To acquire one of kind original notes from H-SC' co-founder and first president Stanhope Smith's students. 464 pages - much of which has not been seen since 1811. A living contribution to support the early days research.
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Dear Fellow Alumni, As a graduate of the Hampden-Sydney College bicentennial class of 1976 I am pleased to bring to you an exciting and timely opportunity for our alma mater to acquire a unique, one-of-a-kind treasure from the very beginning days of our College.This rare find of notebooks from 1806 -- has been out of general circulation since on or around 1811 and comprises a 464-page three volume "Trilogy" of original student class notes taken from lectures on Moral Philosophy, Economics, Theology and more than a mention on Chemistry given by Hampden-Sydney’s first President & Co-Founder -- Samuel Stanhope Smith. Smith was the seventh President and a professor at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and these notes were written by his students during his tenure there. Smith, while controversial, was generally regarded and celebrated by historians on both sides of the Atlantic as the leading defender of the “unity of mankind.” H-SC now has a unique opportunity to research and study what Smith's students actually gleaned from the lectures versus what historians have written.
I discovered these rare documents through a bit of serendipity from an eclectic collector of antiquities. At first there was an interest in getting these in the hands of Princeton University.
However, after a review, I suggested these "textbooks" were a treasure trove of "new" insights into Hampden-Sydney College's formative years and what was meant in H-SC's mission statement of "forming good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning" which Smith championed and still guides the College today.
This Trilogy belongs at H-SC. The quest began with a few calls and a trip to H-SC to provide Ms. Dawnelle Ion, MLIS Digital & Archival Project Librarian for the Bortz Library and her colleagues a chance to see and review the perfect condition Trilogy. I believe it was love (for the Trilogy) at first sight. This year the College initiated a research and study program on the early days of the College and its curriculum choices with the newly established alumni-led Prospero Society. Like many opportunities, timing is always an important factor -- as is the upcoming 250th birthday of our beloved College. What also makes this unique Trilogy extremely valuable is the continuous provenance of ownership and "scrivener” quality writing -- well preserved and virtually unaffected by the passage of time. The Trilogy is a first-person look back into the teachings and state of mind, even students' "humor of the day" -- mostly previously unknown. Research and study into the Trilogy by H-SC's current students reveals a "time capsule" of sorts into direct evidence of one of H-SC's original thought leaders through students' eyes - and not simply the usual "in the rear-view mirror" interpretations of most historians.These volumes may resonate to many alumni experiences of referring to class notes from previous students often kept in the attics of H-SC fraternity houses. These notes often provided better insight to professor lectures than official textbooks. The Trilogy of contemporaneous student impressions passed down/purchased by students for years after written in 1806 is evidence and testimony to their value - much like receiving a 5-star review on Amazon or a NY Times best seller list today.
How you can help your College acquire this unique treasure now: This request for donor support is outside the College's normal process of acquiring original historical artifacts that are not directly donated by an owner. The College's budget for rare find books was already committed before this opportunity arose -- and to wait for next year's budget would mean most likely losing this once in a lifetime chance to Princeton's greater resources. I have matched pledged $5,000 towards the $53,000 goal to acquire this one-of-a-kind original Samuel Stanhope Smith Trilogy. It is vital to get this Trilogy into the hands of the school ASAP to support their current "early days of Hampden-Sydney research and study" program outlined by Ms Dawnelle Ion, Head Digital & Archival Librarian which also has some synergy to, and support of, the goals and initiatives of the Hampden-Sydney Prospero Society.
Thank you in advance for your support and this tax-deductible contribution to acquire this unique once in a lifetime opportunity for our beloved Hampden-Sydney College.Go Tigers!
Jon GreeneH-SC '76
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