Savage (W. Sherman) Collection, Approximately 1950-1981

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Summary

Title:
W. Sherman Savage Collection
Dates:
Approximately 1950-1981
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of American history professor W. Sherman Savage (1890-1980), dating from the 1950s to 1981 and concerning his writing and research on African American history, especially in the California and trans-Mississippi West, his retirement from Lincoln University in 1960 and his subsequent teaching at Cal State Los Angeles. There is also material about his efforts to secure a publisher for his major study, Blacks in the West.
Extent:
3.96 Linear Feet (11 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. W. Sherman Savage Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers concern Savage's writing and research on African American history, especially in the California and trans-Mississippi West, his retirement from Lincoln University in 1960 and his subsequent teaching at Cal State LA. There is also material about his efforts to secure a publisher for his major study, Blacks in the West. The papers in this collection represent only the latter portion of Savage's career as an historian and educator. Unfortunately, according to Savage himself, his earlier papers were destroyed by a tenant who was leasing the Savages' home after his retirement from Lincoln University (carbon copy of letter to Dr. Michael R. Winston, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, July 14, 1974, Box 7, folder 10).

Some notable items include correspondence in 1969 and 1970 between Sherman Savage and various representatives of the University of Nebraska's educational television station in the course of developing a television series on African-Americans in the West (see Savage to Larry Long, Box 6, folder 53 and University of Nebraska, University Television to Sherman Savage, Box 7, folder 42); multiple drafts of Sherman Savage's major publication, Blacks in the West (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1976), Boxes 1 through 3.

Note: Many of the materials are in rather poor physical condition because of the deteriorating paper upon which the letters or manuscripts were produced or because of previous circumstances of storage.

Biographical / historical:

W. Sherman Savage (March 7, 1890-May 23, 1980) remained deeply involved in education throughout his adult life, both as a teacher and as a scholar. Born in Wattsville, Accomac County, Virginia, Savage received a bachelor's degree from Howard University in 1917. He held various teaching positions in Mississippi, North Carolina and Oklahoma, before becoming professor of history at Lincoln University of Missouri (Jefferson City, Missouri) in 1921. Despite the racial barriers in place at most universities, Savage also pursued his graduate studies, becoming the first black graduate of the University of Oregon (receiving an M.A. in 1925) and the first black to receive a doctorate from Ohio State University in 1934. Dr. Savage remained at Lincoln University until his retirement in 1960 as chair of the History Department. As his papers demonstrate, he was regarded with great respect and affection by his colleagues and by his students at Lincoln University because of his exceptional dedication to the school and to his teaching. Thereafter, he taught in the History and Political Science Department at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas until 1966. Following his departure from Jarvis, he and his wife Roena moved to Los Angeles where he continued to teach as a visiting professor at California State College, Los Angeles until 1970. He pursued his research and his writing in the years after his final retirement up until his death in 1980. As an historian, Savage wrote initially about abolitionism (including a published version of his doctoral dissertation, "The Controversy Over the Distribution of Abolition Literature, 1830-1860") but soon became interested in exploring the circumstances of African Americans in the trans-Mississippi West. He published extensively in The Journal of Negro History and The Negro History Bulletin on aspects of the subject, served as a consultant to a 1970 television series dealing with the general topic and eventually made it the subject of his best known book, Blacks in the West (Westport, CT, 1976).

Acquisition information:
Gift of Eloise S. Logan, May 5, 1987.
Arrangement:

The collection is housed in 11 boxes and is separated into five categories of materials: manuscripts, correspondence, teaching materials, ephemera and printed matter. The manuscripts are organized alphabetically by author and then by title while the correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author and then, where necessary, by addressee.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Bibliography:
A lengthy memorial appreciation of Dr. Savage, written by Lorenzo J. Greene, appeared in The Journal of Negro History,v. 66, n. 1 (Spring 1981).

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Huntington Library staff in March 1995; machine-readable finding aid created by Xiuzhi Zhou; supplementary encoding and revision by Diann Benti in June 2017.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-08-07 13:47:37 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

RESTRICTED: Box 11: Course enrollment lists and student papers from Dr. Savage's years as a member of the History Department at California State College, Los Angeles, have been removed from the collection and are currently restricted until December 31, 2029 in order to protect the privacy of students in his classes. Another file related to letters of recommendation on behalf of a fellowship application has also been closed for the same time period.

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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]. W. Sherman Savage Collection, 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
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