Springfield College Digital Collections
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SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS MANUSCRIPT NUMBER MS 506 James Naismith Papers 1888-2016 (bulk: 1888-1961) Written by Rachael A. Salyer June 2009 Updated by Jeffrey Monseau August 2016 Shelf space occupied 1 linear foot Number of boxes 2 boxes + oversized materials ABSTRACT The materials in this collection relate primarily to the life of Dr. James Naismith. Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada in 1861. He graduated from McGill University with an A.B. in 1887 and Presbyterian College in Montreal with a religion degree in 1890. From 1890-91, Naismith was both a student and an instructor at the YMCA Training School (now Springfield College), and he continued as an instructor at the International YMCA Training School until 1895. During Naismith’s second year at Springfield (winter 1891), he invented the game of basketball. Naismith continued his education with a medical degree from the University of Colorado and finally settled at the University of Kansas as a professor and coach. Naismith retired in 1937 and died in 1939. The collection includes photographs, the official records from Naismith’s time at the YMCA Training School, three manuscripts about Naismith (one by Katherine Holmes Naismith that contains transcripts of many letters by Naismith and his family and one by his friend R. Tait McKenzie, the sculptor), a manuscript by Naismith himself entitled “The Origin of Basketball,” Naismith’s correspondence with Springfield College’s Alumni Association (primarily George O. Draper), and a few letters he wrote, including one about basketball in 1898 to T.J. Browne and one from his time in France during World War I. The rest of the collection contains materials about Naismith, including articles (written by and about Naismith), information about the establishment of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, letters from Forrest C. Allen and Paul Endacott, a nomination for the “Hall of Fame of Great Americans” at NYU, and numerous scrapbook pages filled with newspaper articles, photographs, etc. There are copies of materials from other Archives including a folder that contains copies of materials thought to have been created by or at one time in the possession of Dr. James Naismith that are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. and are online with the Canada Sports Hall of Fame and some materials from McGill. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ MS506 James Naismith Papers Page 2 Archives and Special Collections Babson Library, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts INFORMATION ON USE OF THE COLLECTION TERMS OF ACCESS AND USE Unrestricted except what is listed below: Box 2, Folder 29: Copies of materials on/from Naismith owned by the Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment Ltd. and on loan to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Materials came from digital files sent by Doug Stark on March 7, 2019 (see emails in this folder). These files were originally sent to him by the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame where the materials resided. Files were printed out and placed in this file at that time. All print copies have number of acquisition and file name information written on them. The Springfield College Archives has kept these original digital files and has placed them within the digital collections folder for this collection. These files are available by request and approval of the college archivist, but no approval for use by researchers can be given. These files will not be placed in the online version of the digital collections unless approval from the owners of the materials is given. At the time of the writing of this note (April 19, 2019), this option has not been investigated. PREFERRED CITATION Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information (in addition to any other information required by the citation style being used): MS506 - James Naismith Papers, box #, folder #, Archives and Special Collections, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass. HISTORY OF COLLECTION Acquisition information for some materials within the collection is unknown. Some materials were originally records at Springfield College, others were collected and donated by Rachael Naismith (James Naismith’s great-granddaughter), and some were copied from materials at the Basketball Hall of Fame (dates unknown). Individual documents were donated by T.J. Browne (letter, 1943) and Edna Gardner Lowry (copy of autograph book page, date unknown). Memorandum recorded by Mr. Dean W. Peterson, March 23, 1939 – ACQ-0079-2014 Letter and articles donated by Norris Lineweaver, December 12, 2012 – ACQ-0148-2012 John McClendon letter to Laurie Naismith, August 9, 2016 – ACQ-0085-2016 Copies of materials at McGill University, August 3, 2016 – ACQ-0081-2016 “Meet the past with Crosby Kemper III featuring James Naismith” – ACQ-0034-2013 “The Naismith Chronicles” by Katherine Holmes Naismith – ACQ-0084-2016 Unsigned letter written by James Naismith, ca. 1918 – ACQ-0083-2016 Commemorative petition for membership to the Masons – ACQ-0082-2016 Japanese scrolls and photograph – ACQ-0154-2013 Letter from James Naismith to Maude Naismith, Aug. 13, 1916 – ACQ-0089-2016 Fundamentals of Basketball, by Dr. James Naismith – ACQ-0108-2016 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ MS506 James Naismith Papers Page 3 Archives and Special Collections Babson Library, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts Prints of “Duck on a Rock” – ACQ-0122-2018 Print of original photograph of Original Gymnasium – ACQ-0126-2018 Letter from James Naismith to daughter Hellen – ACQ-0001-2019 Copies of materials on/from Naismith owned by the Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment Ltd. and on loan to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame – ACQ-0006-2019 Collection processed and arranged by Rachael A. Salyer, June 2009. ORGANIZATION The collection is organized into a single series. ARRANGEMENT The collection has no original order, so the materials have been arranged by type and—wherever possible—chronologically. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ MS506 James Naismith Papers Page 4 Archives and Special Collections Babson Library, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts RELATED MATERIALS In Archives and Special Collections, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass.: Archives Digital Collections – For all Images and Documents digitized on Naismith Basketball History – For all Images and Documents digitized on Basketball History Triangle/Physical Education Magazine. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll3 Athletic Department: Basketball Papers. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/2166 Browne, Thomas James. History, Use and Limitations of Basket Ball. 1898. (GV885 .B72) Cosentino, Frank. Almonte’s Brothers of the Wind: R. Tait McKenzie and James Naismith. Burnstown, Ontario : General Store Publishing House, 1996. GV331 .C67 1996 Lee, Mabel. “Papers on Prominent Physical Educators,” AAHPERD Collection. (GV439 .M22, Box W1) Luther Halsey Gulick Papers, MS 503. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/2935 Minutes and letters of Ahikamin Circle of King’s Sons, International Young Men’s Christian Association College, 1890-1940. (LD5171.S551 A45) Naismith, James. Basket-ball for 1893. Springfield, Massachusetts: Triangle Publishing Company, 1893. (GV885 .N15 1893) Naismith, James. Basketball, Its Origin and Development. New York: Association Press, 1941. (GV885 .N18 1941) Naismith, James. Basketball’s Origins: Creative Problem-Solving in the Gilded Age. Robert B. Cheney, ed. Cambridge, New York: Bear Publications, 1976. (GV885 .N182) Naismith, James. How Basketball Started and Why it Grew so Fast. Springfield, Massachusetts: Springfield College, 1931. (GV885 .N192) Naismith, James. An Improved Basis for Judging and Comparing the Physical Development of Children. Lawrence, Kansas: Bureau of School Service and Research, University of Kansas, 1930. (LB3423.A2 N3) Naismith, James. Rules for Basketball. Springfield, Massachusetts: Triangle Publishing Company, 1892. (GV885 .N15 1892) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ MS506 James Naismith Papers Page 5 Archives and Special Collections Babson Library, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts Naismith, James and Luther Gulick. Basket-ball. New York City: American Sports Publishing Company, 1894. (GV885 .N16) R. Tait McKenzie Papers, MS 508. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/4879 YMCA Hall of Fame Papers, RG 103. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/2389 Springfield College Armed Forces Collection, RG 104. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/12093 Springfield College Office of the Trustees Records. International YMCA Training School Trustee Minutes and Reports, 1890 to 1898. Kansas University and possible James Naismith Teaching files and documents. Unprocessed. ACQ-0086-2016 William H. Ball Alumni Class Representative Papers, MS 527. https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/16574 Springfield College Faculty Files: Rachael Naismith Folder Springfield College Archives and Collections Acquisitions files: James and Maude Naismith Family Tree Project conducted by Ken Cerino (Information is restricted and only available