Monthly Archives: September 2017

Image of the Week

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Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Digital Program Specialist.

U.S.S. Rogers Blood ca. 1946

Pictured above is an image from a folder titled “U.S.S. Rogers Blood.”

The U.S.S. Rogers Blood was a destroyer escort commissioned in 1945, sponsored by the Blood family. It was reclassified a fast transport in 1945 under the command of Commander John W. Higgins, Jr. The ship’s namesake was First Lieutenant Rogers Blood of Manchester, New Hampshire.

Blood was described as an active member of student life at Manchester Central High School, with involvement in various leadership roles and athletics. He enrolled at Dartmouth in 1940 and enlisted in the Marine Corp Reserve in 1942. He accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant in 1943 and was promoted to first Lieutenant in 1944.

Blood was killed in action on Engebi Island in 1944, leading his platoon in a charge against a fortified enemy position. He received the Silver Star posthumously for his courage in battle.

The U.S.S. Rogers Blood was decommissioned in 1946 and berthed in Green Cove Springs, Florida. It was sold and disposed of in 1961.

See more World War II images in the Dartmouth photographic files.

 

On This Day

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Our series highlighting a digital collection or item relevant to this day in history, by Monica Erives, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

September 21, 1938 hurricane damage on East Wheelock Street. In the background, Thornton Hall, Dartmouth Hall, and Fayerweather Hall are in view.

On this day in 1938, the Great New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island. This hurricane, also known as the Long Island Express, was one of the most destructive storms of its kind to hit New England. Few were prepared for the storm due to its high speed and erratic movement. Approximately 600 people were killed and vast swaths of forest were damaged by extreme winds.

Hurricane damage on Main Street in front of College Hall (Collis).

These images show only some of the hurricane damage done to the Dartmouth College campus in 1938. View more photos of the 1938 New England Hurricane by visiting the Dartmouth Photographic Files, a diverse collection of approximately 80,000 photographs related to the Dartmouth College area, dating back to the 1850s.

Sources:

Wikipedia – 1938 New England Hurricane

The 1938 Hurricane along New England’s Coast

Image of the Week

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Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Digital Program Specialist.

This image of the week comes from a folder titled “Watering Trough.” The Hanover trough once sat on the Green across from the Balch Mansion. The Balch Mansion was destroyed in a fire in 1900, after which time the college bought the property and built College Hall (now the Collis Center) upon it. College Hall can be seen in the background of the above image.

The trough had two tiers, one for horses and one for dogs. However, it wasn’t just used for hydration. It was also an important part of a Dartmouth tradition. A dunking in the trough was the punishment for unknowing freshmen who had the misfortune of coming in contact with the senior fence.

The trough was removed from the Green in 1961. It has been re-purposed as a planter that now sits in front of Webster Cottage.

See more photos of the Hanover watering trough in the Dartmouth Photographic files.

Sources

dartgo.org/earlydartmouth_frankbarrett

http://www.dartreview.com/the-terrible-trough/

http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/content/and-we-were-there-seniors-and-alumni-talk-dartmouth-tradition-alumni-appreciation-week

dartgo.org/balch_mansion

On This Day

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Our series highlighting a digital collection or item relevant to this day in history, by Monica Erives, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

On this day in 1995, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (MHMH) was demolished. The Hospital was built in 1893 by Hiram Hitchcock in honor of his late wife, Mary Maynard Hitchcock. It was located to the north of Dartmouth’s campus and emptied just a few years prior to its demolition for relocation to Lebanon, NH. On demolition day, many gathered to hear Dr. James Varnum, President of MHMH, deliver some parting words. An article from the Dartmouth Medicine Magazine (2010) recounts his speech:

“The buildings had been essential, he said, but it was the people inside those buildings who made the hospital such a warm environment. When he returned to the Hanover location just after the move to Lebanon, he found that without those people, the buildings no longer felt so welcoming. ‘The life and spirit had moved to our new facility,’ he said. ‘It was time to move on.'”

Today, if you’re strolling by Maynard parking lot, you can spot a plaque indicating the original site of the hospital on the southeast wall of the Geisel Admissions building.

These images come to us from The Dartmouth College Photo Files, a diverse collection of approximately 80,000 photographs related to Dartmouth College, Hanover, and the surrounding area. Dating back to the 1850s, this collection is the perfect place to explore nearly all aspects of past Dartmouth College Life.  View more MHMH Demolition images in the Photo Files Collection or take a look at the Image of the Week series for more blasts from the past.

Image of the Week

Posted on by

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Digital Program Specialist.

Canoeing with makeshift sail on Lake Champlain

This image of the week comes from a folder entitled “Canoeing Includes Canoe Club members pictures.”
A note on the back of the photo reads “Canoeing on Lake Champlain with makeshift sail”.

Lake Champlain is named for French explorer Samuel de Champlain, considered “The Father of New France” for his founding of New France and Quebec City. Champlain made the first accurate map of Canada’s east coast and assisted in the establishment of settlements in that region.

Lake Champlain is situated between New York, Vermont, and Quebec. This position made it an important landmark in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The American victory in the Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814 earned it leverage in the dealings leading to the Treaty of Ghent and prevented British control of the Great Lakes and the New England states.

See more canoeing images in the Dartmouth photographic files.

Sources

Hurlbut, H. Higgins. (1885). Samuel de Champlain: a brief sketch of the eminent navigator and discoverer. Chicago: Fergus printing company.

Hickey, Donald R. (2012) [1988]. “Ch. 11: The Treaty of Ghent” (PDF). The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict (Bicentennial ed.). Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 281–98. ISBN 9780252093739 – via Project MUSE.