Collections

Edward O. Craft, former senior legislative counsel to the House of Representatives, recounts his early life, education, work in Washington, DC, and his retirement into private practice as a partner in the law firm of Wickham, Craft & Cihlar.

These interviews discuss the construction of the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona and the negotiations that took place with the Papagos Indian Tribe in order to obtain the lease of the land. The issues of mineral rights and university and community relations are discussed in these interviews.

The Augustan mss., 1688-1748, consists of manuscripts and correspondence collected by Indiana University Professor William T. Morgan, 1922-1945, relating to the Age of Queen Anne.

The Auchincloss mss., 1928-1935, consists of materials that were removed from Lilly Library copies of books by poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, 1869-1935. The books formerly belonged to broker Charles C. Auchincloss, 1881-1961.

The Atocha mss., 1843-1855, consists of letters sent to businessman Alexander J. Atocha, 1804-1870, during the Mexican-American War.

The Atkins mss., 1896-1980, consists largely of movie stills acquired by Thomas Radcliffe Atkins, 1939-2008, founder and editor of The Film Journal.

The Athenaeum Turner organization was founded in 1851 as the Indianapolis Turngemeinde. This athletic and social organization was patterned on German clubs that had supported the 1848 revolutions that attempted to form Liberal republics in several European kingdoms. The men who established the Indianapolis Turngemeinde and the competing Indianapolis Socialistischer Turnverein (merged in 1852 to form the Indianapolis Socialistischer Turnegemiende) tried to create a community focus for the rapidly expanding immigrant population. The activist political backgrounds of many German immigrants led to a strong emphasis on the Turner idea of developing both a strong mind and strong body in order to better serve society. After the American Civil War, for which many Turners volunteered due to anti-slavery beliefs and a desire to demonstrate loyalty to their adopted nation, the reorganized and renamed Indianapolis Socialer Turnverein became the primary focus for German business and culture in the city. Certainly the German House (das Deutsches Haus), built between 1894 and 1898, was designed to serve as more than just a center for physical training since it contained a restaurant, theaters, and a number of meeting rooms. From the 1890s, the leaders of the Turner organization were also directors or important officers in dozens of prominent businesses and cultural organizations. This led to some overlap in the interaction between public, private, and political affairs in the German community of Indianapolis - and this is reflected in the collection. The outbreak of World War I and the anti-German sentiment which followed led to a renaming of the building (as the Athenaeum) and contributed to a decline in the importance of the Turnverein. The organization, now known as the Athenaeum Turners, experienced a revival during the 1950s and remained active into the 1960s, though its activities gradually became more social and less athletic. By the 1970s American acculturation and suburbanization resulted in a rapid decline in membership and financial stability and the near collapse of the Turner society. It currently exists solely as a German cultural organization. The records consist of constitutions and by-laws, board and committee minutes, correspondence, officer and committee reports, financial records, membership lists, event advertisements, brochures, newsletters and photographs.

The Athenaeum Foundation was organized in 1991 and incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation's purposes was to acquire title to the Athenaeum, located at 401 East Michigan Street in Indianapolis; to raise funds for and supervise and direct the rehabilitation of building to maintain its architectural and aesthetic integrity as a historic structure; to educate the public about the history and significance of the Athenaeum; to foster the use of the building by the foundation itself, the building's tenants, and other organizations; and to oversee the management of the building.

This women's organization was founded by the Socialer Turnverein (Social Athletic Club) in 1876 as the Indianapolis Turn-Schwestern Verein. It was initially intended to support the activities of the Turnverein, and especially to promote and oversee the girls' athletic classes, and to help enlarge and preserve the Turner library. Within a few years the Turn Sisters became known as the Damenverein (Women's Club) des Socialer Turnverein and began to undertake broader responsibilities in the community. As with most German societies, membership declined during World War I and use of the German language was dropped. The organization revived with the merging of several societies during the 1930s and becomes known as the Women's Auxiliary. Membership increased again after World War II as their focus drifted away from a wartime role as a service organization and more towards social activities. The gradual decline of the Athenaeum Turners through the 1970s and 1980s also affected the Women's Auxiliary. In the 1990s the Damenverein name was restored to recognize the earlier German connections, and in recent years the very limited activities of the group have become more closely linked with their German-American cultural identity. The records consist of constitutions and by-laws, minutes, correspondence, financial records, committee reports, membership lists and directories, event advertisements and photographs.

The Astle mss., 1795-1797, consists of the letters and memoranda of Andrew Stuart, 1725-1801, Scottish lawyer, to Thomas Astle, 1735-1801, English antiquary and paleographer.