George D. Smith Papers, ca.1890-1925 | Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

By Kyle Beeler

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Collection Overview

Title: George D. Smith Papers, ca.1890-1925

Predominant Dates:1920s

Primary Creator: Smith, George D. (1865-1940)

Extent: 1.19 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 05/04/2012

Subjects: Ferns--Kentucky., Natural history--Kentucky., Wild flowers--Kentucky.

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection is composed of essays and short stories about nature and ecology as well as photographs of nature. The photographs include a large collection of magic lantern slides that consist of wooded areas, the Red River Gorge, Cumberland Falls, etc. taken during EKU class excursions as well as many photographs of plants, mushrooms, lichens, birds and wildlife. There is also a set of photos showing Dr. Smith's peach orchard from planting to harvest and another set of baby photos of Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College faculty and staff.

Dr. Smith believed that the young people of the early 20th century were "very deficient in a first hand acquaintance with the commonest things in nature" and attempted to create in his students an interest and "a burning desire" to know about nature. The short stories and essays written by Dr. Smith include the manuscript of a book he hoped to publish, "Back to Nature in Pictures and Story," as well as other stories. Some of the stories mention community members such as Cassius M. Clay or students such as Earle Combs. One story describes an excursion he took with his students and another inventories ferns that he photographed. Dr. Smith's essays show his love of nature and the outdoors as he writes about the flora and fauna of the locations he hikes.

The photographs in this collection were pieced together from various other collections by using the handwriting on the back of the photos. A portion of the collection, including the magic lantern slides, came from the Dorris Museum collection and those have the number 668 penciled in on the back. A number of the lantern slides are copies of baby photos of Eastern faculty and students from the 1920s and 1930s.

Subject/Index Terms

Ferns--Kentucky.
Natural history--Kentucky.
Wild flowers--Kentucky.

Administrative Information

Repository: Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

Acquisition Source: Unknown

Finding Aid Revision History: Short stories and magic lantern slides were added to the photographs in the collection 18 Nov 2013.

Other Note: Photographs were initially numbered with the accession number; however, a decision was made to change to collection number. The database was changed, but the numbers written on the images were not changed.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Essays and Stories],
[Series 2: Photographs],
[All]

Series 1: Essays and Stories

Box 1

Barcode: 31234014045908

Folder 2: Amphibians, Birds Reptiles

Item 1: Billie
Item 2: The Courtship of Billie and Mandy/The Courtship of Billie Bufo/Animal Courtship: Three similar short stories with different titles.
Item 3: Billie and Manda Toad's Children
Item 4: Billie and Manda Toad's Relatives
Item 5: Motherly Love
Item 6: Robin Redbreast
Item 7: The Tragedy of Life
Item 8: Back to Nature Thru Pictures and Story
Item 9: Preface to back to nature
Item 10: The Kentucky Thorobred [Thoroughbred]
Item 11: Faithful Rover
Item 12: The Last Warning of the Rattler
Item 13: The Death of Beautiful Roy
Item 14: The Tragedy of the Passenger Pigeon
Item 15: Tim the Terrible

Folder 3: Back to Nature Thru Pictures and Story

Item 1: Silverstreak of Templeton Swamp
Item 2: The Old Clearing
Item 3: A Trip to the Old Maid's Kitchen/ A Ramble thru the Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 4: Lichens
Item 5: Bird Courtship, 3-Dec-21
Item 6: Mrs. Fuzzie, Queen of the Clover Patch
Item 7: A Shower of Toads
Item 8: Tom and his relatives ...
Item 9: The Heart of Nature

Folder 4: Excursions

Item 1: The greatest discovery of the age
Item 2: A Hunting Trip in Search of the little giant
Item 3: Legend of the dirty thumb-spot
Item 4: Saturday excursions
Item 5: A Trip to Copley Swamp
Item 6: Trip to Boonesboro and Natural Bridge

Folder 5: Flora

Item 1: Among the ferns
Item 2: Flowers
Item 3: Forestry
Item 4: Beauties of the flower world
Item 5: Legend of the Indian pipe

Folder 6: Horticulture

Item 1: Setting trees by dynamite
Item 2: My first peach tree
Item 3: Preventing the winter kill of peach buds
Item 4: Cooperation
Item 5: How I Succeeded in Raising Watermelons on clay soil

Folder 7: Insects

Item 1: Cutting the bee tree
Item 2: A great mountain feud
Item 3: A Great Swarm of the seventeen year cicada
Item 4: Marriage flight of Queen Antie and her friends/Marriage flight of the Black Queen
Item 5: Migration of the Monarch
Item 6: Argiope and her relatives
Item 7: The singing scorpion and the spider
Item 8: Storming the castle of Queen Baldface

Folder 8: Mammals

Item 1: Bess, the razorback
Item 2: Billie O'Possum
Item 3: Lovely Joe
Item 4: The Mountain Wizard
Item 5: Nimbo, the red fox of the Bluegrass.
Item 6: The panther of Big Hill
Item 7: Playing possum
Item 8: Riding the two-year-old steer
Item 9: The white fawn

Folder 9: Mushrooms

Item 1: Mushroom Camping Cowbell Hollow

Folder 10: Religion

Item 1: Common sense view of evolution
Item 2: Traditional origin of the belief in the transmigration of souls

Box 2

Barcode: 31234014045890

Folder 1: Stories

Stories, often written in first person, but seemingly the words of someone other than the author. Names mentioned are Hugh Porter, Maude S. Caperton, Earle Combs and Cassius M. Clay.

Item 1: The Impatience of youth
Item 2: One day in the field with a mossback
Item 3: Bill's first bicycle
Item 4: My silent partners
Item 5: Tom and I
Item 6: Untitled Stories about Eastern
Item 7: Making a world record
Item 8: Aunt Debbie's story of the great tragedy
Item 9: The great tragedy
Item 10: Story of the corpse

Series 2: Photographs

Sub-Series 1: Prints

Box 2

Barcode: 31234014045890

Folder 2: Photographs, 1910-1920s

Item 254: Natural Bridge: Photo of Natural Bridge in Powell County.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 255: Natural Bridge: Photo of Natural Bridge in Powell County.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 256: Group Photo at Cave: Group photo in front of the cave at Natural Bridge.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 257: Natural Bridge: Photo of Natural Bridge in Powell County.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 258: Natural Bridge
Item 259: Cumberland Falls: Photo of a waterfall.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 260: Cumberland Falls: Photo of Cumberland Falls.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 261: Upper Falls: Photo of upper falls at Cumberland Falls.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 262: Cumberland Falls: Distant photo of Cumberland Falls.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 4x6
Item 263: Cliff: Photo of a cliff and woods.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 264: EKU Class Excursion, 1920s: EKU class excursions at the entrance to Natural Bridge.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 4x4
Item 265: EKU Class Excursion, 1915 ca: EKU class excursions at the entrance to Natural Bridge.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 266: EKU Class Excursion, circa 1920: At Balanced Rock on the trail to Natural Bridge.
Item 267: EKU Class Excursion, circa 1920: At Balanced Rock on the trail to Natural Bridge.
Item 268: Barge Party: Photo of people attending a barge party.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x4
Item 269: Kentucky River: Confluence of the Dix and Kentucky Rivers.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 6x8
Item 270: Fox Hunt: Photo of people participating in a fox hunt.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 271: Eastern Class Excursion, circa 1920: Entrance to Natural Bridge; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 272: Peach Orchard: Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 273: Peach Orchard, 1914: Picture of three men in a field budding peaches.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 274: Peach Orchard, 1910: Picture of nine men with tools ready to plant Smith's first orchard.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 3x5
Item 275: Peaches: Picture of peaches filling numerous baskets.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x7
Item 276: Aerial Photo: Aerial picture of woods and a river.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 5x4
Item 277: Johnson's Island, Lake Erie: Construction site showing men and machinery.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 4x5
Item 278: Huron River, Michigan: Wetland ecology beside the river.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 4x5
Item 279: East Pinnacle, Berea KY: View of the valley from the East Pinnacle.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 4x5
Item 280: Logging: Photo of an area in the Kentucky mountains that appears to have been logged.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 281: Burnam Hall: A photo of Burnam Hall on campus.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 282: Oyster Mushroom: A photo of oyster mushrooms on a tree.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 283: Roses: Photo of roses that have been colored in pink.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 284: George D. Smith: A photo of George Smith relaxing in a chair outside under a "giant" mushroom.; Creator: George D. Smith; Physical Description: 8x10
Item 285: Natural Bridge, 1915 ca: Natural Bridge in Powell County.
Item 286: Jersey Calf
Item 287: Lilly of the Valley
Item 288: Cuyahoga River
Item 289: The Country, Ohio: Two women on a bridge over a stream.
Item 290: OSU Laboratory at Cedar Pt., Ohio, circa 1905

Sub-Series 2: Magic Lantern Slides

Box 3

Barcode: 31234014045882

Item 1: Cuyahoga Falls
Item 2: The Towers of Cuyahoga
Item 3: Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 4: Cuyahoga Gorge below the falls
Item 5: Cuyahoga Gorge with large icicles
Item 6: Macey Rocks in the gorge
Item 7: Rocks in the Cuyahoga gorge
Item 8: Cuyahoga River
Item 9: Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 10: Cuyahoga Gorge in summer
Item 11: Foot bridge across Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 12: Cuyahoga Gorge in winter
Item 13: Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 14: Storm in Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 15: Cuyahoga River
Item 16: Tapping rubber trees
Item 17: Crude Rubber
Item 18: Curing Crude Rubber
Item 19: Shipping Crude Rubber
Item 20: Inspecting and melting (?) room
Item 21: Milling apparatus
Item 22: Pressing Machine
Item 23: Pressing room
Item 24: Pressing room
Item 25: Making tires
Item 26: Variety of Rubber Machinery
Item 27: Belt and Folding room
Item 28: Tire Room
Item 29: Measuring Room
Item 30: Pressing Rubber
Item 31: Tire and Store Room
Item 32: Akron Ohio
Item 33: Laborers at Akron Pottery
Item 34: A Fine Residence in Akron
Item 35: Hale's Sugar camp
Item 36: Hale's Sugar camp
Item 37: Hale's Sugar camp
Item 38: Hales Sugar Camp
Item 39: Sand Dune at Cedar Point, Ohio
Item 40: Flood on the Ohio in 1912
Item 41: Ironworks
Item 42: A Big Sawmill and Shipyard
Item 43: Cyclone Result
Item 44: Cyclone Result
Item 45: After Hurricane
Item 46: Lake Steamer
Item 47: White Caps on Lake Erie
Item 48: Unload and Works of Lake Erie
Item 49: Boulders on shores of Put-In-Bay
Item 50: Put-In Bay Island
Item 51: Put-In Bay Island
Item 52: Pigeon holes on Honeycomb Cliffs Boston Ledges Ohio
Item 53: Erosion on the Huron
Item 54: Erosion
Item 55: Gravel Bank, Ann Arbor

Box 4

Barcode: 31234014045858

Item 56: Glacial Grooves Lake Erie
Item 57: Glacial Groove Kellys Island
Item 58: Glacial Groove South Bass Island
Item 59: Glacial Groove Kellys Island
Item 60: Glacial Groove Kellys Island
Item 61: Glacial Groove Johnsons Island
Item 62: Cliff at the entrance of the Garden of the Gods
Item 63: A winding stream
Item 64: Little Miami Gorge, Clifton Ohio
Item 65: Berea Flagstone Quarry
Item 66: Berea Flagstone
Item 67: Mountain Path Beyond Berea
Item 68: East Pinnacles By Berea
Item 69: East Pinnacles looking toward Pilot Knob
Item 70: Conglomerate at East Pinnacle
Item 71: Lexington Crematory
Item 72: Phosphate works between Lexington and Louisville
Item 73: Phosphate beds
Item 74: Dairying Menominee Agricultural School
Item 75: Ucon River Valley
Item 76: Out From Santa Rosa, California
Item 77: View on the Monongahala
Item 78: Put-In Bay Island
Item 79: An Australian Scene
Item 80: Doodle Bug Holes
Item 81: Doodle Bug Holes
Item 82: Doodle Bug Holes Aphis (?) Lion
Item 83: Hybrid Plums
Item 84: Ferns
Item 85: Horsetail
Item 86: Racoons
Item 87: An avenue of trees in Florida
Item 88: Lecidia Columbina
Item 89: A hybrid plum 500 as large as one of the cross
Item 90: Muscat Grapes
Item 91: Tyka Graapes
Item 92: San Jose Scale
Item 93: Rome Beauty Apple
Item 94: Orange
Item 95: Pomegranate
Item 96: Boxed Apples
Item 97: Train of Apples at an Apple Show
Item 98: Indian Peach
Item 99: Planting Peaches
Item 100: Raspberry
Item 101: Maiden Ridge Peaches Growing
Item 102: Blackberry and Raspberry Hybrids of Burbank
Item 103: Burbank Potato
Item 104: Lichen Study in Cowbell
Item 105: Cattle on a hill
Item 106: Poland China Hogs
Item 107: Cactus in Texas
Item 108: A School named for Luther Burbank

Box 5

Barcode: 31234014045866

Item 109: G. D. Smith under his favorite mushroom
Item 110: Lycoperdon Wrightii
Item 111: Omphalia Campanella
Item 112: Boletus Reti(?)
Item 113: Burbank's Proving Ground
Item 114: Paper Shell Peacon
Item 115: Chrysalis of Monarch Butterfly
Item 116: Butterflies
Item 117: Regal Moth Larva
Item 118: Coddling Moth
Item 119: Metallic Woodboring Beetle
Item 120: Garden Spider
Item 121: Black Snake in the Gorge
Item 122: Snapping Turtal
Item 123: Coprinus Comatus
Item 124: Fiber of the Smallest cactus
Item 125: Morchella Esculenta
Item 126: Mistletoe in Fruit
Item 127: Hepatica Triloba
Item 128: California Hybrid Poppies
Item 129: Burbank Rose
Item 130: Fruit of the early Dandelion or Coltsfoot
Item 131: The Shining Cactus
Item 132: Wild Swet Potato Vine
Item 133: Ivory or Mountain Laurel
Item 134: Chinese Lily with Nectar cups
Item 135: Plu.(?)fontana
Item 136: Lily Pads
Item 137: Canoe Birch.
Item 138: Mossagate (Montana)
Item 139: The root of a tree in Canada
Item 140: Nersery Stock
Item 141: Paper Birch Tree
Item 142: Red Oak and Hickory
Item 143: Eucalypts Trees Forest,Los Angeles
Item 144: Royal Walnut of Burbank
Item 145: Polyporus Salicinus
Item 146: Boleus Luridus
Item 147: Burbank's seedling cacti
Item 148: Mayapple
Item 149: Pithces Plant
Item 150: Marsh Vetchling, My first Slide, 1902
Item 151: Clam Borers on boats
Item 152: Hydnum Coralloides
Item 153: Salt Crystal from Barberton
Item 154: Spawn
Item 155: Cladonia Squamosa
Item 156: Eagle Lichen
Item 157: Parmelia Brunea
Item 158: Parmelia
Item 159: Pertusaria Rugosa

Box 6

Barcode: 31234014045825

Item 160: Lecanora Hagenii
Item 161: Amphiloma Lanuginosum
Item 162: Yellow Breasted Warbler
Item 163: Meadowlarks Nest
Item 164: Zoned-tailed Hawk
Item 165: Yellow Breasted Chat
Item 166: Jay's Nest
Item 167: Robin Snipe
Item 168: Young Doves
Item 169: Scissortail Flycatcher
Item 170: American Coot
Item 171: Killdeer
Item 172: White-Crowned Sparrow
Item 173: Barn Swallow
Item 174: Cockle Bur
Item 175: Boy's playing softball at EKU
Item 176: Model School
Item 177: 1927 Model School
Item 178: Barge Party on the Kentucky
Item 179: Men's club at Eastern
Item 180: Lake Reba
Item 181: Class Excursion to Lincoln's Birth Place
Item 182: Faculty and Students circa 1920
Item 183: One room school house at Eastern
Item 184: Brock Auditorium
Item 185: Brock Auditorium
Item 186: Sullivan Hall
Item 187: Eastern Campus
Item 188: Eastern Campus
Item 189: Burnam Hall
Item 190: New Burnam Hall
Item 191: Campus and Roark building
Item 192: Campus North West Corner
Item 193: Roark in Winter
Item 194: Sullivan Hall
Item 195: Mary Adams
Item 196: Mr. Ault
Item 197: Fred Ballou
Item 198: Bennett
Item 199: G.M. Brock
Item 200: Harvey Brock
Item 201: Mr. Bryant
Item 202: Miss Buchanan
Item 203: Miss Buchanan
Item 204: Dr. Clark
Item 205: Mr. Cox
Item 206: Marion Dailey
Item 207: Augusta Daugherty
Item 208: Denison
Item 209: Mr. Dennison
Item 210: Miss Derrick
Item 211: Dix

Box 7

Barcode: 31234014045833

Item 212: President Donovan
Item 213: Mrs. Donovan
Item 214: Miss Dunnigan
Item 215: Mr. Engle
Item 216: Dr. Farris
Item 217: Mrs. Griggs
Item 218: Dr. Herndon
Item 219: Miss Hillyer
Item 220: Miss Hillyer
Item 221: Miss Hood
Item 222: Mrs. Hume
Item 223: Dr. Hummel
Item 224: Faery Jones
Item 225: Mr. Keene
Item 226: Mr. Keith
Item 227: Mrs. Keith
Item 228: Dr. Kennamer
Item 229: Krick
Item 230: Francis Mason
Item 231: Mr. McConnell
Item 232: Miss McIlvain
Item 233: Inez McKinley
Item 234: McKinney
Item 235: McKinney
Item 236: Miss E. Mebane
Item 237: Miller
Item 238: Morgen
Item 239: Smith Park
Item 240: Van Pearson
Item 241: Mrs. Perry
Item 242: Portwood
Item 243: R.R. Richards
Item 244: Miss Richardson
Item 245: Ruby Sears
Item 246: Mr. Smith
Item 247: Sullivan
Item 248: Mrs. Tyng
Item 249: Maime Waltz
Item 250: White
Item 251: Whitehead
Item 252: Germania Wingo
Item 253: Unknown boy with dog and pony
Item 291: War Dogs: Soldiers with dogs
Item 292: Among the Cliffs in the Cuyahoga Gorge
Item 293: Cuyahoga River
Item 294: Storm on Lake Erie
Item 295: Glacial Ground in Put-in-Bay
Item 296: Coral
Item 297: A Peach
Item 298: China Painting (Pottery)
Item 299: Inspecting Crude Rubber

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Essays and Stories],
[Series 2: Photographs],
[All]