Special Collections and University Archives celebrated its newest exhibit – Steam Boats and Steam Ships: Oceans, Lakes & Rivers with a reception and presentation by exhibit curator Jack White.

Miami University Libraries Dean Jerome Conley welcoming the attendees.

Miami University Libraries Assistant Dean John Millard introducing curator & speaker Jack White.

Jack White captivating his audience with stories and questions about water transportation during his “traveling” presentation of the many materials in his exhibit.

A “portal” view of Jack White and attendees examining the materials in the cases.

This is an original luggage tag from an ocean voyager the S.S. Resolute, 1931. Tag courtesy of Jack White’s colleague Steve Gordon.

This is a replica of a deck blanket from the Titanic worn by those ill-fated passengers as they braced the cold northern Atlantic Ocean waiting for the rescue ship Carpathia.

Please visit the exhibit and discover the fascinating stories of these steam ships, adventures of the people who traveled the waters and the crews who worked on these ships.

In our renovation update this week, we are excited to announce that walls are being painted, carpet is being laid, and ceiling tiles are getting installed. We have selected some pictures to show off some of this progress.

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Jim Bricker
Senior Library Technician
The Walter Havighurst Special Collections

Most of the digitization work I do here involves old books and postcards. Don’t get me wrong, the Shakespeare Folios are amazing just to hold and the postcards collection is my favorite project, but every once in a while I’m lucky enough to get to do something a little different.

Enter Passing Reality.

I’ll be curating an exhibit beginning April 18th on the history of student-produced radio and television broadcasts. We already have some pretty cool stuff thanks to donations from Rick Ludwin, who was very active in broadcasting during his time as a student at Miami. Studio 14, a variety show produced by Miami students between 1968-1970 has some great material, including some pretty memorable guests on air – ranging from Phillip Shriver to Timothy Leary. It was in a conversation with Mr. Ludwin that I learned about some of the shows produced more recently, including one he had remembered in the early 2000’s called Passing Reality, a student-produced sitcom that ran for five episodes in 2002, satirizing both Miami life and reality television.

With Mr. Ludwin’s help, I was able to get in touch with Chad Wollett, one of the show’s creators, who is now a producer at NBC. Mr. Wollett graciously agreed to let me digitize the masters he had kept of the show and add them to our collection. As someone who remembers both college and reality television in the early 2000’s, they get both of them hilariously accurate.

In addition to the 5 episodes, directors’ commentary of each episode, outtakes, and reflections on the show are also Passing Reality.

Happy viewing!

Marcus Ladd
Special Collections Digital Librarian

We want to share some of the progress that has being made on the new Special Collections and Archives facility. Special Collections continues to be open during the renovation, though we do not have access to some of our collections. With the help of our student, Danielle Owens, we will peek behind the construction curtain to see how things have changed this week.

New walls have been constructed around our stacks area.

And here are a couple of views of our office and processing areas on the inside of the curtain.

Jim Bricker
Senior Library Technician

Renovation of the third floor of King Library has begun. Offices around the perimeter of the floor were moved and the demolition of walls has been completed. In Special Collections we started physically preparing for the renovation last July. We began shifting most of our books and manuscript boxes, took down some shelving, and did some reorganizing. In mid-December we wrapped the book ranges in plastic. When the renovation of the floor is finished the University Archives will move into our new shared facility. Special Collections and Archives will occupy the whole north end of the third floor. I thought that you might like to see what things look like in Special Collections as the New Year begins.

Jim Bricker
Senior Library Technician

Oxford Female High School was founded by Bethania Crocker and supported by R.H. Bishop, W. H. McGuffey, and J. W. Scott beginning about 1831. It might have met in a house on South Main Street. (Hamilton Intelligencer 1833)

Oxford Female Academy was chartered in 1839 by John W. Scott and others. It operated from about 1831 in two rooms in an uptown building and was taught by M.S. Smith and A. Clark. (Oxford Chronicle 1834.)

Oxford Female Institute was chartered in 1849.  John Witherspoon Scott was the first president of the Institute. In 1867 the Oxford Female Institute merged with the Oxford Female College, and in 1890 the name was changed to simply Oxford College. Its first building was constructed on South College Avenue in 1850 and enlarged several times.

Oxford Female College opened in 1856 northeast of the village. John Witherspoon Scott was the first president of the College, following his tenure as president of the Oxford Female Institute.  The Oxford Female College building was sold in 1882 and became a sanitarium and then a Miami University residence hall known as Fisher Hall.  The building, designed by Cincinnati architect James Keys Wilson, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and despite vigorous opposition was demolished to make way for Miami’s Marcum Conference Center in 1978.

After a financial restructuring the combined Institute and College was re-chartered as Oxford College for Women in 1906, but a series of financial setbacks and increasing debts forced its closure in 1928.  Oxford College for Women closed, and Miami University acquired its property under the presidency of Alfred Upham later that year.

The original Oxford Female Institute building was used by the College from 1882 until its closure in 1928, when Miami University converted it into a residence hall.

One of the most important female educators at Oxford College was Olive Flower. Born in Proctorville, Ohio, Olive graduated from Oxford College where she taught Chemistry until 1918. She also served as the Oxford College Registrar from 1906 until 1928, and became dean of the college in 1919, a position she held until 1928 when Oxford College closed.  She lived in the College building that was later re-named Caroline Scott Harrison Memorial as did many of the women faculty members.

She was the author of “The History of Oxford College for Women 1830-1928.” She was so intimately connected with the College that Olive Flower and Oxford College are synonymous in the minds of graduates and former students.  Many of the alumnae contributed regularly to the Loyalty Fund in her honor and she is considered to have done more than any other person in helping the Oxford College alumnae to retain their own identity following the merger with Miami University.  In 1949 she received the Miami University Bishop Medal in recognition of her scholarship and service. In 1952, Miami gave her name to the chapel in the women’s residence hall which had been the main building of Oxford College.  Today the building is used as the Oxford Community Arts Center.

Courtesy: Smith Library of Regional History