Research Guides: William &amp; Mary History: Artifacts &amp; Exhibits

Preserving Your Material

Organizations may want to review the Tips for Preserving Your Group's History as one tool in ensuring that the history of the organization is preserved for future students and scholars and individuals will find the suggestions provided useful as well! Organizations should also contact Special Collections with any questions or to arrange the transfer of records (spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090).

OTHER GUIDES

William and Mary in the Jazz Age
This course examined the history of Higher Education in general and the College of William & Mary in particular in the early part of the twentieth century, especially the Presidency of J.A.C. Chandler, 1919-1934. The course placed a special emphasis on the expansion and development of the College campus during the Chandler presidency, with special attention to the "sunken garden" campus.

These guides also include resources about the College of William and Mary:

A Guide to African-American Studies Resources in the Special Collections Research Center
This is a guide to manuscripts, books, periodicals, and other materials in the Special Collections Research Center that may be useful for researching or teaching about people of color in the United States from the colonial period to the present.
A Guide to World War II Resources in the Special Collections Research Center
The Special Collections Research Center has numerous collections in both its Manuscript and University Archives sections that relate to World War II. Please keep in mind that the general collections of Swem Library also support research related to WWII.
A Guide to Civil War Resources in the Special Collections Research Center
The Special Collections Research Center has extensive holdings of manuscripts and rare books dealing with the American Civil War. This guide describes the bulk of those holdings, although it is not a comprehensive list.
A Guide to Early American History Resources in the Special Collections Research Center
The Special Collections Research Center has extensive holdings of manuscripts and rare books dealing with early American history. This guide describes the bulk of those holdings, although it is not a comprehensive list.
A Guide to Genealogy Resources in the Special Collections Research Center
Researchers may thank Earl Gregg Swem, for whom Swem Library is named, for his interest in both topics. He was responsible for acquiring many of the manuscript collections in the SCRC, which detail local family histories.
Thesis Topics from the Special Collections Research Center
The following is a list of new collections at the Special Collections Research Center that could be the basis for honors or masters theses in history, American studies, etc. There also are many other potential topics to be found in our collections.

Artifacts

The University Archives Artifacts Collection, from 18th-century spectacles to a 20th-century plastic frisbee, gives a fascinating tangible view of life and are a rich supplement to the paper records in the University Archives. Most of these highly diverse items are representative of some group or activity at the College, but some are in the Archives because they were owned by a William and Mary-affiliated person. The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is also the keeper of such William and Mary treasures as the College and Marischal Maces that lead all formal convocations such as Charter Day and Commencement, the Rector's, President's, and Chancellor's badges and chains of office, and two of the original stones which marked the boundaries of the College. The maces and badges are usually on display in the SCRC in the Earl Gregg Swem Library.

Exhibits

Online exhibits related to the history of the College of William and Mary are available. Regularly rotating exhibits in Swem Library always also include at least one display related specifically to the College of William and Mary.