Records, 1787-1979.

ArchivalResource

Alabama Anthropological Society. Records, 1787-1979.

Records, 1787-1979.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122498286

Records, 1787-1979, of the Alabama Anthropological Society. The majority of the collection is centered around the early years of the group. There are a few original records, however, most of the collection is composed of pamphlets, clippings and other printed materials. The correspondence subgroup covers the founding years of the society. The main correspondents are Thomas Owen and Peter Brannon. Most of the letters are to various institutions about Alabama items in their collections. One letter worth noting is one from the Smithsonian Institution to Peter Brannon, giving advice on what to do with skeletal remains. The meetings and excursions records subgroup consists of handwritten notes on the group's meetings. It also contains narratives of some of the groups archaeological "excursions." Programs from a few of the society's annual meetings are also in this subgroup. The printing and publications subgroup includes an incomplete set of Arrow Points issues with a 1979 index, catalogs of three exhibitions of the group, and copies of the organization's handbook. The miscellaneous series consists of blank membership application forms, signs from exhibitions, and copies of Circular #1 of the society, giving basic information abou the group. The papers subgoup consists of papers given by members at the group's meetings. Topics covered include "Indian Mounds of Macon County, Ala.," "Some Notes on the Shell Banks of the Alabama Coast," "Coweta," "Ancient Copper Plates," and "Catherine Brown." The committee records subgroup is arranged by committee. The records from the Committee on Collections and Relics include notes on different collections in the Montgomery, Ala., area and a copy of one annual report of its activities. The records from the Committee on the Promotion of Anthropological Study in Alabama Schools include some drafts of its report to the society and the draft of a letter sent out to different educational institutions soliciting information about the anthropological programs that they offered. The majority of the series is comprised of different catalogs from universities around the country that had anthropology-related studies. The records of the Publicity Committee include a draft of one of its reports and a few press releases about the society. The final subgroup is composed of reference files on various anthropological subjects and clippings files that were intended to go into a scrapbook. Pamphlets and articles, some of which are very old, are included in this series. However, most of it is composed of clippings files from the early 1920s. The clippings are about Native Americans and their role in current events and history. The clippings are also concerned with archaeological discoveries in the news. These clippings are particularly interesting for the picture they present of racial attitudes in that time period.

2.33 cubic ft. (2 records center boxes, 1 archives box).

Alabama Department of Archives and History