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By Lori Myers-Steele
Collection Overview
Title: Albert Allen Wright Papers, 1870-1871
ID: RG 09/9.60
Primary Creator: Wright, Albert Allen -- 1846-1905
Extent: 1.0 MS boxes
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically.
Subjects: African Americans -- Education -- Kentucky., African Americans., Berea, (Ky.), Berea College, Berea College -- Buildings -- Fairchild Hall, Berea College -- Buildings -- Howard Hall, Berea College -- Faculty, Oberlin College., Women college students, Wright, Albert Allen -- 1846-1905
Languages: English
Abstract
Wright was the chair of Natural History at Berea College from 1870 to 1872. A few years after leaving Berea, he would be appointed professor of Geology and Natural History at Oberlin College. While at Berea College, Wright also served as the faculty meeting clerk. On September 21, 1874, he married Mary Lyon Bedortha (1846-1877), of Saratoga Springs, New York. Professor Albert Allen Wright died April 2, 1905.
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The collection consists of five pieces of Wright’s correspondence (dated 1870-1871) to Mary Lyon Bedortha, whom he would marry in 1874. The poetic letters in the collection were sent from Berea, Kentucky to Saratoga Springs, New York. During the time the letters were written, Wright was serving as chair of Natural History at Berea College. The letters describe life and work in Berea including the infancy of the College, the location and appearance of campus buildings including the President’s House (where he resided), Howard Hall, and Ladies Hall (Fairchild Hall), travels through the local area and region, the College’s education of African American students, attendance at a Pilot Knob Sabbath-school, interaction with other faculty, and living conditions of women attending the school. The letters also contain comparisons of city to Berea life and makes connections between Berea and Oberlin colleges.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog
Access Restrictions:
Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.
Use Restrictions:
There are no restrictions on use of this material other than federal copyright regulations.
Acquisition Source:
Letters were collected by Hutchins Library, Berea College Special Collections and Archives Staff
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of item], Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Albert Allen Wright Letters, Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Berea, Ky.
Processing Information:
Letters were collected by Hutchins Library, Berea College Special Collections and Archives Staff.
The finding aid was created in 2013 by Lori Myers-Steele, Collections Archivist, and updated in 2016.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by College Archive Record Group:
[
College Archive Record Group 9.6],
[All]
- College Archive Record Group 9.6
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Letter sent by A.A. Wright to Mary L. Bedortha, May 27, 1870
- Folder 2: Letter sent by A.A. Wright to Mary L. Bedortha, December 15, 1870
- Folder 3: Letter sent by A.A. Wright to Mary L. Bedortha, May 5, 1871
- Folder 4: Letter sent by A.A. Wright to Mary L. Bedortha, May (or March) 7, 1871
- Folder 5: Letter sent by A.A. Wright to Mary L. Bedortha, June 12, 1871
