Every so often here in the archives, we come across something that doesn’t seem to make sense. Sometimes this is because history surprises us, and sometimes it is because something isn’t quite right. This particular case is a little bit of both. A little backstory: The Slotkin Collection We are currently processing The Slotkin Collection, […]
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! To celebrate, we have curated a new exhibit, Colonial Mexico & Early Print, that draws from our collection of rare books featuring the cultures, geography, flora and fauna of Mexico. Many of these books were collected by the Franciscans in Santa Clara’s mission era, although some were acquired after the founding […]
SCU Archives & Special Collections has recently added several works to support the teaching of 18th century Black authors, including texts by or about Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) and Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780). A distinctive feature of these 18th century publications is the repeated inclusion of testimonials that insist upon the authenticity of the […]
Whenever tours ramp up in spring and new students start arriving in summer and fall, they begin to learn some facts (and some fictions) about the university. As the keepers of campus history, sometimes the archives get questions about old campus legends like this one: I know that many years ago, the university used to […]
Have you ever spent time in the Mission Church and wondered about the origin of some of the religious art and decorations in there? One particular object has inspired many a prayer and a bit of curiosity: the Christ Crucified statue. Also known as the Catalá Crucifix, this statue came to Santa Clara from Mexico […]
People often say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I think that we all do. The cover helps us to focus our interest when looking into a sea of books. There are paperback and hard covers, there are solid and graphic covers, there are covers with images and there are covers with art. […]
When working at Archives & Special Collections, it’s hard to finish a shift without learning something new. Since I’ve started working here, the nature of my job has taught me so much about our university’s history. Where else could I learn about the activist origins of the Multicultural Center or about the time that students […]
I’m not the all-knowing anarchist. I’m just Lee, living day to day in a concrete cage while these life-stealing monsters try to shorten my life expectancy and decimate my hopes and dreams for the future. I’m just trying to leave something positive behind in the wake of my solitary confinement.” – Lisa “Lee” Savage (Tenacious […]
Those who have ever lived at Santa Clara cannot deny that life for them has been rendered more pleasant and attractive by these glorious manifestations of Nature’s blossomings, surrounding them on every side.” (The Annals of Santa Clara: College and University 1851-1951, p. 830) The Old Mission Gardens Freshly cut grass, a plethora of colorful […]
Tokyo Olympics 2020/2021 The Olympic games are an international spectacle that showcase some of the best athletes in the world. Viewers from all over the world watch in support of their country’s representative athletes as they strive to make the Olympic podium, which is one of the highest achievements an athlete can reach in their […]
