1 letter, dated 5 Mar 1870, from "Mary" to her mother. Mary describes her experiences at Vassar College, including needing permission from VC Lady Principal Hannah Lyman to go to Poughkeepsie, and attending a memorable lecture. She mentions an enclosed photograph of herself and some dentist
VC Class Year Unknown,1 letter, dated 5 Mar 1870, from "Mary" to her mother. Mary describes her experiences at Vassar College, including needing permission from VC Lady Principal Hannah Lyman to go to Poughkeepsie, and attending a memorable lecture. She mentions an enclosed photograph of herself and
2 letters, dated 10 Nov and 15 Nov 1868, from "Nellie" to her mother and father. Nellie describes her favorable impressions of Vassar College. Citing her family's probable interest, Nellie details a lecture by Professor Farrar on the history of rifle manufacture, including two diagrams. She includes
1 letter from Nellie G. to Isabel Treadwell Towne. Nellie G. reflects on Towne's absence from Vassar as well as other friends who did not return, expressing her loneliness. Nellie also shares concerns about her own health. She relates news from Vassar, including information about their friends'
1 letter from Robinson to Pres John H. Raymond, including a brief reply. Robinson inquires about adding a class, but Raymond does not allow it.
1 letter from Slocum to Mollie (Mary) A. Parker. Slocum describes her activities during an unexpected vacation granted to the students. For one day, she and twelve other students proposed a trip to West Point with a professor, but Miss Lyman forbid them to go as the trustees would not approve and
1 letter recipient unknown. Stockton describes her Latin, Greek, Mathematics, and English classes along with her opinions of each professor, and asks for a specific book for her Greek class. Stockton writes positively about the girls she is meeting and her friendships. She also discusses auditioning
1 letter from Strong to her brother. She describes the Great Blizzard of 1888, including the college's lack of provisions and professors' inability to hold classes. Strong also includes measurements of the snowfall, its impact on the grounds, and the novelty of cutting paths through the drifts on
1 letter from Taylor to Sue, relationship unknown. She describes her frustration with Miss Lyman, who is immoveable when in opposition to students (unlike more malleable faculty like Dr. Raymond) and will not allow her to drop Latin and take German instead. Miss Lyman also prevents her from walking
1 letter from Teegarden to her cousin Mary A. Starr. She describes her experience staying at Vassar over the Christmas holiday and the daily activities of the students during the break. On Christmas, she writes about attending a service at Christ Church in the City and hosting a Christmas party for
The Archives & Special Collections Library is part of the Vassar College Libraries system. It holds the rare book, manuscript, and archival collections of the college. It collects, preserves, and makes available rare and unique collections, and also engages in teaching and outreach activities. This collection of finding aids describe items in both the Virginia B. Smith Memorial Manuscript Collection and the College Archives.
The Vassar College herbarium holds over 5,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, and algae. Holdings are primarily from northeastern North America, and include collections made by several notable 19th century botanists. To learn more about this project visit the website here.
Vassar College's institutional repository reflects the research and scholarly output of the Vassar College community. It provides access to senior theses, peer reviewed open access articles, and projects from a wide range of disciplines.