Great Lakes Historical Society collection

Over more than seven decades of collecting, the Great Lakes Historical Society amassed a large research collection touching on many Great Lakes subject areas. The collecting scope of the Society extended to all types of materials, including manuscripts, corporate records, photographs, audio/video recordings, subject files, and others. In addition, GLHS retained the records of its own organization, such as minutes, financial reports, committee proceedings, and correspondence. The collection is organized into six series: Proceedings; Specificatons; the Dana T. Bowen collection; Manuscript Materials; Photographs, Artwork, and Scrapbooks; and Audiovisual Materials.

The Proceedings series contains the organizational records of the GLHS. The bulk of the records are minutes and financial reports for the early years of the GLHS in the 1950s-1960s. Some committee files are also present. Most significant in this series are two of the oldest codes of regulations and bylaws for the GLHS

The next series, Specifications, covers 80 years of shipping company proposals for vessel construction, from the CORALIA in 1896 to 149-foot tankers in 1976. It demonstrates the rapid change in size and design for Great Lakes hulls during that period. Notable specs present are the CITY OF DETROIT III, and PERE MARQUETTE 18, 19, and 20. Information present can include dimensions, cargo capacity, engines, crew accomodations, fuel storage, and structural strength requirements.

A noteworthy portion of GLHS holdings is the files of Dana T. (Thomas) Bowen, a researcher, collector, and author. Bowen published several early, popular books on Great Lakes history: Shipwrecks of the Lakes, Memories of the Lakes, and Lore of the Lakes. While some of Bowen's books manuscripts and professional correspondence are present, the bulk of his collection are his photograph and newspaper scrapbooks of Great Lakes vessels. There are 59 in all. The photographs are a mix of those taken by Bowen and those taken by others. There are also several scrapbooks from others, most notably Carl Rydholm, a career sailor with Cleveland-Cliffs who eventually became its fleet superintendent.

Collecting archives relating to the history of the Great Lakes region since the 1940s has resulted in a wide variety of materials being represented, from shipping company correspondence to vessel data. The first set of records in the Manuscript Materials series is a run of travel brochures and timetables for Great Lakes passenger vessels and ferries spanning 1877-1974. Other large sets of records within the Manuscript Materials are lighthouse subject files, which are arranged alphabetically by lake, and "Other Materials." The Other Materials sub-series represents the majority of the records in this series. Materials include, but are not limited to: vessel data, corporate records, fleet lists, company histories, bills of sale, vessel surveys, and many individual and/or unique items. Smaller sub-series document the loss of the CARL D. BRADLEY in 1958, passenger and crew lists, vessel christenings, and sailor certification and licensing. Of particular note is a set of corporate records from the Bradley Transportation Company, covering the mid-1880s to the late 1900s. These records mostly consist of letterpress books, which contain copies of company correspondence during those years. Many of them have suffered past water damage and are fragile. Nitrile gloves should be worn when handling.

The Photographs, Artwork, and Scrapbooks series is a highlight of the collection. A particularly strong collecting area for the Great Lakes Historical Society has been scrapbooks. Volumes from H.C. Inches (a founding member of GLHS), Claude Porter, and Milton Brown are represented. Brown, in particular, created thirteen of the scrapbooks in this series, mainly of late 19th and early 20th century vessels. While many of the photographs contained within are copies (especially from the prominent Great Lakes photographer Louis Pehsa), there is often additional handwritten metadata included above or below them. Several albums of unique images are included, such as the constrution of the Buffalo harbor breakwater in 1897, Captain Murray's album from the GOVERNOR MILLER for 1941, and one depicting vessels being cut in half at AmShip Buffalo in 1917 for transit to the East Coast. The largest part of this series is the GLHS's Main Photograph Collection. This was primary source of images for the organization's publications for decades. For each vessel represented there may be negatives, positive prints, postcards, and/or slides. Most vessels have one folder of images each, thoughmore famous ones, such as the EDMIND FITZGERALD and NORONIC, have multiple.

The Great Lakes Historical Society has created and collected dozens of audio and video recordings, with most dating from the late 1970s to the middle 2000s. The majority cover two subject areas: GLHS Annual Meetings proceedings and keynotes, and sailing aboard Great Lakes vessels. Notable vessels include KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, WILLIAM G. MATHER, JOSEPH H. THOMPSON, BLACK BAY, and HENRY STEINBRENNER. The most significant media in this series is a set of 1" video reels containing some of the original footage taken during the first survey of the wreck of the EDMUND FITZGERALD in May 1976.

This finding aid represents phase one of two of the processing and decription of the GLHS collection. It is based on the original transfer of materials from GLHS to the HCGL in 2017.