University Archives
Mission Statement
The University Archives exists to appraise, collect, organize, describe, make available, and preserve records of historical, legal, fiscal, and/or administrative value to Hollins University. It provides informational services which assist the operation of Hollins University and also serves research and scholarship to both the Hollins Community and visiting researchers. In addition, the University Archives seeks to promote knowledge and understanding of the origins, development, aims, programs, and goals of Hollins University.
About the Collection
Currently there are over 450 linear feet of documents, dating from the 18th century to the present. Formats include correspondence, diaries, sound and video recordings, artifacts, photographs, theses, blueprints, microfilm, music, textiles, and memorabilia.
Below is a sample of archival holdings:
- handwritten Euzelian Literary Society Magazine issues from the 1870’s
- nineteenth and twentieth century student scrapbooks and photo albums
- nearly a full run of all College and Student publications, including the academic catalogs, beginning with the 1846/47 Valley Union Seminary catalog
oral history interviews of Alumnae and Faculty - biographical information on many 19th and early 20th century students, staff, and faculty
- over 23,000 photographs
- artifacts such as the dining room bell used in the 19th century, Charles Lewis Cocke’s clock & walking cane, a Mohican Basketball Team Sweater, and Bessie Carter Randolph’s academic regalia
In addition to annual reports, minutes of the Board of Trustees, financial records, other types of materials include Master’s Theses and publications such as Academic Catalogs, Alumnae Magazines, Yearbooks, and Student Literary Magazines, Handbooks and Newspapers.
Especially interesting are:
- The papers of Charles Lewis Cocke, founder of Hollins
- Civil War letters and diaries
- The papers of Margaret Wise Brown, children’s author and Alumna
- A collection of letters written by notable individuals to members of the Hollins Community, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, William Golding, Theodore Presser, and Eudora Welty
Student Work
Image: Abroad in Athens, 1962. Copyright Wyndham Robertson Library Special Collections.