle Phillips, his wife; assorted family albums with genealogical information from Paulding County and Cincinnati. (4.5 linear ft.)

MS 407 mf Fort Meigs Cemetery (Perrysburg, Ohio)
Records, 1901-1998.
Three record books of burials in the Ft. Meigs Union Cemetery.

MS 409 mf Harris Funeral Home (Columbus Grove, Ohio)
Record Books, 1924-1976.
Record books containing obituaries, military discharge and enlistment papers, death certificates, and the information that was used to write the obituaries.

MS 410 American National Red Cross. Wood County Chapter (Ohio)
Records, 1946-1986.
Minutes, membership records, correspondence, annual reports, legal and financial documents, newsclippings, scrapbooks, and photographs. (.75 linear ft.)

MS 442 Health Planning Association of Northwest Ohio
Records, 1969-1984.
Records consisting of bylaws, work programs, correspondence, reports, and newsletters; successor to the Hospital Planning Association of Greater Toledo. (4 linear ft.)

MS 446 mf William Henry Gorrill (1841-1874)
Papers, 1857-1923.
Correspondence, diaries, and photographs of a Wood County, Ohio lawyer who served as President of the Pacific Bridge Company. 4 rolls of microfilm.

MS 510 mf National Soccer Coaches Association of America
Records, 1913-1987.
National association established to foster amateur soccer competition and education. See the finding aid for information about restrictions. (8 rolls of microfilm.)

MS 521 Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (U.S.) Columbia Camp #17 (North Baltimore, Ohio)
Records, 1894-1914.
Minutes, membership records, correspondence, financial records, and printed material. (.5 linear ft.)

MS 522 Noah W. Prowant (1864-1962)
Papers, 1941-1962
Handwritten manuscripts of letters to newspapers, speeches, and autobiographical memoirs, of a Putnam County, Ohio pharmacist. (.25 linear ft.)

MS 527 mf Toledo-Lucas County Memorial Association
Records, 1922-1975.
Minutes, constitution, audit reports, membership lists, correspondence, and programs of an organization formed to coordinate celebration of Memorial Day. Microfilm

MS 534mf Orlo Mapes, M.D. (1859-1938)
Records, 1896-1915.
Office ledgers, including charges and type of payment, receipts and bills for medical supplies of an Ottawa County physician. Includes ledger from 1914-1915 while serving as company physician at the Kelley's Island Lime and Transport Company. Microfilm

MS 542 Donnal Vore Smith (1901-1989)
Papers, 1943-1944.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence during World War II from soldiers and their families to Smith, while he was President of New York State Teachers College at Cortland, N.Y. (.25 linear ft.)

MS 550 Milton Hersberger (1901-1987)
Papers, 1925-1986.
Correspondence, photographs, log-books, ledgers, and printed material dealing with Hersberger and Island Air Service, a passenger and freight airline operating between Port Clinton and the Erie Islands. (3 linear ft.)

MS 578 mf Fulton County Pioneer & Historical Society
Minutes, 1883-1910.
Record book containing the consitution and amendments, by-laws, and minutes of the regular meetings and a narrative description about the first settlers of Fulton County, Ohio. Some pages give genealogical information on the founding members, including birth and death dates and maiden names.

MS 583 Harold Obee (1915-1989)
Papers, 1906-1988.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Research and professional papers of Dr. Harold Obee, who served as faculty member of the Department of Theater at Bowling Green State University, also directing productions at the Huron Playhouse for the University's summer theater program. The collection includes much source material regarding the development and history of community and college theaters in Ohio.

MS 603 Daniel H. McCullough (1898-1976)
Papers, 1890-1970.
Personal papers, publications, photographs, and scrapbooks of Daniel H. McCullough, a noted Toledo defense attorney. The bulk of the collection dates from 1940 to 1970, and covers cases handled by McCullough as well as his involvement in Toledo's high society. His cases included numerous gambling and pinball cases in the 1930s and 1940s and civil liberty/due process cases in the 1950s and 1960s.

MS 607 Toledo Humanist Society (Toledo, Ohio)
Papers, 1943-1991.
Minutes, correspondence, a report, financial records, and newspaper articles about the organization. Also included are subject files and printed materials relating to the Humanist movement.

MS 621 Ohio Association of Garden Clubs Region I (Northwest Ohio)
Records, 1955-1988.
Minutes, program books, financial reports, officer lists, and correspondence of the organization as well as clipping files.

MS 642 BGSU Faculty and Student Folklore Collection
Papers, 1951-1983.
Supervised student research projects completed for BGSU folklore classes in the English and Popular Culture Departments, especially strong in interviews about aspects of folk culture in northwest Ohio, including stories, crafts, and music.

MS 658 Wallace Nutting Collector's Club
Papers, 1973-1996.
The contents cover some of the typical club activities such as the exchange of information, independent research, personal contacts and convention gatherings.

MS 659 Historical Records Survey (Ohio)
Municipal archives inventories for Northwest Ohio, 1936-1940
Forms, handwritten inventories, and historical background information on local government records in Northwest Ohio cities and towns. (4 linear ft.)

MS 663 Boltz Family
Papers, 1871-1981.
Family collection from North Baltimore, Ohio, including World War II correspondence and memoirs, legal and financial documents, photographs, and printed material; collection centers around Harry Emerson Boltz, editor of the North Baltimore News. (.25 linear ft.)

MS 681 Feick Family
Papers, 1810-1982.
Business and financial records of Sandusky, Ohio contractors involved in such projects as the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailor's Home, and the Perry Victory Monument. Includes some family material and photographs. (1 linear ft.)

MS 686 Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Wood County Barracks #71 (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Records, 1963-1983.
Minutes, membership rosters, newsletters, and printed material. Local chapter organized in 1964 (.5 linear ft.)

MS 687 Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Wood County Barracks #71. Ladies Auxiliary (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Records, 1965-1985.
Minutes, membership list, scattered correspondence, and printed material. Local chapter organized in 1965 (.25 linear ft.)

MS 699 United States. Selective Service System. Local Board No. 56 (Hancock County, Ohio) Goldie Estelle Wilch Papers
Papers, 1940-1974.
Correspondence, subject files, and printed material documenting the work of Local Board No. 56 from World War II through the Vietnam Conflict.

MS 708 Pearson Games Collection
Bowling Green, Ohio
Papers, 1982-1986, and scattered dates
Correspondence, research notes, and production drafts and final version of two games developed at BGSU, BG-opoly and BGSU Trivia.

MS 727 mf St. Vincent Medical Center. (Toledo, Ohio)
Records, 1855-1932.
Financial records, patient account registers, marine patient registers, boarders register, orphans and domestic help register, indexes. Microfilm.

MS 731mf Ohio Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Wood County Chapter (Wood County, Ohio)
Records, 1921-1942.
Membership and dues records, register of officers, Klan constitution, reports, and miscellaneous printed items, covering the period from 1921 to 1942. The collection may be used only at the CAC.

MS 735 "Wild" Bill Davison Collection
Papers, 1906-1989.
Documents the life of a jazz cornetist, focusing on his public and private life between 1906 through 1989. The collection consists of over 30 linear feet of correspondence, magazines, news clippings, photographs, posters, art work, and books.

MS 741 Gish Film Theater Collection
Papers, 1900-date.
Correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, newsclippings and other documents regarding establishment and development of the Gish Film Theater and the lives and careers of actresses Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jean Arthur, Eva Marie Saint and Maidie Norman.

MS 757 Doyt Perry
Papers, 1929-1992.
Covers the period from 1929-1992 with emphasis on Perry's BGSU football coaching career. In this collection there are newspaper articles, photos, taped and transcribed interviews, scrapbooks, programs, football films, profiles of players, coaches and administration, correspondence, and audio and video recordings.

MS 817 Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Northwest Ohio District
Papers, 1976-2000.
Consists of National Register of Historic Places nomination forms and information and the project files containing correspondence, National Register nomination forms, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other printed material documenting buildings and sites of historic interest in northwest Ohio. 14 linear feet.

MS 871 History 303 World War II Interviews
Oral interviews, 2000-2001.
Consists of oral history interviews conducted by students in the History 303 (World War II) course taught at BGSU, with participants in the war. The topics ranged from their training, battle experience, attitudes, and post-war adjustment. 1.25 linear feet of recordings.

MS 944 United States Post Office Records (Upper Sandusky, Ohio)
Records, 1901-1968.
Scattered correspondence, subject files, and printed material related to the operation of that Post Office, with the bulk of the material from 1901 until 1936.

MS 977 Junto Club (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Records, 1933-2000.
Proceedings, membership, constitutions, correspondence, papers, and photographs of a community-university social organization.

MS 978 mf American Railroad Steam Locomotives Nickel Plate Road (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York)
Papers, 1934-1958.
Blueprints, drawings and tracings, 1934-1958. A full inventory is located on the microfilm reels.

MS 1013 Nicholas Vass (1910-1971)
Diaries, 1961-1971.
Diaries of the daily life of a patient in long-term care at Maumee Valley Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.

MS 1031 Chidester-Baldwin
Papers, 1878-1920.
Financial records of Bowling Green attorney and businessman Frank A. Baldwin and the related Chidester & Company dry goods store, highlighting the economic growth of northwest Ohio during the gas and oil boom era of the late 19th and early 20th century. 9 linear feet.

MS 1045 William Insull
Papers, 1922-1942.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Photographic albums, printed material, and reports of the Western Division Manager of the Northeastern Public Service Corporation, including views of the community and utility properties in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

MS 1086 Cla-Zel Theatre Project
Papers, 2002-2006
Bowling Green, Ohio
Correspondence, financial records, reports, news clippings, and other information regarding the efforts of a local organization to preserve a motion picture theater.

MMS 1243 mf Charles Bach Murder Trial
Papers, 1882-1883.
Includes Bills of Exception (including stenographer's transcript) and correspondence. 1 roll of microfilm.

MMS 1646 mf Richard Blinn Diary
Diary, 1868-1869.
Travel diary documenting trip of Richard Foote Blinn (1842-1873), with his wife Clara (1845-1868) and son Willie, from Perrysburg, Ohio to Sand Creek, Colorado along the Santa Fe Trail in 1868. There are some additional entries describing the search by Richard for Clara after she was kidnapped by Indians and her later death at Washita after the battle there in November 1868. Transcript available online.

MMS 1682 f United States. Bucyrus Land Office
Register of Sales, 1829-1842.
Record book of public land sales, arranged by certificate number and date of sale. Includes name of purchaser, quantity of acres and surveying location, purchase price, and residence of purchaser.

MMS 1717 Toledo & Western Railway and Community Traction Co
Papers, 1900-1950s.
Interurban and trolley photographs, schedules, etc.

MMS 1769 Patient of Toledo State Hospital
Diary, 1902
Recollections of the life of a man recorded while he was hospitalized in the Toledo State Hospital. Topics include childhood stories, army service of his father and brother during the Civil War (including stories of imprisonment in Andersonville), daily life of laboring men, as well as his hospitalization for psychiatric problems. Transcripts available online.

MMS 1768f Lincoln, Nettie Willard
Scrapbooks, 1893-1946.
Theatrical scrapbooks.

MMS 1784 Gramm-Bernstein Motor Truck Company (Lima, Ohio)
Photographic material 1908-1940.
Photographs, with photocopies of supporting newspaper articles, related to the Liberty truck produced by the Gramm-Bernstein Motor Truck Company during World War I, and biographical information on Carl J. Bigelow, who worked as chassis superintendent for the company.

Historical Collections of the Great Lakes

GLMS-1 Chicago Shipbuilding Company
Chicago, Illinois
The records of the Chicago Shipbuilding Co. span the years from 1890 to 1962 and document early twentieth-century shipbuilding on the Great Lakes. The bulk of the materials in the collection fall between 1900 and 1950. The most significant record series include dry dock ledgers and reports, legal and labor correspondence, South Yard surveys, financial records, and World War I shipbuilding activities. 13.0 c.f.

GLMS-2 Toledo/Lucas County Port Authority
Toledo, Ohio
The records in this collection document the activities of the Toledo/Lucas County Port Authority from 1935 to 1983. The collection includes: minutes, monthly reports, annual reports, correspondence, shipping statistics, engineering reports, financial records, and newsletters. The collection provides excellent sources for the study of the operations of a major port authority and the importance of the St. Lawrence Seaway to the economy of an inland port. 14.0 c. ft.

GLMS-4 Erik Heyl Papers
Buffalo, New York
Marine historian Erik Heyl's papers consist of his research notes, correspondence, and illustrations used to produce his most significant work, the six volume EARLY AMERICAN STEAMERS series published between 1953 and 1969. The materials in the collection provide excellent documentation of the steamship era in American maritime history. Of special interest are Heyl's research notes and illustrations of U.S. and foreign naval vessels of the period. 8.0 c.f.

GLMS-7 Archives of the Marine Historical Society
Detroit, Michigan
The Archives of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit include minutes, committee records, correspondence and memoranda, speeches and papers, and financial reports. The materials span the years from the Society's founding in 1944 to 1988. In addition, the complete files of The Detroit Marine Historian (1947-1988), the Society's monthly newsletter, as well as other publications are available. The records document the entire history of one of the oldest and most significant historical agencies on the Great Lakes. 5.0 c.f.

GLMS-11 Great Lakes Waterways Development Association
Hamilton, Ontario
The Great Lakes Waterways Association functions primarily as a lobbying and educational tool for Canadian shipping interests. Types of records available in the collection are membership records, member correspondence, correspondence with government agencies, news releases, reports, position papers, and speeches for the years 1972-1986. The collection contains excellent information on the contemporary Canadian shipping industry and its efforts to deal with significant changes in the international shipping industry. .5 c.f.

GLMS-15 John E. Poole
This collection documents vessels used in Great Lakes and ocean commerce. Clippings files, research notes, vessel log books, and a 60,000-item card file contain information on marine transportation in the United States and Canada. Events from the period 1814-1958 receive coverage. Scrapbooks form an illustrated record of vessels from c. 1890-1930. Loose clippings are drawn extensively from published articles dated c. 1930-1958. Research notes extracted from a variety of sources describe events for the years 1814-1853. Captain's, Deck, and Engineer's logs offer insights into daily activities on lake vessels for the years 1912-1950. The alphabetically arranged card index is a frequently consulted reference source for vessel history information. 24.5 c.f.

GLMS-16 Arthur C. Frederickson Collection
The Arthur C. Frederickson Collection contains information dating from 1872 through 1969 pertaining to the history of various vessels on the Great Lakes and, in particular, Lake Michigan. Included in the collection are: daily logs, shipwreck logs, crew lists, correspondence, photographs, research notes, articles and other publications, speeches, and subject files. The Frederickson Collection is especially valuable because of his experience in saltwater, the Mississippi River, the Erie Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway, as well as all of the Great Lakes. 13 c.f.

GLMS-17 Charles T. Harvey Papers
The Charles Thompson Harvey Papers consist of the personal correspondence between Harvey and his wife, Sarah Van Eps Harvey spanning the years 1858 to 1872. Harvey was superintendent of construction and engineer for the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron (1853-1855) and was responsible for the construction of an experimental section of the world's first elevated railroad (1868) located in New York City. The bulk of the correspondence deals with the 1858 to 1865 period. In addition to family matters, the letters often deal with Harvey's business activities, especially railroad projects, as well as national politics, and Harvey's inventions. 7 reels of microfilm.

GLMS-21 Oliver Hazard Perry
This collection is comprised of copies of official communications from various officers in the U.S. Naval Department (1799-1819) and, more significantly, from Perry to the Naval Department (1806-1819). Of special interest are communications related to the building of the Erie Squadron (1811-1813) and letters from several of Perry's cruises. A wide range of topics are discussed in the correspondence: recommendations, commissions, lists of officers, strategy, logistical concerns, personnel matters, sailing orders, and private concerns. The collection documents Perry's entire naval career from his early days at sea, his work as a gunboat builder at Newport, to his famous victory over the British on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. 1 c.f. & 1 reel of microfilm.

GLMS-27 Wilson Marine Transit Company
Included are files of the Wilson Marine Transit Company and its predecessors, the Wilson Transit Line and the Wilson Transit Company for the years 1884-1970. Coverage is most extensive in the post-World War II era. Correspondence, subject files, meeting minutes, policy circulars, reports, financial documents, and legal files are all present. This collection is of particular interest to researchers examining the growth of the transportation network on the Great Lakes. Subsidiary companies are represented in the files of the Wilson Marine Transit Company recording the development of new traffic patterns for shipment of goods around the Great Lakes region. 53.5 c.f.

GLMS-28 International Ship Masters' Association
Of interest to those researching the labor history of the Great Lakes shipping industry, this collection presents the records of a benevolent association devoted to the welfare of its members. Files on annual meetings, membership benefits, lobbying interests, and local lodge activities are included. Coverage spans the years 1886-1990. Issues of concern to those actively involved in operating lake vessels are discussed at length providing insights into how these men perceived their roles in the Great Lakes shipping industry. 17.0 c.f.

GLMS-29 Wilford G. Bartenfeld
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection contains marine architectural subject files regarding vessel construction and conversion projects from 1901 to 1976. Most files are from the period 1940-1960. Many of Bartenfeld's projects involved vessels being converted to and from military uses in the World War II era. The technical aspects of shipbuilding are documented through files on technology and products related to vessel design. Bartenfeld's numerous patents on unloading devices for cargo vessels reflect his significant contributions to marine architecture. 22.0 c.f.

GLMS-30 Delmar R. Webster Collection
This collection contains material compiled by Captain Delmar R. Webster during his career on the Great Lakes. The largest series in the collection contains deck logs from the J. BURTON AYERS for 1945-1973. A log for loading information from the EDMUND FITZGERALD is also included for 1972-1973, as well as meeting information for the 1982 and 1983 conventions of Columbia Transportation Company fleet officers and a subject file on the vessels ARMCO and J. BURTON AYERS for 1976-1987 A loading manual for the ARMCO presents the guidelines used by Captain Webster when monitoring how cargo was stored in the holds of a Great Lakes vessel. 2 cubic feet.

GLMS-32 Paul J. Ranahan
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection contains records of vessel damage surveys conducted by Paul J. Ranahan in his career as a marine consultant. Ranahan, a marine engineer, surveyed damage done to vessels involved in accidents to assess the cost of repairs. These records, along with correspondence regarding marine salvage operations, provide a view of the role surveyors like Ranahan played in identifying revenue sources for repair facilities and the expense such accidents caused for vessel owners. The collection contains approximately 730 cases spanning the years 1946-1980. 4.0 c.f.

GLMS-33 Marsh and McLennan Marine Underwriters
The Marsh and McLennan Marine Underwriters company provides insurance for a number of Great Lakes vessels and fleets. The files in this collection document the procedures followed by Marsh and McLennan when investigating damage claims filed by vessel owners, showing the cost of vessel insurance and of the repair of damaged vessels. In addition, the collection contains a short series of files on personal injury claims, one of hull loss records for individual vessel owners, and an analysis of claims paid from 1967-1972 which provides a profile of accident types and monetary damages claimed. 26.5 c.f.

GLMS-34 E.B. "Skip" Gillham
This collection contains items pertaining to waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes and the history of the Welland Canal. The collection includes articles written by Skip Gillham, author and coauthor of numerous books on Great Lakes history, for his weekly column "Ships that Ply the Lakes" in 1991. The column, appearing in the St. Catharines, ONT Standard, details a specific vessel, providing information about recent events and past incidents from its years of service. A file of correspondence concerning the Welland Canal compiles information on its history for readers. The collection also contains a file of cargo reports from the Quebec and Ontario Transportation Company fleet for 1968-1983, recording cargo data and loading and discharge ports for individual vessel trips. .5 c.f.

GLMS-41 C. Patrick Labadie
This collection contains information on the operation of Great Lakes vessels from 1848 to 1980. Enrollment data for 40 vessels registered between 1848 and 1942 reflects efforts to standardize licensing procedures. Log books for the WILLIAM P. PALMER, the HENRY PHIPPS and other vessels record daily activities during voyages. Meeting minutes are present for the annual meeting of the Masters and Chief Engineers of the Pittsburgh Steamship Division of the United States Steel Corporation for 1956 and 1957. 4.0 c.f.

GLMS-43 Alberta M. Fraley
This collection contains fleet logs from the Great Lakes Steamship Company and the Wilson Marine Transit Company for the years 1937-1966. These logs include fleet officers' names, positions held, vessel assignments, dates of employment, and performance evaluations. Also present are course materials used by students at the U.S. Maritime Service Officers' School, the Lake Carriers' Association Engineers' School, and the West Side Institute of Technology. 1.0 c.f.

GLMS-44 Lake Carriers' Association
Cleveland, Ohio
The Great Lakes shipping industry is documented through the files of one of the principal vessel owners' organizations for issues concerning the lakes and one of the primary benevolent associations for persons employed on lake vessels. Subject files on issues from diverting water out of Lake Michigan for the Illinois canal system to pollution control form most of the files in this collection. Records of death beneficiary payments offer information to genealogists tracing family members who worked on lake vessels. Navigation topics are discussed through files on the Coast Guard for 1932-1975. Lake Carriers' Survey for Harbor Improvements records address navigation on such matters as straightening tight turns in harbor ship channels (1927-1951). Communications technology designed to improve navigation is detailed in files on the Radio Technical Commission for Marine Services (1936-1979). The complete collection contains material in scattered form from 1860 to 1910. The majority of the files are from c. 1910 to 1985. Numerous cartographic materials supplement the files. 88. c.f.

GLMS-46 Henry N. Barkhausen
The Henry N. Barkhausen Collection contains subject files, newsclippings, and architectural drawings documenting the maritime history of the Great Lakes. The Barkhausen files date primarily from c.1879-1940. Items of note are architectural drawings of 14 schooners built for the Great Lakes trade from 1867 to 1918. Numerous sail plans are included to document this aspect of marine technology. Clippings regarding vessel sinkings in the 1930s and 1940 offer views of reactions to these tragedies in the newspapers of the Great Lakes region. .6 c.f.

GLMS-51 Edward N. Middleton Collection
This collection contains correspondence and research notes compiled by Edward Middleton during the course of his preparation of histories of numerous vessels and shipping companies. Events covered in these notes extend from 1833 to 1984. Companies receiving the most extensive treatment are the Crosby Transportation Company, the Goodrich Transportation Company, and the Morton Navigation Company. A clipping file for 1912-1985 describes shipping activities on the Great Lakes. Included also are two rolls of microfilm obtained from the National Archives containing vessel history information. 2.5 c.f.

GLMS-54 Transportation Company Timetables and Brochures
Various Great Lakes Ports
Literature from Great Lakes transportation companies promotes the use of the lake vessels at their disposal by the casual tourist traveler. Items date from 1859 to 1991 and reflect the mass marketing of the idea that travel in the Great Lakes region is feasible on regularly scheduled routes from ports readily accesible to much of the United States and Canada by rail or highway. The Lake Michigan routes from Ludington and Muskegon, Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois are well documented. Ferry service at the Straits of Mackinac is also represented. Travel in Canadian waters is promoted with timetables for voyages into Georgian Bay and the St. Lawrence River valley. 1.5 c.f.

GLMS-55 John C. Smith
Captain John C. Smith's career on the Great Lakes began in 1929 at the age of 16 and continued until 1946. During his career Smith acquired numerous items pertaining to employment on Great Lakes vessels. A manual listing sample questions from navigation training examinations was studied by masters, mates and pilots in preparation for those examinations. Another manual provides distances between ports to assist navigators in their calculations. Two undated cards illustrate a method of recording weather data and vessel rules. A series of booklets issued to participants in the Lake Carriers' Association welfare plan, which provided assistance to crewmen in between vessel assignments, completes the collection. .5 c.f.

GLMS-57 Ivan S. Brookes
This collection contains copies of data sheets for vessels of the Great Lakes and the Ocean and Coastal trades compiled from official records and published marine directories. Vessel history information is included on these sheets to reflect name changes, place of construction, dimensions, changes in ownership, and other details regarding the boat. Information dates from c. 1822-1975. 4.0 c.f.

GLMS-58 J.S. Morton
Benton Harbor, Michigan
J. Stanley Morton, co-founder of the Graham & Morton Company involved in Great Lakes shipping, recorded observations about the business climate in southwestern Michigan in his diary. A photocopy of his diary for the years 1920-1932 is included as the principal component of this collection. A scrapbook and clippings files provide biographical information on Morton and discuss his career in lake transport. Copies of publications discuss the history of the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, Michigan region. 1 c.f.

GLMS-68 G. Victor Chamberlain
This collection contains items accumulated by Captain G. Victor Chamberlain during his career on lake vessels from 1940 to 1981. A file of correspondence reveals the importance of safety issues, while radar logs and loading logs record operations aboard the ship. News clippings, particularly ones covering the sinking of the EDMUND FITZGERALD, provide insight on events of interest to Captain Chamberlain. Navigational and weather-related charts illustrate another area of the captain's interest. The collection is small but does present material useful in understanding the responsibilities and worries of Great Lakes vessel captains. .5 c.f.

GLMS-71 Loudon G. Wilson
This collection documents the history of commercial sail on the Great Lakes through Wilson's research, photographs, clippings from publications, and original artwork. These images record changes in vessel technology from the Viking era of c. 1000 to boats of 1988. Comparisons can be made between rigging specifications for sailing vessels of different centuries. Wilson concentrated heavily on sailing vessels, but also obtained images of steamships. The history of marine art can also be examined through Wilson's selections of art reproductions clipped from publications. Commentaries on style and technique appear in notes made by Wilson, a marine artist himself. Two principal series are of the greatest interest. The Annual Log is a subject file of design developments accessed through a chronological index. The Subject Notebooks filled with photographs and research notes on vessels provide detailed and technical information compiled by Wilson. 14.0 c.f.

GLMS-74 Walter Smith Miscellaneous Ship Drawing Collection
Drawings prepared for lake vessels from 1900-1920 have been assembled from several shipyards. Such companies as Sidney McLouth, Chicago Ship Building, Detroit Dry Dock, and Great Lakes Engineering Works are represented. Unique approaches to vessel design can be viewed in the work of S.B. Kingsbury and Charles L. Seabury. Modelers may find lists of specifications pertinent to their projects. This collection is available only on microfilm. 1 reel of microfilm.

GLMS-75 American Ship Building Company and Predecessors, 1867-1920
Architectural drawings for vessels built by the American Ship Building Company and its predecessors were microfilmed to create this collection. Ten standard drawings such as profiles and deck plans were selected for filming. Most drawings date from 1886-1920. Post-1900 sets tend to be more complete than earlier sets of drawings. Nearly all types of wooden and steel vessels built on the Great Lakes between 1870 and 1920 are represented. 33 reels of microfilm.

GLMS-95 Craig Ship Building Company Collection
Collection documents business and personal elements in the life of Great Lakes shipbuilder John Craig. Includes 93 black and white photographs. 4 c.f.

GLMS-98 Mackinac Island Resort Occupational Folklore Collection
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Six audio tapes of interviews of seasonal workers at Mackinac Island (1990) and the resulting research paper prepared for an independent study course in the Department of Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University. 0.5 c.f.

GLMS-101 Kenneth R. Hall Collection
Research material for study of the vessels owned by the shipping interests headed by Eber Brock Ward and his family. Events covered in the collection date from 1782-1987. Most information in the collection is concentrated between 1840 and 1910. 2 c.f.

GLMS-103 Albert A. Bartlett
During the early years of his college career, 1941-1942, Albert A. Bartlett obtained summer employment on the Great Lakes iron ore freighters PONTIAC and PETER WHITE. During this time Bartlett photographed his fellow crew members performing routine duties and later arranged 208 of his photos in a captioned scrapbook, a copy of which is presented here. Bartlett's photographs record the daily events of vessel life, capturing crew and officers at work and play. The collection also includes 7 hours of taped interviews, as well as a transcript of those tapes, in which Bartlett describes his work and life as a lake vessel porter. 1.5 c.f.

GLMS-104 Chart Collection
Included are c.2,600 navigational charts for the years 1849-1991. The charts in this collection were primarily published by the governments of the United States and Canada, with occasional examples from state and provincial sources. General charts of the Great Lakes region appear along with those for individual lakes. Connecting rivers and canals are also represented. Although most charts apply to waterways in the Great Lakes basin, a number of charts for the Atlantic Coast and the Mississippi Valley are present. 142 c.f.