Scrapbook from Woman Student at Teacher's College in PA, 1936-1937

[Teachers College], Handwritten

Scrapbook Album

[Women Education] [Handwritten] Scrapbook album from a female, first year college student in Pennsylvania from 1936-1937 school year. Includes 107 pieces of ephemera from East Stroudsburg State Teachers College and surrounding areas, including the Poconos, New Jersey, and New York. Rich with handwritten captions and notes. 12.5 x 10 in. Original red textured boards. 60 pages. “Scrap Book” gilt on front cover. Hand lettered on first page “E.S.S.T.C. 1936-7”. Handwritten notes and colorful commentary included throughout the book. For example, a program for local play comes with the note: “A big disappointment. The play was rotten.” ESSTC was founded in 1893 and the first graduating class had 62 women and 12 men; the name was changed to East Stroudsburg State Teachers College in 1927 and is now known as East Stroudsburg University. Teaching provided an important professional path for women, who had limited career options at the time. Items from the school, including certificate of admission, report cards, and school dances. Subjects include: Introduction to Teaching, English I, Science II, Hygiene, History of Civilization, Physical Education, and Social Guidance. Program for the basketball and spring sports schedules for the Men’s college teams. Also includes program from a local gymnastics exposition and newspaper clipping from a woman competing in a national billiards competition. First 7 pages are detached. Pages are brittle with small chips along edges. Good to very good condition.

Album is filled with mementos from the college and social activities of original album owner, Alyson Kistler. From this book, we know that she was active in the Art Club (newspaper clippings list her as “Head of Art Club”), worked at restaurants and clubs on the weekends, and loved going to see movies with friends. Many notes accompany included ephemera, recounting specific memories: “Jean met me at Hoboken. We spend the day shopping and took the 5:00 train for Port. that nite. Jean entertained some of the high school kids. Sunday A.M. we went for a walk around town and Rut[h] took us for a ride. We returned to N.Y. at 4:00 and I caught the train for Eastburg.” “Mike, Tom, Herb, and I went to Mt. Cobb. Mike and Tom stayed to play baseball. Herb & I went to Wilkes Barre.” “Tom came down drom Buck Hill — we made molasses taffy, and spent a quiet evening at home.” “Easter at Buck Hill / Went up Sat. noon on the train with Ray. Tom and Sam met us at the station. Sat. afternoon I went to Catholic Church with Tom. Sat. nite we saw “Maid of Salem’, ate in the Bluestone, and danced in the lobby. Sunday night we walked down to the drug store. I finished work Sun. nite supper & came home Mon. noon in Dave’s car.” She has a few mementos from male admirers, including a neck tie and a special Japanese stamp. “Woodward was down Sunday night. Went for a walk. He gave me his tie because I liked it.” Next to a Japanese stamp: “A long story. 1) Harriet presented me with 2 stamps Harold Fusselman had sent from Japan. 2) I gave them to Johnny for his stamp collection. 3) Johnny game me this cancelled one which is just like one I gave him.” Includes menus and advertisements from popular gathering places, including Columbia Hotel (Columbia NJ), Indian Queen Hotel, and The Inn at Buck Hill Falls (PA). Programs from Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA and other news clippings with local showtimes for movies. Other interesting pieces of ephemera include 3 small paper hatchets in celebration of Washington’s birthday, joke glasses with a false nose (from a New Year’s Eve party), and pressed flower corsages. Comes with 2 copies of local paper, The Stroud Courier. 1 loose colored print from Godey’s of women in mid-19th century dresses.

Item #16968

Price: $350.00