Cora M. Aldridge scrapbook

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16932, Cora M. Aldridge scrapbook, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
0.04 Cubic Feet One letter-sized file folder changed to legal size folder because letter inside scrapbook is legal size.
Creator:
Aldridge, Cora M.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16932, Cora M. Aldridge scrapbook, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the college scrapbook of Cora M. Aldridge, an African American student at Hartshorn Memorial College in Richmond, Virginia. Hartshorn Memorial College was a private college for African American women in Richmond, Virginia, active from 1883 until 1932, when it merged with Virginia Union University. The cover is titled "My Memories of School Days" in gilt. Alridge's name and her Vauxhall, New Jersey, address are written on the first endpage, as is the date of June 14, 1926. The content of the scrapbook chronicles Alridge's final year at Hartshorn. A photograph of Hartshorn, social and academic event programs, graduation cards, a flower, and newspaper clippings are tipped in and pasted throughout. The signatures of Cora's classmates, many with greetings and well wishes, are also present throughout the scrapbook. Cora describes her love for dancing, taking the streetcar, stealing food, going to shows in town, and other activities forbidden for students at the College. A tipped-in handwritten essay by Aldrige is titled "Do not simply be good – be good for something." There is a letter from 1956 relating to the 30th anniversary of the Class of 1926's graduation.

Biographical / historical:

Cora M. Aldridge was an African American Woman who attended Hartshorn Memorial College, a private school in Richmond, Virginia in 1926. She was from Vauxhall, New Jersey. The college existed from 1883 to 1932 and was known for its strict rules.

Acquisition information:
This collection was a purchase from Caroliniana Rare Books to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 12 August 2025.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard