I found a lot of interesting institutional documents this week as I was digging through the archives here at the University of Montevallo. While perusing the administrative files, I found a file box containing freight records from 1919-1922. These documents provide insight into the types of items the university purchased during the period. The following items were freighted to Montevallo in the above mentioned years:

• syrup
• laundry machines
• pipes
• coffee
• flour
• brooms
• ink
• twine
• stationary
• sugar
• diary feed
• grits
• books from the Democrat Printing Company
• various fruits, including apples, oranges, bananas, cranberries, and lemons
• bacon
• cheese
• sulfuric acid…
• Purina cow chow

I could continue the list for several pages, but I think the above listed items are representative of the purchases made during the period. Information such as this could be valuable in helping me to understand how the university functioned and met its needs during the period. I also found quite a bit of useful information in The Peoples Advocate, a local newspaper from the period. Within the 1918 run of this periodical, I found the names of numerous (upwards of 30 so far) Montevallo men who were drafted. Within this same periodical, I also found a list of some of the individuals in Montevallo who purchased Liberty Bonds. I plan to search for information on these individuals to provide my project with the “human element” that I have been trying so desperately to find. Thanks to my university archivist, Carey Heatherly, I also managed to locate the Alabama Department of Archives and History WWI Gold Star Database. This site lists the names of five Montevallo men who died in WWI. Even more importantly, this site has images, biographies, and bioforms of some of these men. I will be in contact with the state archives about using this material, and any additional materials they have, on my Century America site.

I also received a number of scanned images this week, including the featured image for this blog post. This image, taken from the Annie Crawford Milner Archives and Special Collections at the University of Montevallo, is one of Main Hall Library in 1910. While it was taken somewhat before the period we are interested in, I have decided to take a broader approach in depicting my town and university during the WWI period.