Reprint from Collections & Connections
Spring 2000, Vol.4, No.2
 

Work Underway on Natcher Collection

During his forty-one years respresenting the Second Kentucky Congressional District, William H. Natcher assembled a fascinating array of papers, photographs and memorabilia, including 103 boxes that were shipped to the Kentucky Building after his death. Before the public has access to the material in these boxes, it must first be processed. A major step towards processing the collection began last summer with the hiring of Betty Yambrek and Jason Flahardy, who are physically examining and cleaning every item, placing them in a logical order, storing them under archival conditions and preparing a detailed inventory or the materials.

To date, more than 2,200 photographs and 63 scrap books are at least partially processed. The oldest item discovered to date is the letter the congressman's grandfather and namesake, William H. Natcher, wrote to the clerk of the Allen County Circuit Court on February 16, 1881. More recent items include numerous greeting cards sent to Natcher by federal, state and local politicians, his constituents and several presidents. One fascinating set of materials relates to the 1948 Kilgore/Daggit/Martin murder trial, a sensational case that brought then Warren County District Attorney William Natcher great public recognition. By the middle of February, at least one manuscript item representing every presidential administration from Eisenhower to Clinton was discovered, including a special January 1961 Inaugual edition of Life magazine outographed by President John F. Kennedy.

Due to the complex and time-consuming process required to catalog manuscript materials, the staff hopes to make parts of the Natcher Collection accessible to the public in 2001. Look for updates on its accessibility in future editions of Collections and Connections.

~Sandy Staebell

Pace Collection Ready

The Pearl Carter Pace Collection is processed and ready for public access. Consisting of more than 18,000 individual items stored in 84 boxes, this collection is a unique assemblage of materials compiled by the Monroe County native who became the first woman in Kentucky to be elected to a four-year term as sheriff. Actively involved in politics, Pace also served as Republican National Committeewoman for Kentucky from 1948 to 1957 and chairperson of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.

The Pace Collection includes personal correspondence, photographs and materials associated with her term as sheriff of Cumberland County. It also contains business papers, materials that relate to her civic activities in Kentucky and Washington D.C., financial information, and items concerning her political service. The letters Mrs. Pace wrote to her son, Stanley Carter Pace, during his internment in a German prisoner of war camp, are of particular interest.

The Manuscripts staff wishes to thank Stanley Carter Pace, whose generous financial contribution made processing of the Pace Collection possible.

~Sandy Staebell