This story appeared in the 2023 President’s Report issue of Onyx Anneau.
Lindsey Richardt ’07
What’s in the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods archives? The original daguerreotype photograph of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, a sewing kit belonging to a member of the Le Fer family, student scrapbooks and artwork dating back to the 1800s are among the treasure, as well as thousands of records and artifacts that tell the collective and intertwined stories of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) and the Sisters of Providence.
In preparation for the renovation of Owens Hall in 2015, the Sisters of Providence were in search of a new home for their archives. SMWC offered a temporary storage location in Le Fer Hall with the long-term goal of bringing the archival collections from both institutions together in Rooney Library, where the College’s archives had long been stored.
This transition is part of an ongoing collaboration between the College and the Sisters of Providence. “It is hard to separate the College from its founding roots of the Sisters, particularly with respect to the archives as it is one, shared history for so much of our time together,” said Karen Dyer, vice president for advancement and strategic initiatives at SMWC.
Today, libraries are becoming more and more digital, which provided an opportunity and the space needed to accommodate both collections in one location. Following nearly a year of renovation work to enhance the protection and storage of documents, the Sisters’ archives moved to the 4,500-square-foot space in August, creating the combined SMW Archives.
“After seven long years of being in transition, we were finally able to bring the two archives together. There is still much work to be done as we begin collaborating in new ways, but the future offers many opportunities. There is a possibility of a showroom for our unique pieces, digital collections and new research as the College continues to add more masters and doctoral programs,” said Dyer.
Archivists Alice Quinlan ’65, and Janet Gilligan, SP, ’61 organized and planned the move.
Quinlan began volunteering in the SMWC Archives following her retirement from the College’s Woods External Degree office in 2008. Organizing the collection gave Quinlan the opportunity to explore many historical artifacts and records that capture the unique history of the College.
“An astronomy class from the 1870s had a telescope on top of Providence [Hall], and they made notes from observations and sketches of the moons of Jupiter. I particularly loved seeing those. It is good for people to see and to know that the education at The Woods in the 19th century wasn’t just needlepoint and lace-making. It was truly very broad and included science as well as arts, literature, music and the rest,” said Quinlan, adding that the astronomy notebooks were later displayed at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Gilligan became the archivist for the Sisters of Providence following her retirement as an English teacher in 2015. She notes some of the most interesting items from the collection to be Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s original letters and journals, records from some of the first council meetings, as well as hundreds of photographs.
“It’s important to remember where you come from. The past shapes the present. We have such a rich history here. Mother Theodore kept such meticulous records, diaries and journals—we have it all,” she said. “We have a lot of treasures back here.”
Though many items are available to view digitally, the archives are open to the public by appointment, giving alumni, students and researchers a unique opportunity to explore early life at The Woods.
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