Albert Shaw Collection of Martha Berry Schools Material
Collection
Identifier: MSS-4229
Content Description
The collection consists of correspondence, pamphlets, magazines, and other ephemera relating to Martha Berry and her schools in Georgia and were most likely collected by her friend and colleague, Albert Shaw. Dr. Shaw wrote or received all of the letters, which discuss the Board of Trustee meetings, adjustments to the school, and upcoming events, and are predominately to or from John A. Sibley of Atlanta and James Armour Lindsay, former Berry College president.
Dates
- 1921 - 1947
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.
For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Albert Shaw (1857 – 1947) was an early-twentieth-century journalist and scholar, best known for his work as editor of the American Review of Reviews from 1890 through 1937. Dr. Shaw earned his PhD in history and political economy from Johns Hopkins University, and his entrance into the academic workforce dovetailed with the progressive movement in the United States. Using his education and position as editor for Review of Reviews, Dr. Shaw advocated for widespread reform of problems stemming from the American Industrial Revolution. In 1898, Dr. Shaw attended one of the early conferences on educational reform in the South at the Capon Springs Hotel in West Virginia as a guest of George Foster Peabody, which led to his involvement in the reform of public education in the South. It is likely that Dr. Shaw first became acquainted with Martha Berry through this involvement, as the group of men that would become the Southern Education Board often toured southern schools as part of the trip to the conference. Dr. Shaw became a member of The Berry Schools Board of Trustees in 1909 and served in this position until his death in 1947.
In the late 1890s, Martha Berry (1865-1942) began teaching an impromptu Sunday school class to some of the children near Rome, Georgia, after learning that they did not have knowledge of the most basic Bible stories. As the popularity of her classes increased, Ms. Berry’s improvised Sunday school expanded into several abandoned churches and a newly constructed building, all of which became a day school for children. In 1902 and 1909, she established the Boys' Industrial School (later known as the Martha Berry School for Boys) and the Martha Berry School for Girls, respectively, seeking to provide an education to children that were “academically able but economically poor.” (New Georgia Encyclopedia). These schools “became models for vocational, agricultural, and mechanical schools throughout the world because they showed how the needs of people in poor rural areas could be met,” (New Georgia Encyclopedia) and became the foundation for Berry College—a four-year liberal arts college in Mount Berry, Georgia.
In the late 1890s, Martha Berry (1865-1942) began teaching an impromptu Sunday school class to some of the children near Rome, Georgia, after learning that they did not have knowledge of the most basic Bible stories. As the popularity of her classes increased, Ms. Berry’s improvised Sunday school expanded into several abandoned churches and a newly constructed building, all of which became a day school for children. In 1902 and 1909, she established the Boys' Industrial School (later known as the Martha Berry School for Boys) and the Martha Berry School for Girls, respectively, seeking to provide an education to children that were “academically able but economically poor.” (New Georgia Encyclopedia). These schools “became models for vocational, agricultural, and mechanical schools throughout the world because they showed how the needs of people in poor rural areas could be met,” (New Georgia Encyclopedia) and became the foundation for Berry College—a four-year liberal arts college in Mount Berry, Georgia.
Extent
.4 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Overview
This collection consists of correspondence, pamphlets, and magazines relating to Martha Berry and her schools in Mount Berry, Georgia, from 1921-1947. Martha Berry (1865-1942) established The Berry Schools in the late 1890s to provide education to academically able but economically poor children near Rome, Georgia, located in Southern Appalachia. Board of Trustees member and friend of Martha Berry, Albert Shaw--an early-twentieth- century journalist and scholar, best known for his work as editor of the American Review of Reviews--most likely collected these materials.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The The University of Alabama Libraries acquired the Albert Shaw Collection of Martha Berry Schools Material in 2017.
Processing Information
Processed by Jessica Rayman, 2018 August.
- Title
- Guide to the Albert Shaw Collection of Martha Berry Schools Material
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding Aid created by Jessica Rayman, 2018 August.
- Date
- October 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository