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United Church of Christ - Congregational (Grinnell, Iowa) records 1850-2009

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.127
  • Collection

Contains records, finance material, and publications from throughout the history of Grinnell's United Church of Christ-Congregational, roughly 1850-2000s.

(Information gleaned from the UCC's Centennial Booklet, published in 1955, and Memories, Legacies Challenges: 150 Years in the Life of Grinnell's United Church of Christ-Congregational):

In 1854, almost immediately upon their arrival, J.B. Grinnell and the other settlers in the area began worship services. Though they were held as Congregational events, settlers of any faith or creed were welcome at these meetings. One year later, the First Congregational Church of Grinnell was founded. The first permanent church building was constructed in 1860, and the years that followed saw the congregation growing steadily in size. In 1877, the cornerstone for what is now known as the Old Stone Church was laid, and over the next 74 years it would expand to hold 1,000 and host events as prominent as the General Association meeting of the Congregational Christian Church. In 1953, the new church was dedicated, and the UCC has been flourishing there since.

The growth of the church and the town are closely intertwined. The founding members of the church, listed below, were instrumental in developing the town's abolitionist spirit, helping the needy of the town, and bringing Iowa College from Davenport to Grinnell. The character and leadership of the church helped ensure the college's early success, and when the tornado of 1882 struck, the church proved vital to the recovery effort. In the history of the town of Grinnell, it would be difficult to argue that any institution has played a larger role than the Congregational Church.

The charter members of the First Congregational Church of Grinnell:
Rev. J.B. Grinnell, Mrs. Julia A. Grinnell, William R. Ford, Mrs. Lydia W. Ford, Thomas Holyoke, M.D., Mrs. Marc C. Holyoke, Gideon Gardner, Mrs. Naomi Gardner, Anor Scott, Mrs. Harriet B. Scott, Emory S. Bartlett, Sumner Bixby, Mrs. Sarah H. Bixby, Miss Lucy Bixby, Abraham Whitcomb, Mrs. Mary Whitcomb, Levi H. Marsh, Mrs. Charlotte Patterson.

Truman Douglass. Builders of a Commonwealth 1911

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.07
  • Collection

In preparing his book, Pilgrims of Iowa, published in 1911, Truman Douglass compiled extensive biographical information about Congregational ministers in Iowa up to 1900. He had hoped to publish this material in additional volumes to his book, but left only a typed manuscript.  The preface in volume I suggests further sources for information about some of the ministers.

Douglass, Truman O.

Tracy Huling (Class of 1977) Papers

  • US US-IaGG MS 01.215
  • File
  • 1974 - 2015

Papers and memorabilia documenting Tracy's experiences as a Grinnell College student as well as her Prison Public Memory Project.

Huling, Tracy (Class of 1977)

Tony Blair Letter 1992-1993

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.89
  • Collection

This letter, dated May 22, 1992, is form Tony Blair, M.P. in the House of Commons, to Donna Vinter, Director of the Grinnell-in-London program, about the placement of a student. A second letter, dated April 30, 1993, is from Roz Preston, PA to Tony Blair, M.P.

Blair, Tony

Tibbs Family Papers 1936-1962

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.04
  • Collection

The bulk of the collection consists of letters to Mrs. Mamie Tibbs and four of her children from family and friends, the majority written from 1939-1945.  Letters from one family member to another are filed in the folder of the recipient; letters in each folder are arranged chronologically.  There are no letters to or from James or Shirley.  There are a number of letters from Albert to various family members filed in the recipients’ folders.  Other papers include a variety of personal and family cards, announcements, invitations, etc.

The papers were left in the family’s house at 712 Elm Street when they moved and were retrieved by Grinnell College students when some letters blew out of the abandoned house into the neighborhood.  This is not a complete family record and does not give a complete accounting of the family history.  The letters do give some insight into the everyday life and concerns of a black family living in a white community during the 1940s and 1950s and of blacks in the armed forces during and after World War II.

Thomas Cech Papers 1983-1993

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.168
  • Collection

The majority of materials are articles and clippings about Cech's career and work that were saved by his parents. Other materials are programs from speeches given, and notices about awards received.

Cech, Thomas R.

Theodore C Sorensen letter -1963 July 30, 1963

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.90
  • Collection

Consists of a letter written by Theodore Sorenson, Special Counsel to the President (John F. Kennedy) regarding an invitation to participate in a symposium at Grinnell College in November of 1963. Letter dated July 30, 1963.

Sorensen, Theodore C.

The Black Experience at Grinnell College Collection

  • US US-IaGG MS 01.237
  • Collection

This collection of papers and materials seeks to document the experience of black students throughout the history of Grinnell College. The collection was the idea of Dr. Irma McClaurin during her time as a visiting scholar for the month of February 2024.

Student Life

  • US US-IaGG Pamphlet 70
  • Collection

For Faculty Meeting Minutes, see RG-F Series 1.

Shelton Beatty Notes for his History of Grinnell College and its Curriculum to 1931 1929-1943

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.09
  • Collection

The collection consists of typewritten notes Mr. Beatty made for his “History of Grinnell College and its Curriculum to 1931” (August 1955), the original typescript of which is in the Archives 06.1/B38h. The notes are on 5 1⁄2 by 8 1⁄2 sheets filed in four archives boxes (20 linear inches); bibliography cards are filed in Box 2. The information on the notes would be most valuable for a person interested in pre-1931 curricular and academic aspects and in a brief general history of the college. References from which the notes were derived could direct a researcher to more detailed sources. In a 1980 letter Mr. Beatty indicated part of his research was “based on the trunk full of presidential and departmental reports tied each separately in ribbon by Mrs. Minora Rusk, former secretary to several of the earliest presidents (the trunk having been “lost: and covered over under the floor of the treasurer’s office in Magoun or Chicago Hall).”

Beatty, Shelton L.

Sen Katayama Master's Thesis and Collection of Correspondence 1895-1898 1895

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.111
  • Collection

This collection consists of seven handwritten letters from Sen Katayama to L.F. Parker (one with its original envelope), written from 1895-1898, the manuscript copy of Katayama's Master's thesis, and one photocopy of the thesis. Additionally, the collection includes two small notes believed to be from L.F. Parker.

Katayama, Sen (Class of 1892)

Selden Lincoln Whitcomb papers 1883-1906

  • US US-IaGG MS/MS 01.53
  • Collection

Seldon Whitcomb spent most of his life in Grinnell, IA.  He was born here, graduated from Iowa College in 1887, and returned to teach English from 1895-1905.  In this collection are two personal journals, a poetry manuscript, and a notebook of nature observations with a few specimens pressed between the pages.

Selden Lincoln Whitcomb (Class of 1887)

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