Unique unpublished material held by Special Collections and College Archives that is unrelated to Muhlenberg College. Collections include photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, textiles, memorabilia, and more.
Alfred Colarusso World War II Collection (MSS-WWII-Colarusso)
This collection contains over two hundred letters written by Alfred “Al” J. Colarusso (1919-2008), Allentown native and later a Muhlenberg art professor, to various family members and friends during his time in the USAAF, during which he served as a navigator. Also included are sketches, a scrapbook, navigational instruments, his flight jacket, and other military memorabilia.
Richard W. "Dick" Cowen Papers (MSS-2017-007)
This collection consists of the research of Richard W. "Dick" Cowen, Muhlenberg Class of 1953, concerning the stories of the Black community of the Lehigh Valley from the 1800s to 2012. The majority of the research includes photocopies or printouts from local newspapers including the Morning Call, for which Cowen was a life-long reporter. Also included is correspondence, and a resolution from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Elda Graybill World War I scrapbook (MSS-2016-012)
Elda Graybill (1879-1957) was a Pennsylvania nurse who joined the Army Nurses corps and traveled to the French front in late 1917. The scrapbook contains photographs, postcards from French landmarks, newspaper clippings relating to wartime nursing, and a few handwritten notes.
Emanuel Hertz Collection of Lincolniana (MSS-2021-001)
This collection consists of four published books and numerous pamphlets and newspaper publications authored by Lincoln scholar Emanuel Hertz (1870-1940); a folder of correspondence addressed to him; and two scrapbooks featuring hundreds of newspaper clippings relating to Lincoln and Lincoln memorabilia, as well as some pertaining to Hertz's political career. It also includes a lock of hair purported to be clipped from Abraham Lincoln's head after his assassination, with accompanying provenance.
Colonel John G. Ladd World War II Collection (MSS-WWII-Ladd)
This collection consists of photographs, ephemera, and militaria relating to Colonel John G. Ladd's service in the Engineers section of the Fifth Army during the invasion of Italy during World War II. Additionally, it contains an large collection of photographs taken by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during that campaign.
