Saint Louis

W

Hershel Wileman Papers, 1945-1952 (S0736)
0.25 cubic foot, 9 folders

 Finding Aid

During the late 1940s, Hershel Wileman served as the President of United Gas, Coke and Chemical Workers of America-Local #476. He worked for the Mercury Record Corporation in St. Louis, MO. The collection includes labor agreements, Congress of Industrial Organization's newspapers, union literature, correspondence, wage measures, and job classifications.

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Wilkins Family Papers, 1931-2006 (S0273)
0.8 cubic foot

The Wilkins Family Papers contain correspondence, photographs, meeting minutes, programs, hymnals, and recipe books pertaining to the Wilkins family of Webster Groves. The materials in this collection primarily reflect the lives of Mattie Hunt Wilkins and her descendants. Items of interest include the meeting minutes of Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter 4. Mattie Wilkins was the Worthy Matron (WM) of the lodge.

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Alice May Williams Diaries, 1863-1867 (S0178)
1 roll of microfilm

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of the diary of a young St. Louis woman, documenting her daily life, as well as her voyage to Venezuela with her father in 1867.

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Robert C. Williams Collection, 1968-1999 (S0191)
0.2 cubic foot, 5 folders

 Finding Aid

The collection contains photocopies of letters, photos, newsletters, and newspaper articles reflecting the ministry of Robert C. Williams and the history and evolution of the Church of God in Christ.

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Sarah Cornelia Williams Diaries, 1845-1889 (S0177)
1 microfilm roll

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of the diaries of a St. Louis wife and mother with references to daily life, servant problems, Civil War, Lincoln's assassination, and the Chicago fire of 1871.

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John Wilson Diary, 1904-1909 (S0078)
5 folders, 0.15 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This collection contains a diary written by John Wilson, an English immigrant. In the diary, Wilson chronicles his daily life in the first decade of the twentieth century, discussing the social and political life of St. Louis and Jennings, Missouri, and the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904.

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Arthur Witman Color Photograph Collection, 1932-1984 (S0665)
135 photographs

 Finding Aid

The collection consists of color photographs Witman took of various St. Louis scenes and events, including Busch Stadium during the 1967 World Series, the Veiled Prophet, the St. Louis Zoo, and Powell Hall.

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Arthur Witman 120mm Photograph Collection, 1932-1984 (S0732)
749 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This addenda to the Arthur Witman papers contain photographs he took as a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They include images of labor unions, women in World War II, sharecroppers, children, and schools.

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Arthur Witman 35mm Photograph Collection, 1932-1984 (S0733)
1,750 photographs

 Finding Aid

This addenda to the Arthur Witman papers contain 35mm photographs he took as a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They include images of labor unions, women in World War II, sharecroppers, children, and schools.

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Arthur Witman 35mm Photographs, 1932-1984 (S0549)
547 photographs

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of 35mm photographs taken by Arthur Witman during his career as a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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Arthur Witman Arch Construction Photographs, 1963-1967 (S0702)
2522 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of photographs took of the construction of the Gateway Arch from 1963 to 1967 for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was the only news photographer on permanent assignment at the construction and had complete access at the site, enabling him to take photographs from all heights and angles. He primarily worked with slide film, but also used a Panox camera, the only one of its kind in St. Louis, to create photographs covering 140 degrees horizontally.

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Arthur Witman Papers, 1934-1978 (S0455)
1 cubic foot, 38 folders

 Finding Aid

Arthur Witman was St. Louis Post-Dispatch news photographer (1932-1969), who pioneered the use of 35mm in news photographs and organized the St. Louis Press Photographer's Association in 1945. The papers contain correspondence, articles, speeches, and newspaper clippings.

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Arthur Witman Papers Addenda, 1954-1987 (S0794)
.4 cubic feet, 54 photographs, 12 audiotapes

 Finding Aid

This addenda to the Arthur Witman Papers include photographs, newspaper clippings, letters of congratulations, and audiotapes, pertaining to Witman's freelance work and lectures he gave on photojournalism. Also included in this addenda is a mock-up of a book on the Gateway Arch that Witman had written but was never published.

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Arthur Witman Photograph Addenda, 1932-1984 (S0717)
13516 photographs

 Finding Aid

This addenda to the Arthur Witman Papers contain photographs Witman took as a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Subjects of interest include Busch Stadium, Cahokia Mounds, women in World War II, and fundamentalist religious gatherings.

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Arthur Witman Photograph Collection, 1932-1984 (S0541)
1695 photographs

 Finding Aid

Arthur Witman was St. Louis Post-Dispatch news photographer (1932-1969), who pioneered the use of 35mm in news photographs and Organized the St. Louis Press Photographer's Association in 1945. This collection consists of photographs Witman took for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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Arthur Witman Photographic Prints Collection, 1936-1956 (S0836)
2 cubic feet, 94 folders, 1971 photographs

 Finding Aid

This collection contains photographic prints of images Witman took as a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The photographs include images of women working in factories during World War II, the St. Louis Zoo, Carl Sandburg, and the March on Washington Movement (MOWM) Rally in St. Louis.

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Woermann Construction, Architectural Drawings Collection, 1916-1979 (S0681)
195 cubic feet

This collection contains blueprints, building specifications, and contracts for St. Louis area buildings built by Woermann Construction from 1916 to 1979. Materials of interest include plans for Optimist International Headquarters in St. Louis.

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Duane and Judith Woltjen Meramec Dam Collection, 1952-1984 (S0210)
0.4 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The collection contains correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, and bumper stickers documenting Duane and Judith Woltjen's involvement with the Sierra Club, Ozark Chapter's efforts to prevent the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to dam the Meramec River near Sullivan, Missouri, in Franklin County.

Woman Gathering II Collection, 1984 (S0208)
0.1 cubic foot, 2 cassette tapes, 1 16mm film

 Finding Aid

The Second National Woman’s Gathering met in St. Louis at Fontbonne College on August 17-20, 1984. The Gathering was intended to empower women and reject the powerless and inferior gender roles placed upon them by society. The materials in this collection include a registration sheet, Off The Wall II, two cassette tapes documenting the Gathering, and a 16mm film entitled Women’s Voices: The Gender Gap Movie.

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Women as Change Agents Collection, 2015-2018 (S1207)
7.5 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Women as Change Agents Oral History Collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by Dr. Blanche Touhill with St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents who have established themselves as leaders during periods of great change such as the civil rights and women’s movements and Vietnam War demonstrations. The collection documents the interviewee’s personal and professional lives and how they established themselves as successful, enterprising women leaders in the St. Louis region. These materials include DVD recordings of the interviews, as well as accompanying transcripts. The interviews date from 2015 to the present.

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Women in Communications, Inc., St. Louis Chapter Records, 1926-1998 (S0009)
4.75 cubic feet, 1 oversize folder, 208 photographs, 1 microfilm reel

 Finding Aid

This collection contains the records of the St. Louis Chapter of Women in Communications, Inc., formerly called Theta Sigma Phi. Women in Communications sponsored various programs to educate, encourage, and reward women in the field of communications. They also sponsored an annual “Ladies of the Press” luncheon. The materials in this collection include correspondence, minutes, reports, bylaws, constitution, directories, brochures, newsletters, photographs, and scrapbooks.

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Women in World War II Oral Histories, 2014 (S1149)
0.2 cubic foot, 3 folders

 Finding Aid

The World War II Oral Histories collection contains three interviews conducted by Marie Morgan with women who lived during the conflict. Each interview tells the story about each woman during the conflict, their wartime experiences and life afterward in Europe and the United States.

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Women of Achievement Records, 1955-1996 (S0254)
12 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Women of Achievement is the oldest ongoing program in St. Louis with the sole mission of recognizing the contribution of women to the quality of life in the area. St. Louis Globe-Democrat publisher Richard Amberg created the awards program in 1955 to offer an annual award to ten women who have made a significant difference in the community. The collection includes bylaws, selection committee files, and newspaper clippings.

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Women Workers of St. Louis Report, 1930 (S0348)
0.01 cubic foot

29-page unpublished report. "Women Workers of St. louis, Mo.," by Clara Menger, Ph.d. Based on 1930 census.

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Women's Hearings of the War in Vietnam Collection, 1972-1973 (S0109)
0.03 cubic feet, 3 folders, 4 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and a transcript, documenting the Committee for the Women’s Hearing on the War in Vietnam’s public hearing on the United States involvement in Southeast Asia, held on June 17, 1972, at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, St. Louis Chapter Records, 1962-2015 (S0214)
14.5 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The records of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, St. Louis Chapter contain correspondence, meeting minutes, membership directories, and newsletters relating to the group’s mission to promote world peace and social justice. Subjects of interest include the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II), the league’s opposition to the United States’ intervention in Vietnam, and China.

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Women's Physical Education Club of St. Louis and Vicinity Records, 1931-1994 (S0226)
0.25 cubic foot, 6 folders

 Finding Aid

The Women’s Physical Education Club of St. Louis and Vicinity Records contain correspondence, meeting minutes, rosters, and treasurer’s reports documenting the club’s mission to provide a forum for women physical educators to discuss mutual problems and demonstrate physical skills and teaching techniques.

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Women's Program Council Records, 1973-1995 (S0558)
0.5 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

Established by the Higher Education Center of St. Louis on June 4, 1974, the Women's Program Council promoted an improved environment for women in higher education, through networking services, two annual conferences, and provided speakers to area campuses. The collection contains rosters, meeting notices, minutes, literature, and a history of the organization.

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Joseph Wood Photograph Collection, 1931-1958 (S0819)
0.25 cubic foot, 212 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Joseph Wood Collection contains photographs of St. Louis baseball teams and players, dog shows, and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Wood was an accomplished photojournalist with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat for twenty-seven years and was has been inducted into the Missouri Photojournalist Hall of Fame. Additional items include magazines, newspapers, and a booklet.

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Wood-Smith Castle Blueprints Collection, 1914 (S1020)
0.25 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This colletion contains blueprints for an unfinished castle of George F. Wood-Smith, located in South St. Louis County.

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Viola Woodall Papers, 1942-1946 (S0481)
0.4 cubic foot, 25 folders

 Finding Aid

The Viola Woodall Papers contain service men's letters, newsletters, and ledgers. During the 1940s, Viola Woodall directed the Young Men's Choir of Immanuel Baptist Church in St. Louis City. After many choristers joined the armed services during World War II, Woodall organized church women, "service mothers," to write them as a means of bolstering morale.

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Woodruff-Stumpff Family Papers, 1901-2022 (S0506)
0.4 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Woodruff-Stumpff family papers contain correspondence, photographs, diplomas, yearbooks, and family tree charts documenting the Woodruff and Stumpff families of St. Louis, Missouri.

Robert Gail and Margie McDaniel Woods Collection, 1920s-2023 (CA5749)
81.9 cubic feet, 5 oversize volumes, 2 oversize items, 41 audio cassettes, 14 audio tapes, and 6 video cassettes

 Finding Aid

Family papers, photographs, and genealogical records of Woods, Edwards, Hanna, and related families, and historical and organizational records of various Methodist churches and communities in and around St. Louis.

World War II Collection, 1942-1933 (S0515)
1 cubic foot, 41 folders, 29 photographs, 2 audio cassettes, 1 phonograph

 Finding Aid

The World War II collection is an artifical collection comprised of several small donations documenting the experiences of St. Louis-area men and women who served in the conflict. Included in this collection is correspondence, narratives, photographs, books, and oral histories.

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World War II Engineer's Photograph Collection, 1941-1944 (S0796)
0.25 cubic foot, 194 photographs

The World War II Engineer's Photograph Collection consists of 194 black and white photographs taken from 1941-1944. The collection includes images of several bridges and railroad construction projects in Italy and France.

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World War II Veteran Survey Records, 1942-1995 (S0647)
2 cubic feet, 97 folders

 Finding Aid

In 1985, Vice-Chancellor Blanche Touhill asked Dr. Jerry Cooper, professor of military history at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to preserve the memories of World War II veterans. Dr. Cooper conducted the survey in 1988, with the help of a newspaper column by Harry Levins of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cooper received 83 responses to the survey and additional material from veterans and families. The collection consists of the administrative files of the project and the surveys.

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World War II Veteran's Survey Correspondence, 1991-1994 (S0761)
0.7 cubic foot, 13 folders, 2 photographs, 1 cassette tape

 Finding Aid

This collection contains correspondence between Harry Levin, a writer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and World War II veterans. These letters reflect personal accounts of civilian or military personnel during the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the D-Day invasion. The letters provided Mr. Levin with material from which he could write articles commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of these events.

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World's Fair Photograph Portfolio, 1904 (S1119)
0.25 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This collection contains a photograph book of the 1904 Worlds Fair held in St. Louis, Missouri, and contains personal notes of members of the Spainhour family, a Jackson County, Missouri, family, who owned the book. Additionally, the names of other residents of Jackson County, Missouri, appear throughout the book.

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Austin Wright Papers, 1961-1972 (S1022)
0.25 cubic foot, 3 folders

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The papers of Austin Wright contain newspaper clippings and photographs chronicling Wright's career as an entertainer and politician in St. Louis's African-American community. During his life, Wright's voice served as the main feature of a variety of local acts, including the Three Peppers, a group that performed in several large venues, most notably the Riviera Club. Wright also participated in such civil rights organizations such as the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE). He also worked to support community organizations like the YMCA and Annie Malone Children's Home.

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Dr. Katie H. Wright Papers, 1970-2000 (S0646)
4.5 cubic feet, 108 folders, 239 photographs, 1 scrapbook

 Finding Aid

Dr. Katie H. Wright is a well-known historian, writer, educator, and community volunteer in St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. She was also a weekly columnist for the St. Louis Argus, a historic Black newspaper. The collection contains Dr. Wright’s correspondence, reports, awards, newspaper clippings, and photographs related to her educational career, accomplishments as historian and writer, and work with the East St. Louis Board of Education, Board of Elections, and Public Library, as well as the Illinois Department of Corrections.

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Ruth Osborne Wright Papers, 1950-1999 (S1023)
62 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The papers of Ruth Osborne Write contain poetry, notebooks, correspondence, and artwork documenting Wright's career as an artist, as well as her service in the United States Navy during World War II.

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Young Audiences of St. Louis Records, 1967-2002 (S1024)
33 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Young Audiences of St. Louis Records contain meeting minutes, memos, newsletters, photographs, videos, and newspaper clippings pertaining to music education for K-12 students. Founded in 1957, the Young Audiences of St. Louis's mission is to assist schools with developing and promoting live music and cultural events for students.

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Young Men's Christian Association, Indian Guides, 1926-1999 (S0801)
0.25 cubic foot, 10 folders

 Finding Aid

This collection contains scrapbooks and a newsletter of the YMCA's Indian Guides program.

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Young Men's Christian Association, Pine Street Branch Newsletters, 1924-1948 (S0697)
0.8 cubic feet, 3 microfilm rolls

 Finding Aid

The newsletters give a good account of the early years of this important YMCA branch as well as a glimpse of the African-American community of the time. Each issue has been assigned a folder number to enhance indexing. The newsletters were separated from the rest of the addenda because of their fragile condition.

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Young Socialist Alliance Collection, 1974-1975 (S0096)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folders

 Finding Aid

The Young Socialist Alliance Collection contains flyers, posters, newspaper clippings, court briefs, and issues of the Young Socialist from the St. Louis chapter of the Young Socialist Alliance from 1974-1975. The Young Socialist Alliance was the youth group within the Socialist Workers Party from 1960-1992 and promoted causes and candidates representing the Socialist Workers Party.

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Young Women's Christian Association Metro St. Louis Records, 1914-1993 (S0343)
61 cubic feet, 1485 folders, 4994 photographs, 13 microfilm rolls

 Finding Aid

The YWCA collection covers the organization's activities from its inception in 1904 to the late 1970s. The constitution and bylaws, along with revisions and complete financial records are included. The St. Louis YWCA was divided into several branches, including a segregated club for black girls, and each of these groups is represented in the records, which include documentation on programs, summer camps, and clubs maintained by the various branches. The collection also includes a record of programs for which the YWCA shared responsibility with similar organizations, such as the USO, American Red Cross, and the YMCA.

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Mary Ann Younk Photograph Collection, 1927 (P0008)
15 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

15 original photos showing damage to houses and buildings after F4 tornado hit St. Louis, September 29, 1927.

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YouthBridge Community Foundation Records, 1876-2003 (S0243)
7.5 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The YouthBridge Community Foundation Records (formerly the German General Protestant Orphan’s Home and General Protestant Children’s Home) contain meeting minutes, ledgers, and scrapbooks relating to its history as a home for impoverished orphans. Materials of interest include intake record books, documenting the child’s name, birth date, the reasons for their admittance and dismal from the orphanage, as well as the names of their parents. Also included in the collection are photographs depicting the cornerstone laying of YouthBridge’s former campus at 12685 Olive Street Road and an essay on the history of YouthBridge, titled Still Caring: the Evolution of a St. Louis Orphanage, by Glenn J. Sartori. The materials in this collection date from 1877 to 2003.

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YWCA Triangle Club Records, 1963-1989 (S1026)
0.8 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

This colletion contains calendars, rosters, membership lists, and mailings of a group founded by the spouses of the directors and staff associates of the Young Men's Christian Association Metro St. Louis

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Zeigler, McCurdy and Company Letter, 1867 (C2004)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

To H.G. Lewelling, from Chicago, IL, May 6, 1867. Letter offering Lewelling an agency for sale of "The American Farmer's Horse Book."

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