Research Guides: HIST 208F: Maryland History, Culture, Virtues, and Vices, 17th Century to the Present (Jane Polcen): Special Collections and University Archives

Introduction and Contact Us

Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at Hornbake Library provides access to unique and rare manuscript collections, university archives, and books and publications. Revisit the PowerPoint presentation from class to learn more about using SCUA and Maryland & Historical Collections, one of SCUA's major collecting units.

If you have questions about Special Collections access or need research assistance, contact Joni Floyd, Curator for Maryland & Historical Collections, or Jacob Hopkins, Graduate Assistant for Reference, Outreach, and Engagement.

Search Special Collections

Archival Collections
Search finding aids for Manuscript Collections and University Archives. A finding aid describes a collection and explain its arrangement.
Library Catalog (WorldCat)
Just like books available at McKeldin Library, rare books from SCUA are included in the Libraries' catalog. Filter your search to limit results to items only available at Hornbake Library.
Digital Collections
Search digital and digitized collections. Use the left search bar to find most digital materials available from SCUA.

Getting Started

Maryland & Historical Collections document a wide range of time periods, geography, and topics. Below are a few collections that may aid you in your research and give you opportunities to practice using finding aids. Find more relevant SCUA collections in the thematic research guides linked at the bottom of this page.

Maryland Manuscripts collection (0047-MDHC)
Includes over 5,000 individually described letters, diaries, military and court records, ledger books, and printed materials related to the Maryland region, primarily 1750-1900. Collection is arranged in several series, including Church Records, Education, Elections, Legal Records, and Slavery-Related Documents. Many items are digitized and uploaded to Digital Collections.
Brooke Family papers (0006-MDHC)
Documents the lives of a Maryland family who owned the "Falling Green" plantation. As active members of the Quaker community in Montgomery County, the Brooke Family documented Quaker meetings in day books and diaries, in addition to topics of farming, housework, family life, motherhood, and education. 1750-1980.
Claude-Gray-Hughes-Tuck-Whittington Family papers (0076-MDHC)
Papers of five prominent, interrelated families associated with Annapolis, Maryland. Attitudes toward slavery, news about the Civil War, and updates from conflicts in the Louisiana Territory are described in correspondence, diaries, and other writings. 1793-1938.
Weems-Reynolds Family papers (0156-MDHC)
Papers of a prominent family of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Includes correspondence and a wide variety of other documents, including wills, legal papers, poetry, and handwritten manuscripts. Enslaved individuals and the institution of slavery are discussed in the correspondence and legal papers, and a handwritten manuscript details one of the family member's ideas about race and race relations in the antebellum southern United States.

Other Useful Research Guides

Special Collections and University Archives maintains several research guides related to different thematic topics, many of which concern Maryland history and culture. Below are some topic research guides that may help you in finding resources available from SCUA.