Hugh Mahaffey Travel Journals, 1939-1969 | Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

By Aaron Moore

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Collection Overview

Title: Hugh Mahaffey Travel Journals, 1939-1969

Primary Creator: Mahaffey, Hugh (1904-1999)

Extent: 0.22 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 11/14/2023

Subjects: Alaska., China., Mexico., Travel., Voyages and travels.

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection contains the diaries and travelogs of Dr. Hugh Mahaffey, a physician based in Richmond who documented his travels around the world from 1939-1969 . Included in this collection are his tours across Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, East Asia and the Pacific. Besides his impressions of the various places and cultures he visited, his writings give a glimpse into the social attitudes of his time, such as racial injustice in the Deep South and the cultural revolution that rocked China and the world. These journals also include brief historical sketches and even copied books about the places he visited.

Biographical Note

Dr. Hugh Mahaffey (1904-1999) was a physician and surgeon who lived most of his life in Richmond, Kentucky. Born in Owsley County, Dr. Mahaffey graduated from Berea College in 1924 and recieved his MD from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1928. After serving as a Major in the U.S. Army Medical Corp during World War II, he resumed his practice in Richmond at the Pattie C. Clay Infirmary. Dr. Mahaffey travelled extensively, and wrote detailed accounts of his tours around the world. Remembered as a "skilled medical hero," Mahaffey passed away at his Richmond home in 1999 at 95, leaving behind a collection of diaries and notebooks that reflect his personality and service.

Subject/Index Terms

Alaska.
China.
Mexico.
Travel.
Voyages and travels.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[All]

Box 1

Barcode: 31234014262065

Folder 1

Item 1: Inner Passage of Alaska Cruise, 1939-07-29 - 1939-08-22: Dr. Mahaffey's first travelog recounts his cruise within the Inner Passsage of Alaska. He details his companions during the trip, 17 in total, as well as his experience aboard his ship the Princess Alice. He expresses the "grandeaur and majesty" of Alaska and includes small clips of information, such as the sale of Alaska and his spotting of the RMS Empress of Japan, renamed Empress of Scotland two years later in 1941.
Item 2: Inner Passage of Alaska Cruise, 1939-07-29 - 1939-08-22: The second of Dr. Mahaffey's Alaskan travelog, this journal accounts the trip in more concise detail. He begins by accounting the costs of the trip and names his 17 companions. He starts his cruise from Vancouver, BC to Juneau, Alaska and later Ketchican. He additionally discusses his activities while on board, food, and impressions of some of the people he met.
Item 3: Vancouver to Skagway Cruise, 1948: Dr. Mahaffey's second Alaskan cruise similarly traces his journey from Vancouver to Skagway, Alaska. Among the most notable details of this travelog is his impression of Alaska's role during World War II and veterans who have settled in Alaska folllowing the war. He discusses a few military projects as well as the role of some Native Alaskans, mainly Inuit, and the construction of the Alaskan Highway.
Item 4: Mexico Trip, 1948-01-07-26: The first of Dr. Mahaffey is brief but detailed about his trip to Mexico. He travels from Guadalupe, Monterry, and Mexico City. Among his interesting observations of Mexico City and his Victorian Hotel, he also recounts his visit to the Aztec Museum and a Motor Tour.
Item 5: Mexico Trip, 1948-01-07-26: Dr. Mahaffey's second Mexico travelog accounts for the cost of the trip and simply lists the places he visited, such as markets, parades, and the Xochicalco ruins.

Folder 2

Item 1: Pacific Tour, 1957-05-15 - 1957-08-13: This travelog captures Dr. Mahaffey's Pacific Tour, travelling from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Phillippines, Malaysia, India, and concluding through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. He passes and stops through various cities, like Tokyo, Toshugu, Shanghai, Colombo (written as Ceylon, today Sri Lanka), Bombay (Mumbai), Kochi, and later Pisa and Genoa, Italy. He writes about food, shopping, history, and some small cultural shocks.
Item 2: West Indies Cruise, 1958-01-31 - 1958-02-19: Dr. Mahaffey's travelog for his West Indies Cruise aboard the RMS Empress of England begins with listing his travel companions and the different currencies he will use as he sails to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Martinique, Grenada, Venezuala, Panama, Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. His journal includes interesting entries, such as his visit to Simon Bolivar's tomb and the Panama Canal. Later in his travelog he writes about recent events in the West Indies, such as the Caribbean Federation, the engineering of the Panama Canal, and a written copy of "The Magic Island," by W.B. Seabrook. which popularized the zombie in American pop culture.
Item 3: West Indies Cruise, 1958-01-31 - 1958-02-19: Dr. Mahaffey's diary for his Carribean tour recounts the day-to-day activities of the trip. He writes in more detail about his impressions of the places he visits and shopping, as well as his conversations with his companions.

Folder 3

Item 1: Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, DC Trip, 1959-10: Dr. Mahaffey's travelog through Virginia and Washington, D.C. His notebook captures his impressions of Richmond, VA, and colonial Jamestown and Williamsburg. He recounts the remains of the Jamestown church and the governors mansion. This journal also includes a later trip through the Smoky Mountains, where he details plants and mountain peaks.
Item 2: Deep South Tour, 1960-04-01-09: Dr. Mahaffey's small diary for his "Deep South Tour" that took from from Nashville, Memphis, Mobile, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. Among his notes are his impressions of various plantation mansions and his experience at the French Quarter. Later in his notebook he details the history of Tennesee, Alabama, and Louisiana. His notes on the Black Belt and white supremacy in the south, though brief, give some details on the American South towards the end of Jim Crow.
Item 3: Europe, Russia, and China Tours, 1968-1969: One of two notebooks of his European tour, Dr. Mahaffey begins by writing about his Christmas in Moscow and "Leningrad," St. Petersburg today, where he mentions the difficulties of travelling in the Soviet Union as well as his interest in a group of physicians who taught at some institutions. His trip later takes him to Paris, Belgium, and Germany. His travel agent later takes him and his wife through Bucharest, Tehran, and Peking (Beijing). His trip to China includes interesting notes about "Red China," where he writes about the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
Item 4: China Tour, 1969: This notebook continues Dr. Mahaffey's trip in China, from Peking to Canton (Guangzhou). His notes capture the begininng of China's "one child policy," where he describes it as "family planning devices," and adds that "abortions are available for those asking." He additionally writes about the legacy of World War II in China as well as markets and an opera he watched.