Perkins correspondence collection

Creator:

Perkins School for the Blind

Date Range:

1828-1933

Call Number:

AG53

Abstract:

Incoming correspondence and facsimiles of outgoing correspondence of the Perkins School for the Blind (formerly Perkins Institution). The collection is predominantly general correspondence addressed to the school or to the school director.

Extent:

65 linear feet

Language:

English

Processed by:

Molly Stothert-Maurer, 2015. Updated in 2022 by Jen Hale to indicate rehousing of series 2 from 14 file cartons to 50 manuscript boxes. Updated in 2022 by Susanna Coit to add biographical/historical note.

Biographical/Historical note:

In 1829, Perkins School for the Blind became the first school of its kind in the United States. Inspired by the school founded in Paris in 1784, Dr. John Dix Fisher gathered together a group of fellow Bostonians who advocated successfully for a school in Boston dedicated to the education of pupils who were blind. Contrary to popular perceptions at the time, the school’s founders believed that people who were blind could be educated and could live independently. 

The school opened to students in 1832 under our first director, Samuel Gridley Howe. Students followed a curriculum divided between academic subjects similar to any other school in Boston, and curriculum designed to improve tactile dexterity and provide employment options. Physical activity including daily walks, calisthenics, swimming, and rowing were also an important part of the curriculum. 

In 1837, eight-year old Laura Bridgman came to Perkins to be educated. She would become the first person who was deafblind to complete a formal education. The initiative would bring Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller together 50 years later and would evolve into the Perkins Deafblind School that continues to be a leader in the field today.

High demand required the school to move several times to accommodate more students. In 1912 the Watertown campus opened and was the first home to Perkins designed especially for students who were blind. This campus combined accessible architectural elements with an abundance of outdoor space that helped us improve the quality of services for our students. 

Over the years, Perkins has responded directly to the evolving needs of children who are blind or visually impaired. For example, Perkins expanded its Deafblind Program tenfold in the 1960s in response to the surge of babies born with deafblindness due to the rubella epidemic. With mainstreaming beginning in the 1970s, inclusive public education became the model for students who were blind.

Samuel Gridley Howe

Samuel Gridley Howe (1801-1876) was the founding director of the Perkins School for the Blind. He attended Brown University and Harvard Medical School and was a soldier and surgeon in the Greek War of Independence. He is best remembered for his work with Laura Bridgman, a pupil at Perkins who was deafblind and one of the earliest individuals with deafblindness to learn language, and the first American to do so. Howe was a prominent leader in the field of blindness, printing for the blind, and other social justice and educational reform movements in the United States. He served as director from

Michael Anagnos

Michael Anagnos (formerly Anagnostopoulos) was born November 7, 1837 in Papingo, Greece. Anagnos was a trustee and later second director of the Perkins School for the Blind (then Perkins Institution) from 1876 until his death in 1906. Anagnos was a friend, assistant and son-in-law to Perkins’ founding director Samuel Gridley Howe. In 1886 Anagnos was contacted by Helen Keller’s parents and recommended Anne Sullivan as teacher. He served as a mentor and friend to Sullivan, and wrote frequently about Helen Keller’s progress in the Annual Reports. Anagnos was a successful fundraiser and helped establish the first Kindergarten for the Blind in Jamaica Plain, MA in 1887.

Edward E. Allen

Edward Ellis Allen was born in West Newton, Massachusetts on August 1, 1861. He graduated from Harvard in 1884 and spent the following year at Harvard Medical School. Allen first came to Perkins in 1888 as a teacher and headmaster. Two years later, he moved on to become principal and director of the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. Allen returned to Perkins School for the Blind in 1907 to serve as Director of the school. While Director, he oversaw the design and construction of a new campus in Watertown, Massachusetts. Using his experience at Overbrook, he designed the school to better accommodate people with visual impairments. Allen served as Director of Perkins until his retirement in 1931.

Gabriel Farrell

Dr. Gabriel Farrell, an ordained Minister, served as the fourth Director of the Perkins School for the Blind from 1931- 1951. As director he revitalized the deafblind program, establishing the Perkins Pension Plan, oversaw the re-design of the Perkins Brailler, created a co-educational program for the once segregated boys and girls deafblind program, and taught teacher training courses at Harvard University. Dr. Farrell is the author of The Story of Blindness, published in 1956. After retiring from Perkins in 1951, he returned to the Episcopal Church where he continued to work in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Farrell died in 1968.

Restrictions:

The Perkins Archives reserves the right to deny physical access to materials available in a digital format. 

Copyright:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Perkins School for the Blind, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Credit line/Citation:

AG53 Perkins Correspondence Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

Scope/Contents:

The collection contains incoming correspondence and facsimiles of outgoing correspondence of the Perkins School for the Blind (formerly Perkins Institution). The collection is predominantly general correspondence addressed to the school or to the school director. The correspondence spans four directors: Samuel Gridley Howe (1831-1876), Michael Anagnos (1876-1906), Edward E. Allen (1907-1931) and Gabriel Farrell (1931-1951).

Arrangement:

• Series 1: Incoming Correspondence- bound volumes, item level index
• Series 2: Incoming Correspondence- boxed, organized alphabetically
• Series 3: Sent Correspondence- facsimiles in bound volumes
• Series 4: Correspondence- bound volumes, by topic

Related collections:

AG58 Kindergarten for the Blind Correspondence Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

AG1 Edward E. Allen Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

AG5 Gabriel Farrell Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

AG9 Michael Anagnos Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

AG18 Samuel Gridley Howe Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

Container List:

Series 1: Incoming Correspondence- bound volumes, item level index

Incoming correspondence bound into volumes with an alphabetical index.

• Volume 1, 1828-1835
• Volume 2, 1836-1837
• Volume 3, 1838-1839
• Volume 4, 1840-1841 
• Volume 5, 1842-1843
• Volume 6, 1844-1845
• Volume 7, 1846-1847
• Volume 8, 1848-1849
• Volume 9, 1850-1851
• Volume 10, 1852-1853
• Volume 11, 1854-1855
• Volume 12, 1856-1857
• Volume 13, 1858-1860
• Volume 14, 1861-1863
• Volume 15, 1864-1867
• Volume 16, 1868-1869
• Volume 17, 1869-1870
• Volume 18, 1870-1871
• Volume 19, 1871-1872
• Volume 20, 1872-1873
• Volume 21, 1873-1874
• Volume 22, 1875-1876
• Volume 23, 1876-1877
• Volume 24, 1877-1878
• Volume 25, 1878-1879
• Volume 26, 1880-1881
• Volume 27, 1881-1882
• Volume 28, 1882-1883
• Volume 29, 1883
• Volume 30, 1884, part 1
• Volume 31, 1884, part 2
• Volume 32, 1884-1885
• Volume 33, 1885
• Volume 34, 1885-1886
• Volume 35, 1886
• Volume 36, 1886-1887
• Volume 37, 1887
• Volume 38, 1887-1888
• Volume 39, 1888, January-May
• Volume 40, 1888 May-November
• Volume 41, 1888-1889
• Volume 42, 1889
• Volume 43, 1890, January-May
• Volume 44, 1890, June-December
• Volume 45, 1891, January-June
• Volume 46, 1891, July-December
• Volume 47, 1892, January-June
• Volume 48, 1892, July-December
• Volume 49, 1893, January-June
• Volume 50, 1893, July-December
• Volume 51, 1894, January-June
• Volume 52, 1894, July-December
• Volume 53, 1895, January-June
• Volume 54, 1895, July-December
• Volume 55, 1896, January-June
• Volume 56, 1896, July-December
• Volume 57, 1897, January-June
• Volume 58, 1897, July-December
• Volume 59, 1898, January-June
• Volume 60, 1898, July-December
• Volume 61, 1899, January-June
• Volume 62, 1899, July-December
• Volume 63, 1900, January-June
• Volume 64, 1900, July-December
• Volume 65, 1901, January-June
• Volume 66, 1901, July-December
• Volume 67, 1902, January-June
• Volume 68, 1902, July-December
• Volume 69, 1903, January-April
• Volume 70, 1903, May-August
• Volume 71, 1903, September-December
• Volume 72, 1904, January-April
• Volume 73, 1904, May-August
• Volume 74, 1904, September-December
• Volume 75, 1905, January-April
• Volume 76, 1905, May-August
• Volume 77, 1905, September-December
• Volume 78, 1906, January-April
• Volume 79, 1906, May-August
• Volume 80, 1906, September-December
• Volume 81, 1907, January-June
• Volume 82, 1907, July-September
• Volume 83, 1907, October-December
• Volume 84, 1908, January-March
• Volume 85, 1908, April-June
• Volume 86, 1908, July-September
• Volume 87, 1908, October-December
• Volume 88, 1909, January-March
• Volume 89, 1909, April-June
• Volume 90, 1909, July-September
• Volume 91, 1909, October-December
• Volume 92, 1910, January-March
• Volume 93, 1910, April-June
• Volume 94, 1910, July-September
• Volume 95, 1910, October-December

Series 2: Incoming Correspondence- boxed, organized alphabetically

Organized alphabetically by year and numerically by case within. No index or additional access points.

• Box 1: January 1911 A-C – July 1911 A-D, case 5: folders 1-7
• Box 2: April 1911 E-L – September 1911 E-M, case 5: folders 8-13
• Box 3: July 1911 N-Z – March 1912 A-F, case 5: folders 14-20
• Box 4: January 1912 G-D – March 1912 Q-Z, case 5, folders 21-22
• Box 5: April 1912 A-F – September 1912 G-M, cases 6-7, folders 1-7

• Box 6: July 1912 N-Z – December 1912 S-Z, cases 7-8, folders 8-13
• Box 7: January 1913 A-G – March 1913 H-N, case 9, folders 14-16
• Box 8: January 1913 O-Z – June 1913 O-Z, cases 9-10, folders 17-21
• Box 9: July 1913 A-D-January, 1914 A-E, cases 11-12, folders 1-7
• Box 10: November 1913 F-N – April 1914 Q-Z, cases 12-13, folders 8-10
• Box 11: May 1914 A-F – November 1914 A-F, cases 14-15, folders 14-19
• Box 12: September 1914 G-N – November 1914 O-Z, case 15, folders 20-21

• Box 13: December 1914 A-D – May 1915 G-M, cases 16-17, folders 1-8
• Box 14: March 1915 M-S – December 1915 A-C, cases 17-19, folders9-18
• Box 15: October 1915 D-L – March 1916 S-Z, cases 19-20, folders 18-25
• Box 16: April 1916 A-C – September 1916 E-L, cases 21-22, folders 1-8
• Box 17: July 1916 M-R – January 1917 S-Z, cases 22-23, folders 9-15
• Box 18: February 1917 A-F – September 1917 D-H, cases 24-25, folders 16-23
• Box 19: June 1917 I-P – September 1917 Q-Z, case 25, folders 24-25
• Box 20: October 1917 A-C – January 1918 D-J, case 26, folders 1-3
• Box 21: October 1917 K-R – May 1918 S-Z, cases 26-27, folders 4-10
• Box 22: June 1918 A-F – February 1919 F-H, cases 28-29, folders 11-18
• Box 23: October 1918 I-R – June 1919 U-Z, cases 29-30, folders 19-25
• Box 24: July 1919 A-C – April 1920 F-J, cases 31-32, folders 1-8
• Box 25: December 1919 K-R – September 1920 Q-Z, cases 32-33, folders 9-15
• Box 26: October 1920 A-E – June 1921 E-H, cases 34-35, folders 16-23
• Box 27: February 1921 I-R – June 1921 S-Z, case 35, folders 24-25
• Box 28: July 1921 A-C – September 1921 D-H, case 36, folders 1-3
• Box 29: July 1921 I-R – February 1922 Q-Z, cases 36-37, folders 4-10
• Box 30: February 1922 A-C – September 1922 D-H, cases 38-39, folders 11-18
• Box 31: June 1922 I-M – January 1923 S-Z, cases 39-40, folders 18a-24
• Box 32: February 1923 A-D – September 1923 K-R, cases 41-42, folders 1-9
• Box 33: June 1923 S-Z – June 1924 A-D, cases 42-44, folders 10-17
• Box 34: March 1924 E-L – October 1924 T-Z, cases 44-45, folders 18-25
• Box 35: November 1924 A-C – August 1925 D-J, cases 46-47, folders 1-8
• Box 36: April 1925 K-P – April 1926 A-D, cases 47-49, folders 9-17
• Box 37: December 1925 E-J – June 1926 Q-Z, cases 49-50, folders 18-25
• Box 38: July 1926 A-C – January 1927 E-L, cases 51-52, folders 1-8
• Box 39: October 1926 M-R – May 1927 Q-Z, cases 52-53, folders 9-16
• Box 40: June 1927 A-B – November 1927 D-J, cases 54-55, folders 17-24
• Box 41: September 1927 K-P – November 1927 Q-Z, case 55, folders 15-26
• Box 42: December 1927 A-D – May 1928 M-S, cases 56-57, folders 1-9
• Box 43: March 1928 T-Z – January 1929 A-C, cases 57-59, folders 10-17
• Box 44: October 1928 D-J – April 1929 T-Z, cases 59-60, folders 18-25
• Box 45: May 1929 A-C – November 1929 D-J, cases 61-62, folders 1-8
• Box 46: September 1929 K-P – February 1930 T-Z, cases 62-63, folders 9-16
• Box 47: April 1930 A-C – October 1930 D-H, cases 64-65, folders 17-23
• Box 48: July 1930 I-P – October 1930 Q-Z, case 65, folders 24-25
• Box 49: November 1930 A-E – April 1931 E-J, case 66-67, folders 1-8
• Box 50: February 1931 I-P – June 1931 N-Z, case 67-68, folders 9-14

Series 3: Sent Correspondence- facsimiles in bound volumes

Early volumes contain handwritten transcripts. Later facsimiles are made through a wet transfer process into a letter copying book. Many volumes contain an alphabetical index of addressees.

• Volume 96, 1833-1836
• Volume 97, September, 1866-December, 1838
• Volume 98, January, 1839-March, 1841
• Volume 99, April, 1841-June, 1845
• Volume 100,1842-1844 (repurposed ledger book-first ¼ used by George Weller, Tailor)
• Volume 101, June, 1845-November, 1848
• Volume 102, November, 1848-May, 1853
• Volume 103, June, 1853-March, 1858
• Volume 104, March, 1858-June, 1861
• Volume 105, January, 1862-August, 1868
• Volume 106, September, 1868-January, 1870
• Volume 107, January, 1870-June, 1871
• Volume 108, January, 1870-October, 1871
• Volume 109, June, 1871-June, 1874
• Volume 110, June, 1874-March, 1877
• Volume 111, March, 1877-December, 1878
• Volume 112, 1879-1880
• Volume 113, August, 1880-May, 1882
• Volume 114, May, 1882-September, 1883
• Volume 115, September, 1883-March, 1886
• Volume 116, March, 1886-August, 1888
• Volume 117, September, 1888-May, 1890
• Volume 118, May, 1890-March, 1892
• Volume 119, April, 1892-April, 1894
• Volume 120, April, 1894-January, 1896
• Volume 121, January, 1896-October, 1897
• Volume 122, October, 1897-June, 1899
• Volume 123, June, 1899-March, 1901
• Volume 124, March 1901, August, 1902
• Volume 125, August 1902-March, 1904
• Volume 126, March, 1904-February, 1906
• Volume 127, February 1906-February, 1908
• Volume 128, February 1908-September, 1909
• Volume 129, September, 1909-May, 1911
• Volume 130, May, 1911-May, 1913
• Volume 131, May, 1913-December, 1915
• Volume 132, December, 1915-March, 1918
• Volume 133, March, 1918-April, 1920
• Volume 134, April 1920-February, 1922
• Volume 135, February, 1922-November, 1923
• Volume 136, November, 1923-August, 1925
• Volume 137, August, 1925-February, 1927 
• Volume 138, February, 1927-August, 1928
• Volume 139, August, 1928-January, 1930
• Volume 140, January, 1930-June, 1931

Series 4: Correspondence- bound volumes, by topic

Incoming or outgoing correspondence books separated by topic/project.

• Volume 141, 1874-1933, Incoming concerning Annual Reports
• Volume 142, January 1890-January, 1928, sent facsimiles concerning Annual Reports
• Volume 143, January, 1890-April, 1909, sent facsimiles to officials
• Volume 144, 1897-1902, sent facsimiles, concerning “Engagements” (Employment/Hiring)
• Volume 145, 1901-1914, sent facsimiles, contents related to ordering books/library
• Volume 146, 1902-1916, sent facsimiles, concerning Home Teaching/Adult Blind
• Volume 147, 1909-1932, sent facsimiles to state Boards of Education

Subject headings:

• Perkins School for the Blind.
• Perkins School for the Blind–History.
• Blind–Education
• Anagnos, Michael, 1837-1906
• Farrell, Gabriel
• Howe, S. G. (Samuel Gridley), 1801-1876
• Allen, Edward E. (Edward Ellis), 1861-1950

Existence and Location of Copies

Links to digitized reproductions of the collection on the Internet Archive and select digital reproductions with full transcriptions on Perkins Archives Flickr are available on the digitized Perkins Correspondence collection guide.