Inventory of the Explorers' Club Records, 1919-2000

Abstract

The Explorers' Club was formed as an informal walking club for Duke students and faculty in 1930.

The collection includes photographs of club expeditions, memorabilia and correspondence, mostly from the years 1932 to 1971.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: University Archives, Duke University
Creator: Duke University. Explorers' Club.
Title: Explorers' Club Records, 1919-2000
Language of Material: English
Extent: 1.2 Linear Feet, 100 Items
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Includes Recollections of the Explorers' Club, recorded in April 1971 by Ernest Seeman and The Explorers' Club by Exie Duncan. The photograph album contains pictures of club and earlier expeditions from 1919 to 1934. Also includes memorabilia, correspondence, The Explorer: A Semi-Scholarly Yellow Sheet Devoted to the Pursuit of Epedaphics, Wiener-Schnitzels and Camaraderie; And Being a Circulatory Circumbendibus of the Explores' Club, and the Spring 2000 issue of the Eno River Association's newsletter.

Administrative Information

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Access Restrictions

Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Collection is open for research.

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

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Container List

Correspondence, Photos, 1937, 1976

Box 1

Clippings, Negatives, Photographs, Memos, 1975-1979

Box 1

Miscellaneous Memorabilia, Correspondence, 1971-1979

Box 1

Scrapbook, 1932-1934

Box 1

Scrapbook Loose Pages, 1919-1970

Box 1

Scrapbook Loose Page, Loose Photos, Newsletter, 2000, undated

Box 1

Historical Note

The Explorers' Club was founded in September 1930 by a group of faculty members that included Alice Baldwin, Anne Gardiner, Justin Miller, and Ernest Seeman. According to Burke Smith, one of the early members, the club had no formal membership, no dues, and no officers. Several of the members decided where to go hiking and whom to invite. The names were selected from a list of more than 200 interested students. Trips were made very two weeks on a Sunday afternoon (sometimes on Saturdays). A leisurely walk through a wooded section was followed by a picnic meal around a campfire. Twice a year, weekend trips were made to the mountains and to the sea.