College Establishes Washington Fellowship
Through the auspices of its C.V. Starr Center for the Study
of the American Experience, the College has established a Washington
College Fellowship in Early American History at the Athenaeum
Library of Boston. The Athenaeum is renowned for housing the
personal library of George Washington, as well as numerous other
documents relating the life and career of the nation’s
first president. Dr. Joachim Scholz, Provost and Dean of Washington
College, visited the Athenaeum Library on January 21 to instate
the yearly fellowship program.
“It is in keeping with Washington College’s own
tradition to enhance its collaborations with institutions with
strong connections to the life and work of George Washington,”
said Scholz.
“By sponsoring the Washington Fellowship, the College
hopes to make a contribution to continuing research into the
life and legacy of the nation’s founder, who was, at the
same time, our College’s founding patron. Such research,
in turn, will inform and enhance the learning of our students.”
The Washington Fellowship provides a stipend of $1,500 for a
month-long residency at the Athenaeum Library and supports the
use of the Athenaeum’s Washington collection and general
collections for research, publication, curriculum and program
development, or other creative projects.
The Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest and most distinguished
independent libraries in the United States, was founded in 1807
by members of Boston’s Anthology Society to form “an
establishment similar to that of the Athenaeum and Lyceum of
Liverpool in Great Britain; combining the advantages of a public
library [and] containing the great works of learning and science
in all languages.”
One of the Athenaeum’s special collections is George Washington’s
personal library, kept at his former home at Mount Vernon until
1848, at which time a large portion of them were sold to Henry
Stevens, American agent of the British Museum. A group of Bostonians
who were determined to keep these books in the United States
solicited subscriptions to acquire the library, and after the
acquisition placed it permanently in the care of the Athenaeum.
The subscribers also bought a number of books and pamphlets
relating to Washington. Many of the books obtained from Henry
Stevens contain Washington’s signature, some his manuscript
notes, and bookplate. Topics within the collection range from
animal husbandry to military strategy, carpentry, poetry, and
civil liberty.
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