By: Samara C. George, Salem College Historical Society

Image from the official Gramley Library website.  https://guides.library.salem.edu/archives-special-collections/ 

We’re all enchanted by the past. Even if you’re the type that starts to feel drowsy in history class, or who visits museums for photo ops rather than historical or artistic intrigue, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about the past at all. Everyone looks back at the old things they’ve written, drawn, or posted. It’s also a common experience to look at the world around you and think “What was here before?” What was I-40 before it was rolling hills of concrete and asphalt? Was it a beautiful clearing with a lake and a herd of deer? Was it a minority neighborhood that the government determined was not significant or profitable enough to exist? (The answer to that one is yes, most likely.) 

What did Salem’s campus look like before we were all confined to a handful of buildings that we don’t even have 24/7 access to?

Well, wonder no more! Salem Academy & College’s archives contain years upon years of documents on all things Salem. The archives are located in the basement of Gramley library. While the archives may feel expansive due to how condensed it is, it’s really only the size of a library floor. Despite the small size, there’s a wide variety of materials available. These archived materials include flyers, yearbooks, newspapers, ledgers, scrapbooks, course catalogues, and even clothing! However, in recent years, there has been a decrease in student donations to the archives. Not as many people are saving their things or sending anything to the archives. So please… send your materials to the archives!

When donating photos to the archives, please include the date (especially the year!), event or scene depicted, and names of anyone present in photos, if applicable. For clubs, please send at least three physical copies of fliers or posters. Please include the date, especially the year. If applicable, please send a digital version of the poster with information about the event to archives@salem.edu.

Of course, we don’t want everything. The Archives are not a general storage facility. I doubt we’d have much use for a breakfast sandwich order slip that’s covered in hash brown grease. But things like flyers or booklets from school events like the Health Leadership forums and Health Leadership days? Or traditions such as Convocation or Founder’s Day? Those are invaluable! Any information on clubs is valuable as well. “We want anything that shows what clubs there are and what they do,” says Salem Academy & College Archivist, Dr. Donna Rothrock. 

Every day is history! There are so many points in history that researchers of all kinds mourn the loss of. Everyone fantasizes about what the world looked like before it was the way we see it today; there have most certainly been siblings in days of yore, imagining what campus may have looked like in ‘ye olden times.’ Also… YOU are part of history! One day, a sibling is going to be stuck in a bind trying to research something such as… I don’t know, Gender Expression at Historically Women’s Colleges during the second Trump Administration (2024–2028)… and will want to see YOUR photos and YOUR journals and YOUR courses! 

Students are the best unintentional archivists. We all write, take photos, and attend events (hopefully). We’re all part of the Salem story. So, please… SUPPORT THE ARCHIVES!