Historical Findings

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Penn State in the early 1910s - A Series, Part 2

Previously, I posted the first few pages of my grandfather's photo album of his college years. That part appeared to cover his first year of school, 1910-1911 school year. I'll continue here with the next few pages.

Composite - Grandy with a friend studying, With two other friends (Day, Buchanan, Hamlton)


Celebrating the 1911 Victory over Penn 22-6


Top pictures - Union City scene - explosion of J F Kamerer Boiler

Grandy as Cadet

Another View

Hunting - I think at his house in Union City - 36 4th Avenue

Victory over Cornell

Snow in State College?

Cider Scrap

Cider Scrap in Progress

Flag Scrap

I have never heard of a "scrap" but it looks like a planned event where a large group of guys try to capture some item (a flag, maybe a jug of cider). I have done limited searching on the internet and can't come up with a description of the activity yet, though having known college age guys, I imagine spirits were involved somewhere!

Freshman Stunt in 1914

Morning after Halloween at Penn State

Penn State Varsity Football Team 1910

Waiting for the "Boat" (train) at Pine Grove

Evidently travel to State College was challenging. I have read a quote that State College was equally hard to get to from any place in the state. So even though Pine Grove is not on a direct route to Union City, it might have been the best route possible. Or they might have been returning from a trip.

Personal note: when we were hiking Maryland and southern Pennsylvania on the Appalachian Trail, we came through Pine Grove and spent the night there. We walked right past this same old rail station preserved at the state park.

Grandy by his house (I think this was in Union City, but not sure)

Grandy - probably a freshman picture given the beanie

1911 Penn State Varsity

Friday, March 6, 2020

Penn State in the early 1910's - a Series, Part I

My grandfather graduated from Union City High School, class of 1910. That fall he entered Penn State College; he graduated on time in 1914. During those years, he took lots of pictures of the campus, students, his fraternity, etc. I have scanned the pages of the album, which he annotated with some brief captions. Unfortunately, there were few indications of who his friends were, just nicknames in some pictures. Sometimes he lists a location, rarely a date. I have had to supplement with internet research.

I am going to share these pictures in the order they appear in the album, assuming that he had some idea in mind when he created the album. I will annotate and categorize the pictures in the text and share the blog post with appropriate Facebook pages and with family. If there are any named persons, I will quote the name or nickname.

I do hope that, with agreement from the rest of the family, we will be able to donate the album to a historical society and all the pictures will be available to people studying the era.

Hopefully these pictures will be helpful or at least entertaining!

1910 - 1911 - Setting the Scene

The first few pictures show buildings on campus his freshman year, then the fraternity he joined.

They are followed by pictures of his friends and activites his first year, including a trip to Philadelphia about October 22 to see the football game with University of Pennsylvania (which Penn won 10-0). It concludes with more pictures of his friends and roomates who lived at 242 Frazier in State College. According to Google maps, this might have been a location that today is the Mariine Corps recruiting office, located close to the Post Office.

Old Main building at Penn State 1910's

Phi Psi House at Penn State 1910s

Phi Psi House Living Room 1910s

Phi Psi House - Entry Hall 1910s

Phi Psi - studying 1910s

Phi Psi House - Study 1910s

Phi Psi House - bedroom 1910s

Carnegie Library Penn State Library 1910s

Armory - Penn State University 1910s


Agricultural Building - Penn State University 1910s


Friends in Boalsburg, Shingletown and elsewhere near PSU 1910s

Franklin Field in Philadelphia - October 22 1910 football game with University of Pennsylvania

Horticultural Building at Penn State, plus unidentified friends some from Manayunk

Bald Top, Pennsylvania

Phi Psi House and members - became Phi Kappa Psi chapter later

Freshman Days at 242 Frazier - 1910

Pillow fight - freshman year 1910

Freshman year - 1910

The bunch at 242 Frazier - 1910

Sent for but couldn't come - L D Humes 1910

Saturday, January 19, 2019

May Josephine Atwood Autograph Book

This post contains pages from the autograph album owned by May Josephine Atwood, daughter of Orlo Atwood and Maria Josephine Atwood, and sister of Lewis Clark Atwood, who was my greatgrandfather. My mother was named May Josephine for her aunt.

Each page will be followed by a transcription of the inscription, name and any dates included.