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Spring Hill College Archives

 

The Spring Hill College Archives and Special Collections house primary sources, artifacts, and publications relevant to the history of the college, its property, buildings, administration, faculty, and students. It is located on the 2nd Floor of Burke Memorial Library on the campus of the college.

Archival materials do not circulate.  Researchers who wish to work with archival materials remotely may contact the Archives & Special Collections with the nature and scope of their research.  Requests are processed in the order they are received, typically within 5 business days. 

Many of the college's publications are available to researchers online.  Please visit the Digital Collections section of the Archives & Special Collections webpage for more information.

Only a few items remain from the earliest years of the college, from 1830-1846, when it was a diocesan college under the the supervision of Bishop Michael Portier. Many documents exist from the early years of the Jesuits' time at the college. Prominent among these early Jesuit items are:

  • Diaries of the Vice-President and the Minister of the Jesuit Community beginning in 1847
  • Handwritten registrations of students, entered upon their first appearance, which frequently give the names and addresses of their parents.
  • College Catalogues from 1847, though not every year is preserved
  • Student publications from as far back as 1891, consistently from 1900

Student Charlie Joseph waving flag in 1956

Files are maintained on outstanding students.  Archival collections are also maintained on campus buildings and grounds, college administration, and student life.  Thousands of photographs are preserved, but most of them are as yet unsorted and uncatalogued.  Many are in albums, so that span of years can be assigned.  Notable subjects include the world famous chess player of the 19th century, Paul Morphy, an alumnus, and Albert Foley, S.J., a professor of Sociology at the college made famous for his activities in the US Civil Rights Movement.

Photograph at left: Charlie Joseph in 1956.