memorabilia – Archives West

The ‘50s were such an innocent time

By Glenn September 28, 2014 September 28, 2014 KnoxDocOfficial

That is, until you start reading what they wrote in the 1950’s! Take for instance this 1951-52 Freshman Handbook. In it, the poor Freshmen males were forced to wear green beanies for up to a quarter, and were forcibly attacked by the Sophomores during a bonfire at Homecoming. Meanwhile, the females were paraded around in a different dress up day each day of the week for Homecoming and rated by others.

Knox was a meat market!

Whew, things have changed, but remarkably, things have stayed the same too. Flunk Day is in there, as are many of the traditions that still exist today, such as the Honor System. Knox has done a great job at moving the bad traditions out and keeping the good traditions alive. Knox has grown and adapted and changed, much as it’s students have.

I think that is one reason why I love Knox so much. The adaptation it has gone through over the years to stay relevant has strengthened the traditions, not weakened them. Anyway, read for yourself. I got a kick out of it. I hope you do too.

1951-52 Freshman handbook-small.pdf

A Knox Spoon

By Glenn August 17, 2014 September 7, 2014 Ephemera

I was going to pass this up, like I had passed several other spoons up in the past, but the detail on the handle caught my eye and I had to have it. [As always, you can click any picture to see a larger version.]

You see that very small little thing to the left of Old Main? That is why I had to have it. That is the Knox College Observatory! It was finished in 1889, and I have not been able to find out when it was torn down, but I know it was standing in the 1950’s at least. That is a HUGE range of dates this little guy can be from, so more research is in order.

Look at the detail in this spoon. You can see the windows in Old Main and in the Observatory.

There are hallmarks on the back, but I have not researched them yet.

I may have to get a better magnifier to see them. The left one says “CND” and then a black bird or black diamond and then a very clear bird on the right.

<edit> With a better magnifier, it says “CMR” which leads to the company founded by CHAS M. ROBBINS – Attleboro, MA. It was founded in 1892 by Charles M. Robbins. In 1912 Robbins Company was formed and in 1963 became a subsidiary of Continental Communications Corporation. Since it has the CMR the spoon could be anywhere from 1892 to 1963. In 1912 it is possible the hallmarks changed, so I will be wider rather than narrower in the the dating right now.

The observatory’s telescope still has a home in the Physics Department at Knox, and from recent reports is being repurposed and reused for night-time viewing. That is very cool.

This is a early, turn of the century (1920’s?) picture of the campus with the street still in bricks. You can see Alumni Hall, Old Main and the Observatory tucked away on the left.

This 1952 wire photo still has the Observatory in the background, and Seymour Hall on the right. The demolition of the Observatory was not that long ago, relatively. According to Knox, it was demolished around the time CFA was built because it ruined the view of Old Main.

The spoon is not in perfect shape. There is pitting and scratches in the bowl, but the detail in the handle makes I a fabulous piece of memorabilia. That the creator chose to put the Observatory into the detail makes the spoon all the more interesting.

Knox Gymnasium plates

By Glenn August 2, 2014 August 2, 2014 Ephemera

That the same company manufactured these plates cannot be in question. The picture of the 2nd dedicated gymnasium at Knox is identical in both, right down to the scratch next to the tree, and the font used on the back for both “made in Germany” and “Gymnasium, Knox College, Galesburg, ILL” is identical. That these were still manufactured with such an obvious flaw in the design speaks to the rush job of creating them. There is no date, but the “Old Gym” as we knew it was finished in 1907, so it is sometime after that. My guess is it was shortly after 1907 to commemorate the opening of the building.

The larger is approximately 6in across, while the smaller is approximately 3 inches across. I used the awesome pencil to give some scale to the width and height.

The large plate (click any picture to enlarge). It is very pretty, with some nice detail around the edging.

Back and side views.

The smaller plate is the same image but without the gold and green decorations. I imagine it was a cheaper version of the larger. Hmm, price point manufacturing is not a new thing at all! The fourth picture is the scratch that is in both dishes. It is not a scratch in the dish, but a scratch in the image transfer. The close up of the gym itself shows some great detail, and looks suspiciously like a postcard made probably around the same time. When I get into postcards I will revisit this picture.

Back and side views

The opening of the 2nd dedicated building for athletics at Knox was a big deal. The first gymnasium was constructed by students and was blown up in 1897 but not torn down until 1903. A gym building was a sore spot for a lot of alumni and students of Knox at that time. Clearly, the College was celebrating this building’s construction.

102 year old pennant

By Glenn July 27, 2014 July 22, 2014 KnoxDocOfficial

I was in love with this pennant the instant I saw it, and had to have it, no questions asked. It is a beautiful 1912, heavy wool felt pennant. Approximately 17 inches wide at the top and 32 inches long (not counting the ties at the top which are all intact) it is in amazing condition for being 102 years old with only a few very small half circle holes along the edges. The stitching is machine done in bright gold thread. The gold felt has aged well into a nice dark gold shade. (all pictures can be clicked for details)

and for size, the diamond is 5 inches across.

I have it hanging over the closet door in the office where it is away from all sunshine and has good airflow around it. This is one pennant I want to keep in great condition for the next 102 years. If I didn’t like seeing it so much, I would find a nice flat place in the house to lay it, but it is huge and I don’t have any horizontal place for it.