Physical to Digital and Back to Physical Again: 3D Scanning and Printing

November 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Davidson recently unveiled a new makerspace, Studio M, which will provide a wealth of opportunities for students and the college community to experiment with new technologies. After attending the open house two weeks ago, we began to think about archival collaborations with the makerspace – how can we leverage these new resources with those already existing in the library?

The cuneiform collection has already been scanned and added to the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), but what if the college’s oldest objects were 3D scanned and printed in a more durable, lend-able form? The Archives & Special Collections team rolled up our sleeves and began to brainstorm about items from the college’s collections that could use a good scanning, for either preservation or use (or both). The Smithsonian Institution’s 3D digitization work provides inspiration what the affordances of this kind of digital inquiry could be:
One of the first collections we thought of was that of  Gordon Clift Horton (class of 1942) – Horton was the engine behind the first Annual Student Exhibition, and he went on to study interior design at Parsons School of Design (now Parsons the New School for Design). When his mother, Florence Clift Horton, passed away in 1975, she willed her estate to Davidson College, and several of Gordon Horton’s collections can still be found on campus. Horton’s collection of jade figurines could be an interesting scanning project…

A jade Budai from the Horton collection

A jade Budai from the Horton collection

Student medals and badges also provide a unique 3D digitization opportunity – these medals were created for the Eumenean and Philanthropic Literary Societies, and each comes imbued with stories of previous generations of Davidson students. A literary society badge could be scanned, and the resulting 3D model could be altered to reflect the name of a current student organization, providing a physical manifestation of the past of Davidson’s student groups for those in the present.

A tray of Eu and Phi medals from the 19th century

A tray of Eu and Phi medals from the 19th century

A Eumenean Society badge, which belonged to Joel Mable (class of 1864)

A Eumenean Society badge, which belonged to Joel Mable (class of 1864)

While these are just ideas at the present, we’ll have more news to share in a few months.  Watch this space to see which of these visions becomes a reality!

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, Digital collections, Staff

The Farm at Davidson: Now and Then

October 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

This week is North Carolina Archives Week, and since this year’s theme is “Home Grown: A Celebration of N.C. Food Culture and History,” what better time to delve into the history of farming at Davidson?

Davidson College was founded as a manual labor school, which meant that the earliest students “perfom[ed] manual Labor either agricultural or mechanical in the manner and to the extent determined by the Board of Trustees,” as mandated by March 1839 Constitution of Davidson College. Manual labor was seen as a way of reducing the cost of education and thereby making college affordable to more than the sons of the upper classes, and as a benefit to both the physical and mental heath of students. President Robert Hall Morrison spelled out the societal benefits that manual labor education could bring about in his August 2, 1838 close of term address, stating that:

The efforts of all enlightened men should be combined to improve the moral condition of society by rendering manual labor more reputable and inviting. This is not to be done solely by pronouncing eulogies, but, as time and circumstances will permit, by holding the spade, the axe, the plow, and the plane. Educated men should prove that they are not above doing as well as praising the labor by which society lives.

But while President Morrison waxed poetic on the possibilities of labor, the students had very different feelings. Alexander Bogle (class of 1843), wrote to a friend that “now comes the work which is not so pleasant… We have to work very hard three hours which is the time allotted and you know that it is pretty hard to work that long.”

Page 2 of Bogle's letter, November 22, 1839

Page 2 of Bogle’s letter, November 22, 1839

Similarly, Pinckney B. Chambers (class of 1840) recalled for the Charlotte Daily Observer in 1903 that “The farm work was greatly hampered by the tendency of the mischievous and shiftless to misplace the tools and outwit the overseer.” He was more colorful in his distaste for manual labor in a letter to John M. Sample in 1837, after he had transferred to Caldwell Institute:

There is no labor attached to it. (which is one of God’s blessings) All you have to do is to pay your money and go to school… It is I think a much better school than Davidson College. For several reasons but I will give you but two at present as I am in a great hurry, they are very particular reasons with me, the first is we do not have to work, and the second is we get plenty to eat and that, that is good.

First page of Chambers' letter to Sample, December 9, 1837

First page of Chambers’ letter to Sample, December 9, 1837

By 1841, it was clear that the manual labor system wasn’t achieving its aims – rather than lowering costs and making education more accessible, Davidson was losing money on the endeavor. The Board of Trustees voted to abolish the system, and the college farm experiment came to a close.

More than 170 years later, Davidson students are back on the farm – this time on a voluntary basis, rather than a mandatory one. The Farm at Davidson, purchased in 2008, became a working farm again last fall. The College farm provides sustainable produce for Vail Commons, Davis Cafe, and Much Ado Catering, as well as a space for students and members of the Davidson community to learn about where their food comes from.

 

As Farm Manager Theresa Allen explains, there’s a great deal of student interest in the farm: some students help work the farm, some conduct soil experiments, and some even take naps – a far cry from the manual labor farm days! The farm’s office hours/ work days for this semester are Fridays from 1 to 4 PM, so head over to 1603 Grey Road to check out the veggies you’ll be eating later!

Filed Under: Alumni, College buildings, Student Life

The Honor Code

March 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Davidson Campus, 1850

Davidson Campus, 1850

Recent unpleasant events on campus in Patterson Court and the open, forthright, and direct way in which they were handled got me to thinking about the Honor Code at Davidson. In the beginning formal enforcement of discipline was in the hands of the faculty. In the 1845-46 college catalogue, faculty members’ are given the responsibility to “watch over the morals of the students.” However even then, the Philanthropic and Eumenean Societies acted to enforce an informal code of conduct, with each society creating and enforcing its own internal system.

In the years immediately prior to the Civil War, a practice came into being requiring students to sign a pledge to follow all college rules. All decisions and finding regarding violations were still decided by the faculty, however, and students were not even granted the right to offer a defense of their conduct or to dispute alleged violations.

Man holding a summoning to the Court of Control Money, 7 P.M. in Blue Room. and to wear a coat and tie

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, students gradually gained more control over the enforcement of college rules and the power to deal with violations. In the 1909-10 academic year, a Student Council was formed, and all students were honor bound to report violations to that council.

The first formal Honor Code, prohibited cheating, lying under oath, stealing, and failing to report the aforementioned violations, and the formation of the precursor to the present-day Honor System came into being in 1924. From 1924 to 1958, the Student Council addressed honor code violations, with that authority passing to the newly formed Honor Council in 1959.

The Code of Responsibility, which was said to be founded on “a new philosophy emphasizing individual responsibility and a partnership between faculty, administration and students,” was approved by the Board of Trustees in 1968. The Code of Responsibility and the Honor Cade are now required to be agreed to prior to admission by every student. Today, the Honor Council and Judicial Committee handle Honor violation cases, and all students are expected to embrace an ethos of individual responsibility and contribute actively to the perpetuation of a  community characterized by honesty and integrity.

Davidson College’s Davidson college court councilStatement of Purpose explains that “The primary purpose of Davidson College is to assist students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service.” Davidson’s Student Run Honor Code is an integral part of achieving this goal.

To learn more about the history of the Honor Code at Davidson, read these excellent articles by Chris Knowles and Tammy Ivins:

Knowles, Chris “The Honor Code” and Tammy Ivins [“Faculty and the Modern Honor Code”]. Davidson College. 2005, 16 January 2009. http://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/honor

Filed Under: Campus traditions, College governance, Student Life

Pop Concerts on Campus: 60 Years of Sound

February 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Over the last 60 years the Davidson campus has hosted hundreds of pop music concerts to celebrate Homecoming, Spring Frolics, Mid-Winters Dances, and Patterson Court reveries. Many were sponsored by the Union Board (formed in 1956), while others were brought by various coordinating committees and campus groups. Acts ranged from 1940’s era Big Bands to 80’s Hair Bands, to Punk Rockers and introspective Indie Poppers.

Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band

Davidson has also been a venue for soon-to-be-huge bands early in their careers. English rock band The Police (fronted by Sting) performed in 1979-80, only two years after they formed in 1977. The Dave Matthews Band (DMB) performed here twice. The second time was for a mass audience in 2002-03—by that time DMB was a huge success. But, DMB first played Davidson in 1992-93, before the release of their first album (Remember Two Things, November 9, 1993). The show was sponsored by Patterson Court, but was shut down early, after only two hours, when local Davidson residents and the police called President Kuykendall to complain about the noise.

Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet

Louis Armstrong

We were able to draw world-renowned American jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong to perform four times between 1953 and 1960. The Glenn Miller Band, Tommy Dorsey, and Charlie Spivak also played Davidson in the 1940’s and 50’s. During the 60’s through the 80’s, Davidson saw performances from rock ’n’ roll icons such as The Righteous Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, The Bangles, and REM, as well as shows by blues and jazz artists like Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington, Earl Scruggs, and Wynton Marsalis. From the 1990’s through today, Davidson has seen a diverse array of indie, funk, jam band, and mainstream acts including the Indigo Girls, George Clinton and the P-funk All-Stars, The Counting Crows, Phish, Widespread Panic, Third Eye Blind, and Bob Dylan.

So, Davidsonians and music lovers rejoice! And look forward to the next half-century of good music.

Filed Under: Campus traditions, Student Life

Photo Identification Project

January 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

We have posted several blogs over the last several months about our new Community Space digital crowdsourcing projects. One of the new and interesting projects we have launched is our Photo ID Project. A man sitting on a chair under a tree next to a some small wooden boxes covered with graffiti that says, "No More Hypocrisy"The Davidson College Archives Photograph Identification Project utilizes “crowdsourcing”–where archives and special collections create opportunities for community members to share their skills and knowledge–to help identify certain photographs in our collection for which we have limited information.

Through this project, we rely on interested members from the Davidson community and the general public to share their knowledge with us online in an attempt to gather details on these bits of Davidson’s past.4 men sitting on a bench outside of the "Student Store" featuring a Coca Cola signEvery few weeks, we post 10 new pictures from our unidentified photo files and invite you to look at them and, if you can, help identify the people, places, and events they depict. If you would like to help with the photograph identification project, follow this link and you will be directed to a form in which you can share whatever information you have or just peruse these often unusual photos. A few photos from our most recently posted batch are included here to pique your interest.

Filed Under: Digital collections

W. E. Ardrey Papers

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Davidson College Archives houses the collected papers of a number of noted alumni and faculty. Among these collections is the “W. E. Ardrey Papers.” The Ardrey Papers collection includes biographical information, diaries, petitions, and account ledgers spanning the years 1861 to 1907.  Several of the diaries have been transcribed by Ardrey’s descendants, and those hand typed transcriptions have recently been digitized and made available online in a William Erskine Ardrey digital collection. We are also working on transcribing Ardrey’s other diaries and papers, or more accurately we are asking you to help transcribe them through our online transcription project. The project allows any one anywhere in the world with an interest in transcribing Civil War era manuscripts to access materials online and electronically submit their transcriptions through our Community Space website.

Captain William Erskine Ardrey

Captain
William Erskine
Ardrey

William Erskine Ardrey was born in the Lower Providence area of Mecklenburg County on September 23, 1839 to Dr. William Alexander Ardrey and Lydia Lavinia Potts Ardrey. He was raised on his father’s plantation, called “Forest Home,” and attended the Providence Academy. Ardrey entered Davidson College in 1858, but left the college in 1861, before completing his degree, to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Ardrey’s first enlistment was with Company C of the “Charlotte Grays” of the 1st North Carolina Regiment (General D. H. Hill, commander). In June of 1861, after the Battle of Big Bethel, Ardrey’s Company joined the Confederate Army, where he served as a private for six months. After his service with the Charlotte Grays, Ardrey enlisted, again as a private, in Company K of the 30th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. The Regiment was ultimately assigned to serve in General G.B. Anderson’s, Ramseur’s, and Cox’s Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. The 30th fought in a number of battles, including Seven Pines, Fredericksburg, Rappahannock River, Chancellorsville, Cold Harbor, Mechanicsville (where Ardrey was wounded), and Gettysburg, and marched with General Jubal Early to the Shenandoah Valley. The 30th was also at Appomattox at the time of General Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865. During his service with the 30th Regiment, Ardrey was gradually promoted to the rank of captain and placed in command of Company K.

On January 31, 1865, as the war raged on, Ardrey married his first wife, Mary Margaret Robinson, in Sharon Township, Mecklenburg County. They had four children: James P. Ardrey, William M. Ardrey, Dr. Lucius L. Ardrey, and Mrs. Ida Lydia Ardrey Crowell, all of whom were still living at the time of Ardrey’s death in 1907. Mary Margaret Ardrey died in 1879.

After the death of his first wife in 1879, Ardrey remarried, wedding Mary Elizabeth Howie on July 22, 1880. Their union produced five children who were alive at the time of Ardrey’s death in 1907: Mrs. Emma Ardrey Spratt, Mrs. Alice D. Ardrey Stough, Mrs. Annie Rone Ardrey Tuttle, Robert Holt Ardrey, and Erskine Ardrey.

In addition to earing his living as a planter after the Civil War, Captain Ardrey, as he was commonly referred to, was active in the political and civic life of Mecklenburg County and the state of North Carolina. He organized the Carolina Academy in Providence Township, Mecklenburg Co. in 1872 and taught at the school for several years. In 1874, Ardrey was elected Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and served in that role for ten years. In 1876, Ardrey was also elected as a member of the House for the first post-Civil War Democratic Legislature of North Carolina. He served as a legislator in the North Carolina State House in 1879, 1885, and 1901, and served a term as a North Carolina State Senator in 1891. From 1892-1896, Ardrey was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to serve as Superintendent of the Assay Office of the United States Mint in Charlotte, NC.

Ardrey also served for 40 years as superintendent of the Sunday school at the Harrison Methodist Church, of which he was a member since the age of 15 and at which he was buried after his death on May 20, 1907.

 

Filed Under: Alumni, Town history

Under Lake Norman

November 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

under lake norman mapThe Davidson College Library and Archives has launched Under Lake Norman, an interactive mapping project that falls under the rubric of our Community Space website. This initiative is part of the world of crowdsourcing–where archives and special collections create opportunities for community members to share their skills and knowledge.

For this project, we are looking for images and information about structures or locations that went underwater when the waters of the man-made Lake Norman rose in 1963. The website features an interactive map that includes sites we have identified to date either through historical research or public submissions.

highway 73 bridge   The gravestone of General William Lee Davidson

Help us fill in the map by sending in digital copies of photographs or writing up accounts of places that are now under the lake. As we build the site, we are including pictures and extended essays describing the sites and their historical significance.

people standing outside of elm wood plantationIf you know of any locations that should be added to the Under Lake Norman project, please visit the site and submit them. If you know of classes at your institution, have patrons who would be interested in contributing, or know of local historical societies who might like to help, please share the link: http://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/community/under-lkn/

Filed Under: Digital collections, Lake Norman, Town history

Elm Wood Plantation (Under Lake Norman)

October 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Archives and Special Collections is developing a new crowd-sourcing project under the rubric of our recently launched Community Space website. The new project will be called Under Lake Norman and will focus on…you guessed it!–things that are under Lake Norman.

Specifically, the focus is on sites of some historical interest that were covered when the man-made lake was created between 1959 and 1964. We will post more on the project later, when it launches, but in the meantime we thought it might be nice to share the stories of a few underwater historic sites that we are researching for the project. Today, a brief history of Elm Wood Plantation.

Dr. Chalmers Davidson and history class touring Elm Wood.

Dr. Chalmers Davidson and history class touring Elm Wood.

 

Elm Wood was a, by all accounts beautiful, late Georgian style plantation house built by John Davidson Graham between 1825-1828. The house was situated on a hill above the Catawba river, near the end of present-day Ranger Island Road in Catawba Springs, NC.

John D. Graham was the son of Revolutionary War soldier and iron manufacturer, General Joseph Graham, and a member of one of North Carolina’s most distinguished families. His brother, William A. Graham was Governor of North Carolina (1845-1849), U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the Whig nominee for Vice-President in 1852, and his maternal grandfather, John Davidson, was owner of the Rural Hill plantation (since burned).

Davidson students visiting Elm Wood. The wooden staircase was removed and then lost to a fire.

Davidson students visiting Elm Wood. The wooden staircase was removed and then lost to a fire.

 

Joe Graham, a descendant of John D. Graham, inherited Elm Wood and sold the house and hundreds of surrounding acres to Duke Power during the Great Depression. The Graham family received about $30,000 from the sale, and were allowed to continue living in the home for several decades, until the start of the Lake Norman project in 1959.

In an attempt to preserve the plantation house and save it from being covered by the coming lake, in 1960 Duke Power donated the house to Charles and Winifred Babcock of Winston-Salem. Babcock agreed to dismantle move the brick plantation house to his farm on Indiana Avenue in Winston-Salem, where it was to be reassembled and preserved.

About three months into the relocation project, in April 1961, there was a fire in the barn where the Babcocks were storing the interior components of the plantation house (which had been completely moved by then). With the house’s interior destroyed, the project was abandoned and what remained of the largely disassembled plantation house was left behind to be covered by the waters of Lake Norman.

Filed Under: Lake Norman, Town history

Artifacts

September 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Exploring the material culture of Davidson is an excellent way to get a sense of its history. As part of a larger Institutional Repository project, the Archives and Special Collections department is photographing some of our artifacts. The images below, paired with brief descriptions, provide a peak into different eras and areas of College history.

 

Fraternity Balling Box

A voting box or “balling box” used by Beta Theta Pi for voting in new members; a white ball indicated “yes” and a black ball indicated “no”—to “blackball” a potential member meant to vote to exclude them from the fraternity.

A voting box or “balling box” used by Beta Theta Pi for voting in new members; a white ball indicated “yes” and a black ball indicated “no”—to “blackball” a potential member meant to vote to exclude them from the fraternity.

 

Baseballs from 3 Wildcats’ games in the 1920’s

These three balls are from Davidson Wildcats' baseball games during the 1920's. Larger images and descriptions follow.

These three balls are from Davidson Wildcats’ baseball games during the 1920’s. Larger images and descriptions follow.

 

Baseball from Davidson College with score from a 1923 game between Davidson and Clemson (DC 3, Clemson 2) written on it.

Baseball from Davidson College with score from a 1923 game between Davidson and Clemson (DC 3, Clemson 2) written on it.

 

Baseball from a game against Guilford College in 1928, with team signatures and Pat Crawford listed as Coach.

Baseball from a game against Guilford College in 1928, with team signatures and Pat Crawford listed as Coach.

 

Baseball from a 1923 game. Final score: Davidson College 9, N.C. State 6. The ball is inscribed with the score and with the words “the last ball caught on Sprunt Field.”

Baseball from a 1923 game. Final score: Davidson College 9, N.C. State 6.  The ball is inscribed with the score and with the words “the last ball caught on Sprunt Field.”

 

Davidson College ROTC Insignia and Patch, 1957

The card to which these items are attached indicates that they were designed by a three person student committee (all class of 1956) and that the ROTC Insignia and Patch were first used in 1957.

The card to which these items are attached indicates that they were designed by a three person student committee (all class of 1956) and that the ROTC Insignia and Patch were first used in 1957.

 

Filed Under: Alumni, Athletics, Student organizations

It’s July and Campus is Buzzing

July 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Although Davidson’s primary student population is away for the summer, the campus is still buzzing with education underway. It’s July, and that means that the July Experience program is operating in full swing, which means that Davidson is currently playing host to rising high school juniors and seniors offering “a preview of college life on one of the most beautiful residential campuses in the Southeast.”

From June 30-July 21, these lucky students will sample college life by taking two classes taught by Davidson faculty members, living in the dorms, and experiencing extra-curricular programing sponsored by the college. This year, twelve courses are offered by 10 academic departments ranging from anthropology to chemistry and from music to political science. Furthermore, the July experience students are undertaking workshops on how to apply to colleges and “developing your leadership style,” as well as having a little fun.

This schedule from July 18, 1995 shows the range of activities the July Experience students undertake in a day.

This schedule from July 18, 1995 shows the range of activities the July Experience students undertake in a day.

The July Experience program has been an important part of Davidson in the summertime since 1976, when 45 students made up the first July Experience class. Although the students do not receive a for-credit grade, they are given a grade on the following system:  H (Honors), P (Pass) and F (Failure) and a certificate of completion. More importantly, however the students frequently find that “a powerful summer academic experience can be a valuable addition to a college application and excellent preparation for college.”

Over the years, more and more July Experience alumni have found themselves applying to, and enrolling in, Davidson College after graduation from high school. As one current Davidson student (and former July Experience alumna) explained: “July Experience really helped to cement the idea that Davidson was the perfect place for me. When I arrived on campus freshmen year there were no surprises. I knew where the cafeteria was, how to use the free laundry facilities, and the best ways to get to the lake campus – all the essentials for life at Davidson. But the most rewarding part was that on the first day of orientation I already had a group of 10 or so friends who were also from July Experience. I wasn´t alone. All of this helped ease the transition into college. I never got homesick once and I credit this to the experiences and friendships I made through JE.”

Filed Under: Curriculum
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