Category Archives: Special Collections

Woodrow Wilson, JHU Alum & U.S. President

On March 4, 1913, Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated the 28th President of the United States. If you live (or lived) in the dormitory house named for Wilson, perhaps you know why this event is significant event in Hopkins history. If … Continue reading

Dirty Books and Longing Looks

Want to meet “The Great Lover Casanova of Today?” Heck, yeah! Not only does he get amorous with the ghost of the Empress Joséphine, but he also sports some rather, um, whimsical ink. Well, meet him and many more enticing … Continue reading

Beyond the Bookplate: Fire and Philosophy

“On the evening of September 17, 1908, the library suffered a loss…on the building [and]…contents by a fire which started in the south end of the so-called ‘stack-room,’ occupying the northwest corner of the fourth floor of McCoy Hall…The corridor leading … Continue reading

An Exciting New Chapter in Baltimore’s Urban Development Story

Part of a monthly series of posts highlighting uncovered items of note, and the archival process brought to bear on these items, as we preserve, arrange, and describe the Roland Park Company Archives. Special Collections was delighted to learn last month that we … Continue reading

“A man’s kitchen!”- The Roland Park Company’s Historic (and Curious) Advertising

By Carla Ruas, Archives Assistant and a student in the Master of Liberal Arts program Part of a monthly series of posts highlighting uncovered items of note, and the archival process brought to bear on these items, as we preserve, … Continue reading

JHU President Emeritus Steven Muller, 1927-2013

Steven Muller, who passed away on Saturday, January 19, was the tenth president of The Johns Hopkins University, serving from 1972 until his retirement in 1990. Prior to coming to Hopkins, Dr. Muller had a varied and interesting life, to … Continue reading

Charles Dickens and Me

Welcome to another entry in our series of occasional posts in which Special Collections student employees discuss the cool items they get to work with! Jessica Terekhov, the author of this piece, is a freshman who plans to study English … Continue reading

In Celebration of Dictionaries

Depression, murder, insanity….not the first words that come to mind when contemplating lexicography. Nevertheless, such is the history of English dictionaries. The stories of Samuel Johnson, James Murray and W.C. Minor make for a fascinating historical read. Dictionaries in their … Continue reading

History of the Library, Part II

A group of private citizens, headed by William Wyman and William Keyser, donated land that became the Homewood Campus in 1902, and the library moved into new quarters upon the completion of Gilman Hall in 1916. The library occupied the … Continue reading

A Celebration of New Year’s Celebrations

When the crowds gather at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on the evening of December 31, and the live music begins playing, and the fireworks bring the night sky to vivid life, we’ll be participating in one of the most longstanding rituals … Continue reading