Perkins Archives Blog

Oliver Caswell's Journal Entries-1844
A sample of Oliver Caswell's handwriting (1844).
March 19, 2014
Two excerpts from Oliver Caswell's journal written March, 1844 in square hand when he was a teenager.

Petition Against Cold Water Bathing at Perkins Institution, 1872
Handwritten document of the petition
March 12, 2014
Petition signed by 65 individuals to end the practice of cold water bathing at the Perkins Institution on a compulsory basis.

500 lbs of cake for Perkins 150th Anniversary
A group gathered around a gigantic cake that looks like the Perkins Howe building
March 3, 2014
In honor of our 185th anniversary here is a look back at our 150th anniversary celebration.

Committee Resolution on Admittance of Colored Pupils, Perkins Institution, 1833
John Dix Fisher paiting
February 27, 2014
A note about

The story of a Simmons GSLIS Archives Internship in the Perkins Archives, Fall, 2013
color drawing of the Perkins Watertown campus and tower, a daguerreotype of Sophia Carter with a pupil, an illustration of the Howe Memorial Embossing Press, and a newspaper clipping about the Perkins South Boston building.
January 7, 2014
My experience can best be exemplified by my discovery of a theater review for a production of Alice in Wonderland from 1919.

Big thanks to our Fall 2013 Simmons Interns!
Poster for a musical performance of "Les Deux Aveugles: Bouffonnerie Musicale", featuring two men with broad smiles playing musical instruments.
January 6, 2014
Successful collaboration with the archives internship program at Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Davy Crockett visits Perkins Institution, 1834

Advertisement card with Davy Crockett riding two alligator's, one on each foot.
November 18, 2013
Excerpt from Chapter 19, "I Am Welcomed in Boston" by Davy Crockett.

Retirement Napkin, Perkins Music Department, 1944
Red white and blue napkin with an excerpt from "The Lantern" titled "Retirements"
November 12, 2013
Retirement Napkin, Perkins Music Department, 1944

Blotter Paper, 1870
Front and back view of a January, 1870 calendar with advertisement for Harley Newcomb.
November 8, 2013
Back in the days, before writing could commence you would need to blot the tip of the pen to avoid drips and splotches from marring your work.

Building Wreckers at Work on the Old Home of the Perkins Institution, South Boston, 1915
Clip of an article from the Boston Globe
November 5, 2013
Article from The Boston Globe discussing the dismantling of the old Perkins Institution in South Boston.

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