Pushing the boundaries: New collections document history (just) beyond the central Shenandoah Valley
Posted December 12, 2024 in Special Collections News
Since its inception in 1983, James Madison University Special Collections has collected historical materials to document the central Shenandoah Valley, specifically Page, Augusta, Shenandoah, and Rockingham Counties. Occasionally, Special Collections staff employ their discretion to acquire collections beyond those geographic boundaries particularly when the materials complement current holdings or support researcher scholarship. Special Collections recently acquired and made available for research two such collections – Hotel Monterey Guest Register, 1911-1913 and Pendleton County (W. Va.) Meteorological Record Books, 1916-1957.
The Hotel Monterey Guest Register captures the name, home residence, room number, and automobile make (if applicable, some folks traveled by horseback!) of guests who stayed at the Hotel Monterey in Highland County, Virginia from 1911 to 1913. Of interest is John Philip Sousa’s stay at the Hotel Monterey on April 8, 1913. Sousa was a conductor and composer of American military marches including “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Two Pendleton County (W. Va.) Meteorological Record Books, primarily kept by Brandywine resident Elmer L. Keister, comprise thirty years of detailed weather statistics as well as an additional ten years of narrative descriptions kept by Keister’s daughter, Martha. In addition to the detailed weather data, the record books document livestock and crop reports including fruit and cider, births, deaths, marriages, road work and public utilities improvements, and community and family news.
While both aforementioned manuscript collections document the history of counties just outside of (but adjacent to) our typical geographic collecting scope, these materials complement established and ongoing areas of researcher scholarship, specifically local weather patterns and the history of transportation systems. Additionally, mentions of the Shenandoah Valley are found within both collections – Mary Hoover Keister, wife of Elmer, traveled to and was hospitalized in Harrisonburg and, not surprisingly, some guests at the Hotel Monterey hailed from the Shenandoah Valley.
Information about visiting Special Collections and making appointments for in-person research is available on our Plan A Visit page.
Contact us at library-special@jmu.edu or (540) 568-3612 with any questions about these materials or about visiting Special Collections.