UA96 Southern Normal School Records

Description: Records created by and regarding the Southern Normal School arranged in six series:

Series 1. Publications
Series 2. Board of Directors
Series 3. Registrar
Series 4. Departmental
Series 5. Student Organizations
Series 6. Memorabilia

Originally, this collection contained some photocopies of records located in other locations in Special Collections. A reworking of the collection has resulted in links to the original materials located elsewhere in the collections.

See also Southern Normal School Sources

Dates: 1883-1938

Extent: 5 boxes and 7 oversize boxes

Biographical/Historical Note: The Southern Normal School began when A. W. Mell and J. Tom Williams moved the Glasgow Normal School to Bowling Green and established the "Southern Normal School and Business College" in 1884. Chartered in 1886, the name was shortened to "Southern Normal School."

In the summer of 1890, Mell and Williams turned control of the school over to two recent graduates, H. A. Evans and W. J. Davis. At the end of the fall term, control was again transferred to J. R. Alexander and H. McD. Fletcher, but Fletcher left in 1891, and Alexander left the following year.

In the fall of 1892, Henry Hardin Cherry and Thomas Crittenden Cherry opened the Bowling Green Business College and Literary Institute. Although the school was newly incorporated May 31, 1893, the Cherry brothers regarded it as the direct successor to the Mell and Williams school. With the addition of a teacher training department in 1894, the school became known as the Southern Normal School and Bowling Green Business College.

Thomas C. Cherry sold his interest to Henry Hardin Cherry in 1899, although he returned as a teacher from 1902 to 1905. On July 21, 1899, the Southern Educational Building Company was incorporated to expand and modernize the school's facilities. Shortly after, on November 16, 1899, a fire destroyed the Southern Normal School building, intensifying the company's appeal for public subscriptions. The new building was completed in 1901 and was home to the Southern Normal School until 1911, when the school moved to "the Hill."

After a campaign to obtain state support for teacher training institutions, Western Kentucky State Normal School was established by legislation signed on March 21, 1906. On May 7, 1906, a commission appointed by Governor Beckham voted to locate the school in Bowling Green, and it became successor to the student body and goodwill of the Southern Normal School, with H. H. Cherry as president. The business school (renamed Bowling Green Business University in 1904) was sold effective July 1, 1907 to Joseph S. Dickey, W. S. Ashby and J. Lewie Harman.

Series 1. Publications
Publications created by and about the Southern Normal School. Series includes recruitment materials such as advertisements and flyers; course catalogs; student newspaper The Southern Educator and the announcement that the Southern Normal School will become Western Kentucky State Normal School. See online index to the Southern Educator.

Dates: 1883-1907

Box 1
Folders 1-7 nd; 1886-1904 Recruitment Materials

Folders 8-14 1883-1907 Catalogs

Folder 15 1907 Announcement of conversion to Western Kentucky State Normal School

Oversize Boxes 1-2

1898-1906 The Southern Educator
Index available online. This publication is available on microfilm in the Harrison-Baird Reading Room, MF Cabinet Drawer 77, Box 1.

Oversize Box 3

nd; 1895-1904 Oversized promotional materials

Series 2. Board of Directors
Records created by and about the Southern Normal School Board of Directors. Series includes certificates of incorporation, meeting minutes, financial records, construction records, contracts, correspondence and scrapbooks.

Dates: nd; 1884-1904

Box 1
Folder 1 1899-1900; 1904 Certificates of Incorporation

Folder 2 1899-1906 Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Folders 3-5 1899 Financial Records
Includes Southern Normal School currency and information regarding stocks. See also Oversize Boxes 1-4 for additional financial records.

Folders 6-8 1900-1901 Construction
Contains bids from Bowling Green companies for construction of Vanmeter Hall.

Folder 9 1902; 1904 Contracts
Contracts of Henry H. Cherry and M.F. Staten

Folder 10 nd; 1884-1903 Letterhead
See also Series 1, Box 1, Folders 1-7 and SC1248 "Letter written by Jesse Kirkland to John Milstead," May 4, 1888, for additional examples.

Folder 11 nd; 1884-1903 Correspondence

Cherry, Henry
International School of Telegraphy (Louisville, Ky.)
MacCormac Correspondence School (Chicago, Ill.)
Smith, W.G.
Staten, M.F.
Westbrook, Lula

Folder 12 1890 Scrapbook
Scrapbook 6 1/2" x 8" in Composition notebook with 1890 label on spine. Inscription: Specimens of stationery used by the Southern Normal School and Business College while H.H. Cherry had charge of the commercial Dept.

Also contains samples of documents and publications from other schools:

Bellewood Female Seminary & Kentucky Presbyterian Normal School (Anchorage, Ky.)
Canada Business College (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
Cedar Rapids Business College (Cedar Rapids, Ia.)
Central Business College
Central University (Richmond, Ky.)
Hellmuth Collge (London, Ontario, Canada)
National Normal University (Lebanon, Oh.)
Northern Indiana Commercial College (Valparaiso, Ind.)

Folder 13 1900 Scrapbook
Scrapbook 8 1/2 x 14 in Ledger book with 1900 label on spine. Index at front is reproduced online.

Of particular interest are:

Alexander, James
Alumni Association
Ashby, W.S.
Cherry, Bess
Cherry, Henry
Commencement
Dickey, J.S.
Harman, J. Lewie
Mammoth Cave
Mell, A.W.
Reservoir Park, Bowling Green, KY
Third Kentucky Regiment

Folder 14 1901- Scrapbook
Portion of a scrapbook 7 1/2" x 12" the cover has been removed, 38 pages remaining. Clippings regarding lectures, commencement exercises, steamboat excursions and faculty members. Marriage announcement of Leslie Cary and Lula Gray.

Of particular interest are:

Baber, J.A.
Brown, Francis
Bryan, William Jennings
Burke, John
Chapel
Cherry, Henry
DuBose, John

Oversize Boxes 1-4
1896-1897; Financial Records
1902-1905 Four double-entry accounting ledgers #2, 3, 7 and 8. Each has an alphabetical index at the beginning. Entries for faculty, staff, students and companies that the school did business with.

Of particular interest are accounts for:

Alexander, James
Ashby, W.S.
Cherry, Henry
Cherry, Thomas
Dickey, J.S.
Harman, J. Lewie

Series 3. Registrar
Records created by and about the Registrar of the Southern Normal School. The series is mainly comprised of class lists and registers. There are a few records relating to individual admissions and payment of tuition. Commencement programs and speeches by N.H. Gardner and Henry Cherry are included. See also Series 1 for course catalogs.

Dates: 1885-1908

Box 1
Folder 1 1899-1905 Correspondence

Carpenter, Stephen
Cherry, Henry
Cockern, Esco
Coop, J.W.
Ely, Joe
Ferrell, Ed
Frisbie Hall (SNS)
Forsythe, P.A.
Grissom, Richie
Morgan, James
Newton, B.H.
Pace, L.E.
Sanders, Jessie
Shepherd, E.E.
Smith, Charles
Travis, Bass
Wickell, Marvin
Wilford, Aut
Wolfe, W.J.

Folder 2 1886 Tuition & Fees
Checks from and receipts to students.

Folder 3 1901 Course Schedule

Folders 4-7 1876-1903 Class Lists / Registers

Folder 8 1902-1904 Class Lists / Registers Kentucky Counties Adair – Madison

Folder 9 1902-1904 Class Lists / Registers Kentucky Counties Marion – Woodford

Folder 10 1902-1904 Class Lists / Registers Mississippi

Folder 11 1902-1904 Class Lists / Registers Tennessee

Folders 12-16 nd; 1904-05;1908 Class Registers

Folder 17 1888 H.E. Thompson Report Card

Folders 18-25 1888-1907 Commencement
Programs and speeches

Oversize Box

Folder nd; 1888-1912 Diplomas

Arnold, Mary
Patterson, T.H.
Thompson, H.E.
Westbrook, Lula
Young, Nora

Series 4. Departmental
Records created by and about individual departments of the Southern Normal School. The series contains brief information regarding athletics, business courses and music.

Dates: 1886-1904

Box 1
Folder 1 1894 Athletics
Football roster

Folder 2 1902-1903 Law Department
Course Catalog

Folder 3 1886 Music

Folder 4 1889 Penmanship
Examples of Henry Cherry and ? Redwine’s workbooks

Folder 5 nd Scientific Course

Folder 6 1894 Shorthand

Folder 7 1903-1904 Lecture Tickets

Series 5. Student Organizations
Records created by and about student organizations of the Southern Normal School. The majority of the records are mailing lists that are arranged alphabetically by state which are in turn subdivided by county and town. Included are lists for Indian Territory and New Brunswick, Canada. Also of interest are the Classic Class newsletters for the period 1905-1914.

Dates: 1900-1938

Box 1
Folder 1 1905-1906 Alumni Association – Meeting Minutes

Folder 2 1898 Alumni List
Typed list from "Ledger 2" listing students in 1898. This list does not match the accounting ledgers. The original ledger is not in University Archives.

Folders 3-35 1900 Alumni Association – Mailing Lists
Arranged alphabetically by state and includes Indian Territory and New Brunswick, Canada. The individual state lists are arranged alphabetically by county, town and then surname.

Folders 36-38 1905-1914 Alumni – Classic Class
Annual newsletter

Folder 39 1938 Alumni – Correspondence
Letter to alumni from John Foust announcing reunion.

Folder 40 1903 Glee Club
Recital Program

Series 6. Memorabilia
Memorabilia has been donated by and collected from various sources. Many of the earliest artifacts have come into the University Archives with no surviving documentation.

Most of the items in the collection are for exhibit purposes only. Images may be requested from the University Archivist. Items may be pulled for researchers by prior appointment.

If you have items that may be of interest to the University Archives, please contact us at the address above. Large three-dimensional objects may be accessioned through the Kentucky Museum. See allied and related materials for a list of these items.

1900 College Pin
1982.1.1 Framed clay plaque showing the Southern Normal School building
1999.10.1 UA98-11 SNS miniature pitcher
2004.20.1 UA2004-05 Printer's block for advertisement of SNC & BGBC Southern Normal School pin

Subjects:
Alexander, James
Alumni Association
Arnold, Mary
Ashby, W.S.
Baber, J.A.
Bellewood Female Seminary & Kentucky Presbyterian Normal School (Anchorage, Ky.)
Bowling Green Business College and Literary Institute
Brown, Francis
Bryan, William Jennings
Burke, John
Canada Business College (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
Cedar Rapids Business College (Cedar Rapids, Ia.)
Central University (Richmond, Ky.)
Chapel
Cherry, Bess
Cherry, Henry Hardin, 1864-1937
Cherry, Thomas
Commencement
Dickey, J.S.
DuBose, John
Harman, J. Lewie
Hellmuth Collge (London, Ontario, Canada)
Mammoth Cave
Mell, A.W.
National Normal University (Lebanon, Oh.)
Northern Indiana Commercial College (Valparaiso, Ind.)
Patterson, T.H.
Reservoir Park, Bowling Green, KY
Southern Educational Building Company
Southern Normal School and Bowling Green Business College
Third Kentucky Regiment
Thompson, H.E.
Westbrook, Lula
Young, Nora

Accession Information: The bulk of the collection is original materials created by administrators of the Southern Normal School. Some items have come to the University Archives through private donations.

Donations by:
Mrs. W.G. Smith estate Series 1, B1F1
Willard Library, Evansville, IN Series 1, B1F13
Mrs. Glen Dooley, Series 2, B1F11
William Canon, Series 2, B1F11 2007.154.1
Amy Graves Series 3, B1F1
Georgia Bates Series 3, B1F2
John Pace Library, University of West Florida Series 3, B1F2
Barbara Gary, Series 3, B1F22
Blanch Redwine Butler, Series 4, B1F4
Ila Naron, Series 4, B1F4
A.L. Crabb, Series 5, B1F37

Access Restrictions: none

Copyright Notice:

Preferred Citation: UA96 Southern Normal School Records, WKU Archives, Kentucky Library & Museum, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA.

Processing Information: Collection reworked and finding aid created by Suellyn Lathrop, 2008.