Manuscript Collection

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Identifier

Accession 1789

Inclusive Dates

1899-2007

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

1000 pieces, .50 linear feet

Language

English;

Scope and Content Note

The Mary Pitts Perry Papers document the personal collecting activities and institutional connections of Mary Celeste Pitts Perry (b. 1943), a 1962 graduate of the Winthrop Training School. The collection reflects Perry’s longstanding family ties to Winthrop and her interest in preserving materials related to the history of Winthrop College (now Winthrop University), the Winthrop Training School, the city of Rock Hill, and the surrounding Catawba region, as well as selected aspects of her family history.

Materials in the collection span the late nineteenth century through the early twenty-first century and include books, college bulletins, newspapers, newsletters, photographs, programs, ephemera, and commemorative objects. Of particular note are resources documenting the Winthrop Training School, such as graduate lists, reunion materials, class rolls, student photographs, prom invitations, and issues of The Winthrop Journal. The collection also contains institutional publications and correspondence, including a 1918 letter from Winthrop President Bancroft Johnson regarding the purchase of land near present-day Dinkins Hall, illustrating the physical expansion of the campus.

The collection further includes publications and clippings related to Rock Hill and the Catawba River region, offering perspectives on local history, civic development, and regional identity. These materials are complemented by assorted historical books and pamphlets on South Carolina and United States history, some containing Perry’s personal annotations.

In addition, the papers contain a small group of artifacts and printed materials related to fraternal and secretive organizations, including coded ritual booklets associated with the Freemasons and a 1916 handbook from the Ku Klux Klan. These items are preserved as part of the historical record of the collection and reflect the breadth of materials Perry retained rather than her personal affiliations.

Overall, the Mary Pitts Perry Papers provide a multifaceted assemblage of institutional memory, local history, and personal collecting that will be of interest to researchers studying Winthrop’s educational history, Rock Hill and the Catawba region, and the ways alumni and families have preserved and interpreted the past.

Provenance

The Mary Pitts Perry Papers were donated by Mary Pitts Perry on October 21, 2021.

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Mary Pitts Perry Papers - Accession 1789

LC Subject Headings

Perry, Mary Pitts, 1943-; Perry, Mary Pitts, 1943- --Family; Johnson, David Bancroft, 1856-1928--Correspondence; Pitts, Laurens Dorroh, Sr., 1878-1954--Correspondence; Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women; Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women--Collectibles; Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women--Newspapers; Ku Klux Klan (1915- )--Handbooks, manuals, etc.; Laboratory schools--South Carolina--Rock Hill--History; College student newspapers and periodicals--South Carolina--Rock Hill--Newspapers; Freemasonry--Handbooks, manuals, etc.; Rock Hill (S.C.); Catawba Indian Nation; Catawba River Valley (N.C. and S.C.); South Carolina--History--Sources; United States--History--Sources

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