Ephemera

Scope and content:

Series 3: Ephemera, 1856-2004, houses many unique items such as hundreds of stamps (U.S., Confederate, and international), brochures, certificates, awards, diplomas, and pamphlets from events such as the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, and dance cards. The aforementioned diplomas and certificates document the Blackley family's achievements and graduations from various schools and universities, including the University of Virginia, the State Teacher's College at Harrisonburg, and Virginia Tech. Many of the manuals and booklets used in Chas' various military training can be found in this series.

There are also newspaper clippings that share stories directly related to family members or address significant events of the time. These include awards won by the family, news about new jobs or graduations, historic events like D-Day, and John F. Kennedy's assassination.

One of the more locally relevant pieces is a pamphlet entitled "Dedication of the Shenandoah National Park" (1936). It lists the planned dedication speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt given at Big Meadows as the key event.

This series also includes one oversize box of 3D ephemeral objects. Objects of interest include a Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie camera (1917-1926) owned by Chas Blackley and inscribed with the names of Blackley and the SS Gertrude Kellogg, Dr. Charles Coatesworth Phillips' small leather medicine case with glass bottles that he took on house calls, several pairs of glasses, a glass plate photograph of Susie E. Phillips, and assorted World's Fair ephemera.

Stored separately are multiple flags that are likely from Chas' 1930 voyage in the Pacific. There is a large and small Japanese flag, a small Chinese [pre-communist revolution] flag, and a small Philippine national flag. An additional flag dates to WWI and features the United States flag surrounded by smaller flags of all our allies from that conflict.

Access and use

Contents