BONUS Throwback Thursday - U.S. Centennial Flag

As we prepare to celebrate our nation's independence next week during the July 4th holiday, we thought it might be fitting to share one of the treasured artifacts housed in the Samford University Library's Special Collection -- a hand-sewn linen United States flag from 1876.

Images courtesy of the Samford University Library Special Collection.

The flag features 37 stars (the number of U.S. states at the time) and is signed by "M. Baker" -- further research identifies her as Matilda Baker, a shopkeeper in her early 50s at the time the flag was made.

Click here for more information about Matilda Baker and the U.S. Centennial Flag

Click here to learn more about items from the Samford University Library Special Collection

Throwback Thursday -- Early Baseball Team Picture

Samford's baseball team has a history reaching back into the early 1900s -- with Al "Red" Worthington being the first former Bulldog to play in the MLB -- but unfortunately no date is known for this particular team picture.

Image courtesy of the Samford University Library Special Collection.

Scottsboro Boys Photo Exhibit -- Now Through March 3rd

The Samford University Library invites you to experience “Scottsboro Boys: Outside the Protective Circle of Humanity” -- a traveling exhibit chronicling what many consider to be the very beginning of the civil rights movement in the United States.  This exhibit comes to us courtesy of the Morgan County Archives and is on display on the second floor of the library in our Main Reading Room now through March 3rd.

The Scottsboro Boys were nine African-American men, ages thirteen to twenty-one, charged with the rape of two white women in March of 1931.  Their names were Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, Roy Wright, Haywood Patterson, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Ozie Powell and Charlie Weems. Within two weeks, an all-white jury found the men guilty and sentenced them to death.

The case made national news.  The Communist-backed International Labor Defense (ILD) took up the case and appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. The ILD also organized protests across the country against the racist verdict.  Labor organizations around the nation rallied for a new trial.  The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the convictions, but in November 1932, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new trial.

The new trials began in March 1933. Samuel Liebowitz, an eminent criminal lawyer recruited by the ILD, defended the accused.  Judge James Edwin Horton oversaw the first trial which was that of Haywood Patterson.  In spite of lack of evidence and a victim recanting her story, the jury convicted Patterson to death.

The defense moved for a retrial and, believing the defendants innocent, Judge James Edwin Horton agreed to set aside the guilty verdict for Patterson. Horton ruled the rest of defendants could not get a fair trial at that time and postponed the rest of the trials.  This decision cost him his job when he ran for re-election.

The trials moved to another court and continued. This third set of trials was completed and again all men were sentenced to death. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed this set of convictions April 1, 1935, because African-Americans were excluded from the juries in Alabama at that time. This practice denied the defendants due process.

In 1936-1937, five of the defendants were again tried and found guilty. Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright, who had already been in prison for six years, had their cases dismissed.  Haywood Patterson, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Ozie Powell and Charlie Weems were sentenced to long prison terms.

Patterson escaped in 1949 and fled to Michigan where the governor refused to extradite him.  He was convicted in an assault case there in 1951 and died in 1952.

Charlie Weems was paroled in 1943.  Andy Wright was paroled in New York State in 1950. Clarence Norris was pardoned in 1976 by Governor George Wallace.  Ozie Powell was paroled in 1946.

On November 21, 2013, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles granted posthumous pardons to Weems, Wright and Patterson, the only Scottsboro Boys who had neither had their convictions overturned nor received a pardon.

Throwback Thursday -- 1962 Step Sing Winners

Step Sing 2017 is in the history books, and congratulations to this year's winners!

Step Sing has its roots on the old East Lake campus of then-Howard College, where it was held every semester as a sing-along on the steps of the Renfroe Hall dormitory starting in 1951.  It eventually became a competition, and in the 1960s costumes and props were added to the performances.

Speaking of the 1960s, here are the 1962 Step Sing winners with their trophies.

Image courtesy of the Samford University Library Special Collection.

The (Very) First Day of Classes - Jan. 3, 1842

Welcome back everyone!  For those of you taking classes during Jan Term this year, you have an extra something in common with a special set of Samford students!

The school's original nine students -- John Thomas Barron, Thomas Booth, "Aleck" Miller, Thomas Cravens, William King, William Blassingame, Samuel Goree, Thomas Anderson, and Thomas A. J. Oliver -- started classes on this very day in 1842.  President Samuel Sterling Sherman logged their names into the official matriculation (enrollment) record.

Image courtesy of the University Library Special Collection

The original matriculation record is housed in the University Library's Special Collection department as a part of the University Archives.

Click here for more information on Howard College's "original nine."

December 29th, 1841 - Howard College Incorporated

Although the celebration of Samford's 175th anniversary has been in full swing for a little while now, it was on this day in 1841 that the state of Alabama officially recognized Samford University as a corporate institution of academic learning. The school was incorporated as Howard College in Marion, Alabama under the leadership of 15 trustees.  Happy Birthday, Samford!

Image courtesy of the Samford University Library Special Collection

Want to find out more? Check out this selection from the Special Collection Treasures collection.

December 19th, 1871 -- Birmingham is Incorporated

On this day in 1871, The city of Birmingham was incorporated by an act of the Alabama state legislature that authorized the governor to appoint a mayor and eight aldermen.  This act also authorized the mayor to require that all males between the ages of 18 and 45 be required to work five days a year on the streets and avenues of the city.

Image courtesy of the University Library Special Collection

The full text of the act that established the city of Birmingham may be found by clicking here.

A view of Birmingham in 1873. Image courtesy of the University Library Special Collection

The city grew to over 26,000 residents by 1890, earning the name "the Magic City" for suddenly appearing where seemingly nothing had been before.

More information about Birmingham's early years -- including a list of the buildings shown in the above photograph -- may be found by clicking here.

Happy birthday, Magic City!

197 Years of Statehood

On this day in 1819, the Sixteenth Congress passed a resolution declaring the admission of Alabama as the 22nd state of the United States of America.

Click here to read the full text of the resolution, courtesy of the Library of Congress


This map shows what the state looked like in 1819 along with the number of representatives to the Alabama Constitutional Convention from each of the counties.  According to the 1820 census, the largest city in the new state was Mobile with 1,500 residents.

From Alabama Congressional and Legislative Representation by William Letford, courtesy of the Samford University Library Special Collection

Samford University wasn’t always named Samford University

In 1841, Samford University was founded as Howard College. Originally located in Marion, Alabama, Rev. James Harvey DeVotie advocated naming the college after the 18th century philanthropist and English prison reformer, John Howard.

To a modern audience, John Howard seems a strange choice for a small Baptist college in Alabama. He was not Baptist, nor was he heavily involved in church matters. Rather, John Howard was a member of the merchant class of Britain and attributed for being the first English prison reformer. He traveled across Europe documenting the deplorable conditions of prison.

As for his dedication as a prison reformer, Howard viewed his work as humanitarian. In the 19th century, prison reform was a topic of heavy debate which is perhaps why DeVotie chose to name the school after the renowned John Howard. He was widely revered as a model of Christian compassion.

 If you’d like to read more about John Howard, check out Dean Chapman’s article for Season’s magazine in Spring 2005 or come visit the Special Collection. The Special Collection in the University Library holds a first edition, 1777, of John Howard’s book on English prisons and a second edition, 1791, of his book on European prisons, as well as a letter by Howard and several other items of interest, all thanks to the generosity of a donor.

So, why aren’t we still Howard?  In part because when Howard College became a university in 1965 there already was a Howard University. The name was changed to Samford University in honor of Frank Park Samford and the Samford family’s contribution to the university. The Howard College of Arts and Sciences retained both the name and the legacy of this great humanitarian.

On Tuesday, September 3rd, the University Library will celebrate John Howard’s 287th Birthday with cake and coffee at 10:00  am.   Come Join the Celebration!

Wallace's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door"

On June 11, 1963 Governor George Wallace made his “stand in the schoolhouse door” speech in opposition to the integration of Alabama schools.

The event took place in the doorway of Foster Auditorium on the campus of The University of Alabama in an attempt to prevent James Alexander Hood and Vivian Malone from enrolling in classes.. The “stand in the schoolhouse door” played an integral part in politics and the civil rights movement. Gov. Wallace gained national attention from the event. Later that evening, President Kennedy made a televised speech aligning himself with the civil rights movement.

Lillie Mae Beason, a student at The University of Alabama, watched Gov. Wallace deliver the speech from across the street through her dormitory window. When the event was over, Beason watched Gov. Wallace place a rolled paper in a nearby pipe. Later, she went to retrieve the document. What she found in the pipe was Gov. Wallace’s speech.

The speech is now in the Special Collection department of the Samford University Library.

Jennifer Taylor
Archivist, Samford University Library

National Grammar Day

There are those who would argue that the only thing drier than an actual grammar book would be a history of the grammar book, but since it’s National Grammar Day today, we down here in Special Collections thought we’d try it anyway.

The earliest English grammar books were often not written in English, but in Latin. It wasn’t until the 18th century that English grammars (as they are known) started being written in English. These early grammars were devoted to explain English constructions to a world where Latin was still being commonly used. In fact, it was believed by many that English didn’t have any unique rules of grammar, but that the Latin rules were perfectly sufficient for understanding the rules of English. Modern Latin scholars would not agree.

Needless to say, as the England’s empire spread around the globe, there was a new need to teach English to non-Native speakers who didn’t know Latin either. The new grammars were styled as informative education textbooks, intended to help the poor, non-English speakers, children and, of course, women understand the complicated beast that is the English language.

This all brings us rather neatly to Lindley Murray. Murray was a lawyer who, in his spare time, wrote English grammar books. It is for his grammar works that he has gone down in history, as the books were used long after his death in educating students in the English speaking world. 

The Special Collection is lucky enough to hold several different editions of Murray’s books, including his English Exercises which was first published in 1797. The Special Collection has an 1814 and an 1866 edition, which are very nearly identical. The book contains exercises “Designed for the Benefit of Private Learners, As Well As for the Use of Schools” and promises to provide instruction on the “Defects in Punctuation, and Violations of the Rules Respecting Perspicuity and Accuracy.”

Sentences such as “A great proportion of human evils are created by ourselves” and “Flattery, whose nature is to destroy and deceive, should be avoided as the poisonous adder” were used in the exercises to instruct morally as well as grammatically. I suspect I’d have paid more attention in English class if those had been the sorts of sentences I was instructed to work with.

Murray was one of several educational reformers of his day. His books were used into the 20th century, along with those of the famous William Holmes McGuffey whose readers and spellers were the backbone of education in the United States for almost a century. We have a bunch of those as well, but they’ll have to wait for another blog post.

Until then, we in the Special Collection remain willing to be more flexible about defects in punctuation than Murray would approve of.

Rachel Cohen
Archivist and User Services Librarian
Special Collection Department

The Prince of Preachers

 Charles H. Spurgeon

 

Charles H. Spurgeon, The Prince of Preachers, was the foremost preacher of the 19th century. In 1854, at the age of 20, Spurgeon became the pastor for the New Park Street Chapel in London, England (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle). He remained there until his retirement 38 years later. While he was there, the congregation grew to over 10,000 attendees.

As Spurgeon would preach, someone in the congregation would transcribe his sermon. The following day Spurgeon would begin to edit the transcription notes. His notes were then sent to his secretary for a final grammar check before being sent to the printer. Galley proofs would be returned to Spurgeon a little while later and he would make more edits before the sermon was ready to be published for the public to read on Thursday.

To see some of his sermons -- transcribed, edited, and then published -- check out the Library Treasure Chest. See these items in person by visiting the Special Collections and Archives. 

Advent: Wake from your Sleep

"Do this because we live in an important time. It is now the time for you to wake from your sleep, 

because salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

Romans 13:11

Today begins the Advent season, and growing up, that meant Sundays of lighting candles, a calendar with chocolate, and making Christmas ornaments in pre-school. But what does the Advent season really mean, and how can we take advantage of it to develop in our paths to salvation? Is it just a means to an end (Christmas), or is the journey as important as the final lesson, like so many things in life?

My minister, Dr. Conrad Sharps of Independent Presbyterian Church, recently wrote something in our church newsletter that really resonated on this topic:

"Advent is a reminder to us that we are children of God and that Christ will one day return. It is a reminder to us that salvation is from God and from God alone. It is sin that is an intruder into our lives and into our world. An intruder which is hostile torward every good thing which God intends for his children. 

"This season is a time when all people of faith are called to a time of repentance and preparation, for Christ is coming into the world! We don't know when, but it shouldn't matter. That God should be born to us in a manger, live for us, die for us, rise from the dead for us says to me, it doesn't matter when he's coming, but that he's coming that matters."

Advent is part of Christmas, not just something your church might recognize before the Big Day. It shouldn't be dismissed as part of the holiday any more than our experiences can be ignored as part of who we each are.

As you are working on your final papers, studying for exams, buying presents for your family and friends, take a moment to think about the journey that has brought you here. What did you learn about yourself and the way you learn this semester that can be carried forth into your future work and relationships?

St. Andrew's Day

Photo by Murdo Macleod from The Guardian

Who was St. Andrew?

Andrew was, well, I'll let a greater writer than I am tell you that. In Mark 1:16-18, Jesus, "passing by the Sea of Galilee, saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting a set into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" He was one of the less prominent Disciples, being omitted from the writings of Matthew and Luke completely. John writes about Andrew more extensively, putting him in a position of authority to intercede between people and Jesus. He continued to preach the gospel throughout the region until his death.

The Martyrologium Romanum gives us some insight into his final days, "30 November is at Patrae of Achaia the feast dat of St. Andrew the Apostle, who preached the Gospel of Christ in Thrace and Schythia. He was arrested by Aegeas the Proconsul, at first locked in prison, then most gravely cut, and finally suspended from a cross. On it, he lived for two days, teaching th epeople; and having asked the Lord that he not be taken down from the cross, he was surrponded with a great spendor from Heaven, while a light shortly shown, and he gave up the ghost."

St. Andrew's Cross

State Flag of Alabama

Tradition accounts that the cross upon which Andrew was crucified was an X-shape, thus creating the shape of the Saltire, or St. Andrew's Cross, which is now the national emblem of Scotland and the state flag of Alabama.

St. Andrew is known as the patron for fishermen, singers, those who suffer from gout and sore throats, unmarried women, and women wishing to become mothers.

Historically, St. Rule is credited with bringing relics of St. Andrew to what is now Scotland, after receiving a vision. St. Andrew was first recognized as the patron saint of Scotland in 1320 at the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, asserting the country's independence from England.

Not Just Scotland

St. Andrew is revered in many other European countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, and Romania. 

In Poland, St. Andrew's Day, or Andrzejki, is celebrated on the night of November 29th and the day of November 30th. It is considered the last night to celebrate before fasting begins during the Advent season, somewhat similar to Mardi Gras before Lent. As the patron saint of maiden women, many Andrzejki games and traditions involve single women seeking clues about their future husbands. 

So, Happy St. Andrew's Day, or, for the Scottish, 'Here's tae us - Wha's like us'! 

Sources:
Peterson, P. M. (1958). Andrew, brother of Simon Peter: His history and his legends. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

Edition in Propylaem ad Acta Sanctorum Decembris, Brussles, 1940. cf. Epistle of the Presbyters and Deacons in Bonnet, Acta, pp. 32-44 and Passio in Bonnet, Sup., pp. 69-70.
 
"Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama: State Flag of Alabama". Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved 30 November 2012.

"Who was St Andrew?". Scotland.org. Retrieved 30 November 2012.

McSweeny, Declan. "Liverpool gives St Andrew's Day a Polish twist". TheGuardian.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2012.

Veterans Day: A Samford Legacy

On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed that ended the fighting in World War I. In celebration of this peace agreement, Armistice Day was recognized each year.

In 1954, the name was changed in the United States to Veterans Day to include recognition for veterans of all military service but remained on November 11th. The British, Canadians, and Australians call it Remembrance Day and primarily dedicate the day to remembering soldiers who died in World Wars I and II, wearing the red poppy as symbol.

With its military school roots, Howard was heavily involved in supporting the efforts of both world wars, through fundraising, creating supplies, and running student military training programs. Even though Howard officially abandoned compulsory military curricula in 1913, it was reintroduced five years later by unanimous vote of the student body, and a Civilian Pilot Training Program and Naval Air Corps school was begun in 1942. A Navy V-12 training program was a major part of Howard life from 1943-1945. So incorporated were these programs, that for a while, athletes were known as Howard Seadogs! In the University Archives, you can find correspondence between President Major Harwell Davis and students who were deployed overseas.

Following the Second World War, Dr. George V. Irons was assigned as director of the Veterans' Liaison Service, part of Counseling Services, to help military veterans entering school deal with the intricacies of applying for benefits and providing appropriate certifications.

Today, Samford still maintains a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program for the Air Force, which still aims to combine liberal arts values with military training and discipline.

As we think about yesterday, Veterans Day, we must think about our history, often our family, our present, and our future. If there's one thing we can see from Samford's history with wartime preparedness, it's that education is just as crucial for the battlefield as it is for the boardroom. Critical thinking and mental flexibility haven't changed, even if the uniforms have.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war,
no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

- President George Washington

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God."

- Matthew 5:9

Resources: "Veterans Day." Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Detroit: Omnigraphics, Inc., 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 12 November 2012.

Sulzby, James Frederick. Toward A History Of Samford University / By James F. Sulzby, Jr. n.p.: Birmingham, Ala. : Samford University Press, 1986.


Marliese Thomas, User Engagement Librarian

Who Was Guy Fawkes?

If you are from England, you might be familiar with the fireworks displays on November 5th, in celebration of Guy Fawkes' Night. But for those of us in the states, it might seem a little confusing.

More than a few songs throughout the years have immortalized this holiday, with none (I'd bet) more famous than the line "Remember, remember, the fifth of November." But why? Who was Guy Fawkes and why do the British set off fireworks in remembrance?

Fawkes was a conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot, a plan to blow up King James I and all the members of both Houses of Parliament in 1605. After 45 years of rule under Elizabeth I, Catholics had little to no freedom to practice their religion. James, at first, seemed to have sympathies towards the Catholics, but political moves and plots solidified his stance to maintain the support of the Puritans.

Fawkes was a fierce believer in Roman Catholicism, having converted as an adult and served in the military. Though not the leader of the conspiracy, he was the main one chosen to carry out this plan of placing barrels of gunpowder underneath the Parliament buildings and lighting them on November 5th. However, an anonymous letter tipped off officials, and Fawkes was caught and arrested.

In reaction, the public would hold displays of burning Fawkes in effigy and shooting off fireworks to symbolize the explosion that never happened.

References:
"Fawkes, Guy (1570-1606)." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2012.

"Gunpowder Plot." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2012.

Robinson, Bruce. "The Gunpowder Plot." History. BBC World Service, 29 March 2011. Web. 05 November 2012. ‹http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/gunpowder_robinson_01.shtml/›.