MenuInventory of the Duke Chapel Records, 1920-[ongoing]
Abstract
Collection contains records relating to the operations and activities of Duke Chapel and ranges in date from 1920-[ongoing].
Material includes administrative records, printed exercise programs and bulletins, transcripts of sermons, oversize material including marriage and baptismal registries, carillon and carillonneur material, miscellaneous clippings, press releases, and published material relating to Duke University and the Chapel. University Archives staff must be consulted in order to determine what material is covered by the administrative restriction.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- University Archives, Duke University
- Creator
- Duke University. Chapel.
- Title
- Duke Chapel Records, 1920-[ongoing]
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 23.5 Linear Feet, approx. 16,000 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
Contains material pertaining to the operation and activities of the Duke University Chapel and ranges in date from 1920-[ongoing]. The records are arranged in six series: administrative records, carillon/carilloneur, exercise programs and bulletins, sermons, registers and logbooks, and general files.
The Administrative records contain material created and accumulated by the Chapel Development Officer as well as the records of various committees including Chapel renovation and organ. Carillon material includes program logbooks created by the University Carillonneur and a special carillon program in honor of Terry Sanford. The exercise programs series is composed of printed programs from various services and exercises held in the Chapel: Sunday Service of Worship, Elementary Service, Faculty Service, Service for Elected Officials, various recitals, and Easter, Lenten, and Christmas services. The sermons series contains transcripts of sermons performed in the Chapel by various ministers, faculty, and guests of the University including William H. Willimon, James T. Cleland, Howard C. Wilkinson, and Waldo Beach. Registers and logbooks contains oversize bound volumes documenting Chapel attendance and weddings, baptisms, and funerals held in the Chapel. General files primarily consists of reference material used by Chapel staff: informal histories, information about chapel windows and exterior sculpture, informal patron inquiries, and various printed material. Major subjects include building and grounds, organ (Flentrop and Aeolian), tower and elevator, Chapel policies, weddings, and Chapel photo albums. Also present in the collection are programs for special services held in the Chapel observing V-E and V-J Days and the Chapel's dedication ceremony in 1935.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
In off-site storage; 24 hours advance notice is required for use.
For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the director of the office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the University Archivist.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllThe Administrative records contain material created and accumulated by the Chapel Development Officer as well as the records of various committees. Major subjects include Chapel Renovation Fund, Altar Guild, College of Bishops, and Chapel Renovation and Front Organ Committees.
The Chapel exercise programs and bulletins series is composed of printed programs from various services and exercises held in the Chapel: Sunday Service of Worship, Elementary Service, Faculty Service, various recitals, and Easter, Lenten, and Christmas services.
The sermons series contains transcripts of sermons performed in the Chapel by various ministers, faculty, and guests of the University. Notable speakers include William H. Willimon, James T. Cleland, Howard C. Wilkinson, and Waldo Beach.
Carillon material includes program logbooks created by the Chapel carillonneur, 1966-1973 and 1982-2002. Logs from 1974-1981 are absent. Also present is a special carillon program in honor of Terry Sanford and an encapsulated program from a special Service in Observance of V-J Day, August 1945.
Bound registers and logbooks that document Chapel attendance (a required component of student curriculum in the 1920s) as well as weddings, baptisms, and funerals held in the Chapel.
General files primarily consists of reference material used by Chapel staff: informal histories, information about chapel windows and exterior sculpture, informal patron inquiries, and various printed material including bound publications, informational brochures, periodicals, and newspaper clippings. Also included in this series are Chapel photo albums. Major subjects include building and grounds, organ (Flentrop and Aeolian), tower and elevator, weddings, and Chapel policies.
Historical Note
History adopted from Duke Chapel website: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/home/.
When James B. Duke selected the site for Duke University's West Campus, in 1925, he chose to locate the Chapel on the site's highest ridge. The Chapel was the first building planned for the new campus, but the last one to be completed. Construction started in 1930, was completed in 1935, and cost nearly $2.3 million. The Chapel began to be used before its stained-glass windows and other details were finished; commencement was held in the Chapel in 1932. The Chapel was officially dedicated in 1935.
The Chapel fulfills James B. Duke's desire that the building exert a profound influence on the lives of the young women and men who attend the University. Duke Chapel is a nationally recognized pulpit, an acclaimed center of sacred music, and a place of learning and interfaith cooperation. Duke University Chapel's ever-widening ministry includes worship through prayer, word, and music; service within the University and community; celebration through concerts, special services, and festivals; and learning seminars, study groups, and retreats. The day-to-day ministry of the Chapel is shared with a wide and diverse community: students, faculty, staff, and the community; tourists and travelers; and patients, their families, and caregivers. Chapel life encompasses a variety of groups including Religious Life, Friends of the Chapel, Congregation, and Student Ministry. Duke Chapel is also the site of various concerts, voice and organ recitals, choir and carillon programs, and vesper ensembles.
Subject Headings
- Chapels--North Carolina--Durham.
- Beach, Waldo
- Cleland, James T. (James Tough), 1903-
- Duke Chapel (Durham, N.C.)
- Duke University--Buildings.
- Duke University--Religious activities.
- Duke University. Chapel.
- Duke Universtiy. Chapel--Fund raising.
- Duke University. Chapel--Organs.
- Duke University. Divinity School.
- Sermons.
- Sound recordings.
- Universities and colleges--Sermons.
- Willimon, William H., 1946-
Related Material
- Chapel Reference Collection, 1933-ongoing (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Friends of Duke Chapel Records, 1973-1999 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Minister to the University (Dean of the Chapel) Records, 1940-1984 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Chapel Sermons, 1954-2002 [sound recording] (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Paul S. Robinson Papers, 1932-1941 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- James T. Cleland Papers, 1928-1975 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Duke Memorial Records, 1929-1936 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Horace Trumbauer Architectural Drawings Collection, 1924-1958 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Waldo Beach Papers, 1949-1986 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
- Facilities Management Department Records, 1990-2006 (Duke University Archives/David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Duke Chapel Records, University Archives, Duke University.
Provenance
The Duke Chapel Records were received by the University Archives as a transfer between 1948-2009.
Processing Information
Processed by Joshua Larkin Rowley, November 2008
Encoded by Joshua Larkin Rowley, November 2008
Accessions were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.