Alice Park papers, 1798-1953, bulk 1902-1920

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Park, Alice, 1861-1961
Abstract:
The collection chiefly contains correspondence and papers related to the reform interests of California feminist and pacifistic Alice Park (1861-1961), particularly women's rights, as well as some materials concerning Park family matters.
Extent:
8.58 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Alice Park papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains primarily correspondence about Alice Park's reforming interests, centering on the cause of women's rights and including papers related to the passage of the constitutional amendment granting suffrage to women. The collection also includes her autobiography [PK 7] and a biographical sketch of Katherine Marie ("Kitty") Marion [PK 128].

Significant items found in the collection include: Letters to and from horticulturalist Luther Burbank (1849-1926), establishing March 7, Burbank's birthday, as Bird and Arbor Day; a 1925 letter from the office of architect Myron Hunt (1868-1952); correspondence from author Mary Austin (1868-1934), explaining her background and offering the use of her name towards women suffrage activities; letters from American novelist and socialist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968); and a 1925 letter from Park to birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger (1879-1966). The collection also contains various pieces of printed material (1798-1807).

Biographical / historical:

Alice Locke Park (1861-1961), feminist, reformer, and pacifist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1861, but lived most of her life in California. She was active in both national and international organizations for the improvement of prison conditions, labor laws, human education, wild life conservation, and the preservation of natural resources. Her primary interest, however, was in women's rights, and she was assistant director of the Susan B. Anthony Memorial Committee of California. She wrote and promoted the California law, adopted in 1913, granting women equal rights of guardianship over their children. Park died in 1961.

Acquisition information:
Gifts of Susan B. Anthony Memorial Committee of California, 1945-1956.
Processing information:

Finding aid prepared by Jeffrey Wilensky in 2001. In July 2024, Mari Khasmanyan rehoused box 8, updated the container information, and linear feet.

Arrangement:

Boxes 1-7 contain correspondence arranged chronologically. Box 8 contains oversize items.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Alice Park papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website