Spelman College Printed and Published Materials

Collection

Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0008

Staff Only

Scope and contents

This collection contains printed and published materials created by Spelman Seminary and Spelman College. It includes the catalogs and bulletins, the student published magazine, Campus Mirror, the alumnae magazine, The Spelman Messenger, and a quarterly, Inside Spelman. It also includes other publications such as copies of the yearbook, Reflections, the student handbook, and the student newspaper, The Spelman Spotlight. The materials date from 1883 to 2012, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1923 to 1998. Topics of the collection include student courses, faculty, student organizations, and alumni.

Dates

Creation: 1883-2012
Creation: Majority of material found within 1923-1998

Creator

Spelman College (Organization)

Rights statement

All materials in this collection are either protected by copyright or are the property of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc., and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. For more information please contact archives@auctr.edu

Historical note

Spelman College was founded in 1881 by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary. The school was opened in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church. In 1883, the school moved to its present day site and opened its “Model School” to train student-teachers. The school changed its name to Spelman Seminary in 1884 to honor Mrs. Laura Spelman Rockefeller and her parents Harvey Buel and Lucy Henry Spelman, longtime activists in the antislavery movement. The first issue of the Spelman Messenger was printed in 1885. In 1888, Spelman became incorporated under Board of Trustees and was granted a charter by the state of Georgia. The college department opened in 1897. The college changed its name to Spelman College in 1924, the same year that the Campus Mirror started.

In 1929, Spelman signed an agreement of affiliation with Morehouse College and Atlanta University, forming the Atlanta University Center. Albert Manley became the first Black and first male president of the college in 1953. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole became the first Black woman president of Spelman in 1987. Today, Spelman College is a global leader in the education of women of African descent and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The college is still a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium with Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and the Interdenominational Theological Center.

Information about Spelman College has been obtained from the website, www.spelman.edu

Extent

12 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection has been divided into eight series: 1. Catalogs and Bulletins, 2. Inside Spelman, 3. Spelman Handbooks, 4. The Spelman Messenger, 5. Campus Mirror, 6. Reflections, 7. News Releases, and 8. The Spelman Spotlight. It has been arranged based on name and type of publication. Each series is arranged chronologically.