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Joseph Medill Patterson's papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, a wide variety of personal and business financial records, cartoons, and other materials. They relate to Patterson's career as co-publisher and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, and Liberty magazine, the papers; to Patterson's and his family's extensive financial interests; his military service, career as a playwright, and other aspects of his personal life. The collection also contains information about Patterson's relationships with his family, especially his cousin, Col. Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, his mother, his wife, his sister (the publisher Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson), and to his three daughters.

In documenting the daily operation of the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, and Liberty magazine, the papers include Patterson's directives to managerial staff members Max Annenberg, Edward S. Beck, Harvey Deuell, William H. Field, Roy C. Holliss, and Philip A. Payne, among others; and Patterson's correspondence with leading American journalists and cartoonists as James O'Donnell Bennett, Arthur Brisbane, Floyd Gibbens, Arthur Sears Henning, Herb Martin, Carrey C. Orr, Col. Henry J. Reilly, George Seldes, and Sidney Sutherland. Correspondence of Lord Beaverbrook, Ben Hecht, General William E. "Billy" Mitchell, and other famous Americans is also present.

The collection has been basically organized and maintained by Joseph Medill Patterson and as received from his son, James J. Patterson. The papers are arranged in six series.

It is important to note the interrelated nature of the materials found in various series in the Patterson Papers, e.g family business papers are found in every series of the collection; papers of Col. Robert R. McCormick are found in Series 2 (his own papers, in Series 1, deals with Joseph Medill Patterson's publishing enterprises, and in small quantities in Series 5, which contains family papers).

In light of this, it is advisable to consult the container list for the collection when conducting research on a specific person or topic.

Series 1. Publishing Enterprises, 1909-1946, (Boxes 1-50) This series is comprised of correspondence, memoranda, financial records, reports, etc. relative to the day-to-day operation of the Chicago Tribune from 1909-1946, the New York Daily News from 1919-1946, and Liberty magazine from 1925-1931. The papers are Joseph M. Patterson's personal files relative to his management of these publishing companies, and include records of the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, 1941-1946, and minutes of meetings of the Chicago Tribune Company and Subsidiaries, 1927-1946. This series is arranged in 9 subseries:

Subseries 1-6. Chicago Tribune, 1909-1925, and New York Daily News, 1919-1946. (Boxes 1-39). These materials include correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other items arranged first by time period, then alphabetically by correspondent (occasionally, by topic) thereafter. They include Patterson's directives to managerial employees relative to the style and content of the papers and to personnel matters; considerable correspondence with reporters and cartoonists relative to their work, national and international news stories covered, and their working arrangement with the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily news, and letters expressing the public's reaction (pro and con) to stories and features that appeared in the two papers. Random personal correspondence with friends and associates and appears in this subseries.

Subseries 1 and 2 (Boxes 1-14) concern the Chicago Tribune and include directives to managerial staff members Max Annenberg, Edward S. Beck, D.M. Deininger, and R.R. Jones, among others. Journalists and cartoonists represented include James O'Donnell Bennett, Arthur Brisbane; foreign correspondents Col. Henry J. Reilley, Henry Wales, and Floyd Gibbens from Paris, and George Seldes from Moscow; Arthur Sears Henning of the Tribune's Washington Bureau, and cartoonist Carey C. Orr. Correspondence of Medill, McCormick, and materials relative to Pacific and Atlantic photos also present.

Subseries 3 thru 6 (Boxes 15-39) involve the New York Daily News, its staff managerial members Max Annenberg, Business Manager J.W. Barnhart, Managing Editor Harvey Deuell, William H. Field of the Illustrated Daily News, general Manager Roy C. Holliss, Philip A. Payne, and Circulation manager James A. Sullivan. Correspondence of and about Lord Beaverbrook, Arthur Brisbane, cartoonist Herb Martin, and random letters from Paul Gallico Ben Hecht, and New York City Mayor Firoello H. LaGaurdia are also present. many letters from the reading public are found in Boxes 31-32 and 37-38, and there are also materials relative to newspaper ownership of radio stations and to the Tribune-News Employees' Trust.

Subseries 7. Liberty Magazine, 1925-1931. (Boxes 40-44). This subseries contains correspondence, financial reports, research data, and other materials relative to securing articles for the magazine (many of them aviation related pieces), the general operation of the magazine, and the sale of Liberty to Bernarr McFadden in 1931. The subseries includes correspondence with Achmed Abdulla, Max Annenberg, James O'Donnell Bennett, Robert N. Chambers, Arthur Brisbane, Floyd Gibbons, General William E. "Billy" Mitchell, Tom Mooney, Col. Henry J. Reilly, Carl Sandburg, Capt. Elliot White Springs, Sidney Sutherland, Henry Wales, and John N. Wheeler. A number of article manuscripts by Sutherland are also present. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by person or subject heading.

Subseries 8. Chicago Tribune/New York Syndicate, 1941-1946. (Boxes 45-47). These materials consist of correspondence relative to the syndication of articles, cartoons, and comic strips, along with detailed reports on overall and individual syndication sales and royalties. Includes correspondence and materials about cartoonists Chester Gould, Herb Martin, and Sidney Smith; plus a few letters relative to public reactions in favor of and in opposition to specific comic strips. This subseries is arranged chronologically.

Subseries 9. Chicago Tribune Company and Subsidiaries, 1927-1946. (Boxes 49-50). These files consist of recorded minutes of meetings (arranged chronologically) sent to Patterson, which furnish considerable information on the business affairs of the company, particularly relative to the Ontario Paper Company, Ltd.

Series 2. Colonel Robert R. McCormick Papers, 1903-1946. This chronologically arranged series is almost entirely devoted to Col. McCormick's correspondence with his cousin, Joseph Medill Patterson, on the publishing business, particularly on the availability and purchase of newsprint, and, to a lesser extent, on stories to be covered; and on personal and business affairs of the family, including matters relative to their publishing enterprises income. Some expressions of the Colonel's views on world affairs and local politics are present, along with commentary on Marshall Field's establishment of the Chicago Sun in 1941 and Field's relationship with the Associated Press.

Series 3. Kirkland, Fleming, Green, Martin, and Ellis Papers, 1914-1946. (Box 55). This correspondence, which is chronologically arranged, is devoted primarily to the law firm's handling of Joseph Medill Patterson's personal taxes, family trusts, and other business concerns. Some of the earlier papers relate to publishing business affairs.

Series 4. Joseph Medill Patterson Personal Papers, 1901-1950. (Boxes 56-68). This series of correspondence and other sundry personal papers is arranged in two subseries:

Subseries 1. General Papers, 1901-1950. (Boxes 56-64). These files are arranged alphabetically according to topic or correspondent. They include significant business and personal correspondence in the "Interesting Letter" files in Box 58, along with materials on Patterson's interest in aviation and airships, his military service, the 149th Field Artillery , Patterson's Libertyville, Illinois farm and Ossining, New York estate, his last wills and testaments, 1906 Socialist Party membership card, and U.S. passports; along with correspondence with Katrina Barnes, James Keeley of the Chicago Record, and with theatrical friends Helen Hayes, Florenz Ziegfeld, and Ruth Gordon.

Subseries 2. Theatrical Plays, 1909-1939. (Boxes 65-68). This subseries consists of Patterson's correspondence with theatrical producer George C. Tyler and others relative to the production of plays he has written, along with royalty and other information concerning same. Some of these materials are filed chronologically; others are arranged by play title. Scripts of plays written by Patterson, along with a few scripts of plays by other authors, are also present. These materials are filed alphabetically by play title.

Series 5. Family Papers, 1910-1946. (Boxes 69-80). This series consists of correspondence (chiefly with Joseph Medill Patterson), financial records, newsclippings, etc. of and about various members of the Patterson family. The papers concern marriages, divorces, health matters, family relationships and activities, as well as trusts and other family investments and income.

The series is arranged in 7 subseries, nearly all of which are filed chronologically, with a few topical files present. The first subseries (Box 69) contains biographical data on Joseph Medill Patterson, genealogical data on the family, and sundry family letters, including correspondence with Ruth Hanna McCormick.

Subseries 2-7 (Boxes 70-80) contain papers of the following people in the immediate Patterson family: Elinor Medill Patterson--Joseph M. Patterson's mother (Boxes 70-72); Eleanor Medill "Cissy" Patterson--Patterson's sister (Boxes 73-74); Alice Higenbotham Patterson--Patterson's wife (Box 75); and Patterson's three daughters. Alicia (Boxes 76-77), Elinor (Boxes 78-79), and Josephine (Box 80). Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson's papers, to some extent, concern her career in publishing; materials on the acting career of Patterson's daughter, Elinor, are in her files.

Series 6. Personal Business Papers, 1913-1946. (Boxes 81-145). This series is composed of correspondence, legal papers, financial documents, blueprints, photographs, maps, check records, paid invoices, and other records. These materials relate to the personal financial affairs of Joseph Medill Patterson, including, to a lesser degree, those of other family members, particularly his mother, Elinor M. Patterson, and his daughters, Alicia, Elinor, and Josephine. This series has been divided into 6 subseries as follows:

Subseries 1. Real Estate, 1923-1946 (Boxes 81-88) These files consist of correspondence, real estate analyses, financial records, legal documents, blueprints, survey maps, photographs, and other papers relating to the purchase and sale, subdivision and development, construction, maintenance and furnishing, as well as personnel concerns pertaining to Joseph Medill Patterson's real estate investments in New York and Illinois.

Bentro Realty Corporation, a New York corporation, of which Joseph Medill Patterson was President and S.W. Stubbings, Secretary, was the main vehicle through which Patterson's New York real estate investments were managed. These included Villard Hall, which was subdivided and developed into "A Restrictive Residence Colony," at Dobbs Ferry in Westchester County, New York; a New York City apartment building erected at 3-5 East 84th Street; his estate in Ossining, New York; a Sands Point, Long Island home for his daughter Alicia; and property at Riverdale on the Hudson River. These properties were later handled by Brooks and Kupillas.

Clark and Trainer, a Chicago real estate firm, was the agent for Patterson in his real estate dealings in Chicago, and also managed his properties at 1356-1364 North LaSalle Street in Chicago and in Glenview at Lake Avenue and Waukegan Road near Winnetka Road during the 1920s. Clark and Trainer records also contain materials on New York real estate. The real estate investment at LaSalle and Wacker Drive also received the detailed attention of Clark and Trainer.

The subseries is arranged alphabetically by the name of the firm that managed Joseph Medill Patterson's real estate investments. Thereunder, materials are arranged chronologically with those pertinent to particular properties highlighted thereafter.

Subseries 2. Trusts, 1919-1946 (Boxes 89-94). This subseries contains correspondence, trust agreements, financial documents, and authorizations for purchases and sale of stocks and bonds relating to trusts established by Patterson and his mother, Elinor M. Patterson, for various family members, particularly Patterson's sister Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson, and his daughters Alicia, Elinor, and Josephine. These papers are arranged alphabetically by financial institution and thereafter chronologically.

Subseries 3. Banks, 1918-1945. (Boxes 95-96). These papers are composed of correspondence, statements, stock analyses, and various other records relative to the financial affairs of Patterson and his mother, Elinor Medill Patterson. Subjects covered include real estate, Liberty Loans, checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, and trusts for Elinor M. Patterson's four granddaughters, Felicia Gizycka and Elinor, Alicia, and Josephine Patterson. This subseries is filed alphabetically according to the name of the bank.

Subseries 4. Sundry Financial Records, 1926-1948. (Boxes96-98). Correspondence, confirmations of sales of securities, financial statements, lists of stocks and their dividend dates, insurance premium receipts, monthly expense statements of Patterson and his secretary Katherine Higgens, and Joseph Medill Patterson's personal account books comprise the materials in this series.

Materials relating to the securities are the first items in this subseries. They are followed by records relating to insurance, expenses, expense books, and personal account books. The materials are arranged chronologically.

Subseries 5. Income Taxes, 1913-1945. (Boxes 99-107). This subseries provides income tax returns, supporting data, and related correspondence pertaining to the income taxes of Joseph Medill Patterson, his wife Alice H. Patterson, and his mother, Elinor M. Patterson. Supporting data includes considerable information relating to trusts, securities, and banking matters, and other personal financial concerns which overlap materials found in other subseries of this series. Subseries 5 is arranged chronologically with folders relating to particular financial institutions as well as contributions delineated.

Subseries 6. Check Books, 1920-1946. Boxes 108-113). These materials are composed of check registers for the personal checking accounts of Joseph Medill Patterson, and his mother Elinor Medill Patterson. National City Bank of New York check registers are arranged chronologically and are followed by other banks listed alphabetically and chronologically therein.

Subseries 7. Bank Statements and Cancelled Checks, 1922-1946. (Boxes 114-130.) Bank statements and cancelled checks of Joseph Medill Patterson comprise this subseries. They are arranged alphabetically by name of the financial institution and chronologically thereunder.

Subseries 8. Receipted Bills, 1937-1946. (Boxes 131-145.) This subseries is composed of paid invoices and other receipted bills pertaining to the personal financial affairs of Joseph Medill Patterson, his household, and the New York News, arranged chronologically with the location (Ossining, New York; New York City; Chicago) to which they pertained delineated thereunder.

The collection consists of personal and professional papers of the architect Edward H. Bennett. The collection is arranged into two series. Series 1 includes correspondence, drafts, and plans from throughout Bennett's career. The most significant part of the collection is the correspondence between Daniel Burnham and Bennett, that reveals some of Burnham's thoughts regarding the 1909 Plan of Chicago. There are letters with other professional colleagues as well. The photographs span both  the professional and personal realms, including many photographs of three generations of the Bennett family and many photographs Bennett took or acquired to inform his architectural projects. There are several sketchbooks and scrapbooks and also several books of study photographs.

The collection consists of research papers of Nancy A. Nichols, the author of Lake Effect: Two Sisters and a Town's Toxic Legacy (2008). The collection includes notes on interviews and readings; obscure government reports and publications with annotations by the author; photographs relating to the particular situation at Waukegan Harbor; and the general case of modern industrial pollution and health in the U.S.

The collection consists of theater and opera programs dated from the 1920s to 1960s. The programs are from Chicago companies or companies touring the Chicago area.

The collection documents Lake Forest estates and major features as they appeared prior to 1980. At the heart of the collection are almost four hundred 8 x 10 black and white photographic prints by Paul Whiting, an architectural photographer who completed work for the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society, Susan Dart, and Gayle Dompke. There are also 38 prints (23 separate images) by James M. Karales, a New York based photographer for Look (1960-1971) until it ceased publication, and then a free-lance photographer after that.

The collection also includes files Mrs. Dompke created by Lake Forest address with many clippings, etc. and some photographs, as well, along with her records of the early days of the LF Preservation Foundation.

This collection consists of papers, photographs and items donated by Susan Dart detailing her research and later published book, "Market Square" on the architect Howard Shaw and his work in Lake Forest.
For more information or questions, please contact the Lake Forest College Archivist.

This collection contains the personal, but also official papers written by or connected with James R. Getz. It is a large collection that is split into three distinct series of 1) Personal and Early Life Writings of James R. Getz, 2) Documents involving the all Lake County Historical Society Work by Getz, and 3) Documents connected with the creation and Getz's role as founder of Mettawa, Illinois.

The papers consist of a variety of formats including correspondence, journals, interior design measurements and all kinds of handwritten notices, pamphlets, photographs, academic work, memorabilia, newspaper drafts, clippings, and published works, and a plethora of city planning documents showing the widespread process of establishing a town. Overall, the Getz collection equally shows the thoughts and ideas of a single family man and also a number of groups working to create a stronger community.

The collection consists of a thick three ring binder of plastic covers with construction-paper pages to which archival family and Ragdale photographs are affixed.  The photos are labeled in Alice Hayes's handwriting with short captions.  There are also some articles, copies of architectural plans and a late 1930s planting plan for the ca. 1912-created Howard and Frances Shaw garden.  A large b & w photograph of a plan of the Ragdale estate by students of the Foundation for Architecture and Landscape Architecture is in the tall Hollinger box with the binder.  In the early 2000s student Sharon Milroy (Reid) and Arthur Miller met with Mrs. Hayes and the scrapbook to go through it to flesh out from her memory more about the photos and other items.  These recollections were transcribed by Sharon and a new list of the Scrapbook contents was prepared then.

The scrapbook grew out of two events, Alice's late 1980s effort to develop a guidebook to Ragdale (published 1990) and her decision to move out of the house into the nearby cabin in the 1990s.  She put the book together following the order in which material appeared in the guidebook, and conveyed it to Arthur Miller when he was her immediate successor as president of the Ragdale Foundation in the early 1990s.

The collection consists of correspondence, family scrapbooks, yearbooks, legal documents, awards, Clifford Barnes's own personal memoir manuscript, group pamphlets/programs and photographs that all originate from the Barnes Reid Family. Overall, the artifacts of this collection shows the family's shared dynamic of moral beliefs and devotion to a life of service.

The collection is split into 3 distinct series-1) Lilace Reid Barnes Documents, 2) Clifford Webster Barnes Documents, and 3) Assorted Reid Barnes Family Documents.
For more information, contact the Lake Forest College Archivist and consult the biographical sketches of the creators/main family members also provided on this page.

This collection documents the work of Garrett H. Leverton, who was a professor of speech and drama in addition to being a theater director. The collection contains play scripts that Leverton collected from various sources, potentially for an anthologized publication. The collection also contains curriculum and course notes that Leverton created for the instruction of speech, acting, and stage production in the 1920's and 1930's. Topics represented in the collection include dramatic arts, theater production, acting, and instruction in theater. Also included are prompt books, reports, and production notes for student productions at the Northwestern University Theatre from the 1930's. These reports include costume design sketches, crew member reviews, stage design, and playbills. Leverton's personal papers include correspondence, the bulk of which was exchanged with Barrett Clark, as well as his diplomas from DePauw University, Northwestern University, and Columbia University. There are many photographs included in the collection, both of scenes on stage as well as potraits of Leverton and other individuals, some identified.

The collection consists of three main series of materials that supplement other cataloged holdings relating to Mary Aldis, her family, her estate, her literary work, and her Lake Forest Players/Playhouse.  The first series consists of a small group of five large format photographs, plus one smaller view, of plays at her playhouse.  The second series is a collection of unpublished translations of French one-act plays, written for production and acting by amateurs.  The third series is a reel of microfilm of two scrapbooks of the Aldis Playhouse, the originals held by the Chicago History Museum.

The Patterson Family Papers consists of newspaper clippings; Joseph Medill Patterson's research notes about the Patterson family; obituaries; and photographs of members of the Patterson family, the staff of the Chicago Tribune, and World War I. The collection also contains a number of correspondences (type and handwritten letters, telegraphs, and typescripts) between members of the Patterson family. Of note is the large number of letters sent from Joseph Medill Patterson to his mother, Elinor Patterson (née Medill), while he was attending the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, dated 1891-1893. These letters discuss his day-to-day doings, make frequent mention of his homesickness and desire to leave the school, and show the extremely tight-knit relationship Patterson had with his mother. The entire collection spans a range of dates from 1825 to 1953.

The collection consists of literary works and stage play scripts, many of which were written by Louis E. Laflin, Jr.; some of these were performed by members of Lake Forest College's acting clubs. The collection also includes Mrs. Bentley's papers and collected media and journal articles on ecological conservation and civic activity, including the city of Lake Forest, the Illinois and Indiana Dunes, and other areas of the United States. Of note are the 340 stereo travel photographs from Europe and the United States, and a photo-illustrated travel diary and scrapbook by Mrs. Cyrus Bentley, recounting a Yale reunion for the class of 1882 and her voyage across the Atlantic in 1891 (including stops in England, France, Spain, and Italy). The entire collection spans a range of dates from 1891-1975.

The collection contains the papers of Edward Arpee and is arranged in two series. The first series consists of two folders pertaining to the working relationship and manuscript of the World War II memoirs of then Col. John Francis Regis Seitz (d. 1978). The other series contains a diverse array of personal papers such as correspondence, clippings, and contracts, relating to Arpee's authorship (for centennial committee, City of Lake Forest), printing (R. R. Donnelley & Sons, Lakeside Press), and publication (Rotary Club of Lake Forest) of his 1964 released "Lake Forest: History and Reminiscences."

In the first series, Edward Arpee's presence is shown as a helping hand to fellow author and friend Col. J. F. R. Seitz. Mainly, the first folder shows a one-page single-spaced typed letter (carbon copy) to "Jeff," dated January 21, 1948 with a two-page introduction.The letter suggests that this is a revised manuscript after having heard from publishers (not encouraging), with several questions for the author. No reply is in the file. Arpee appears to be the editor or ghost-writer of  Mr. Seitz's own memoir, "From Pearl Harbor to the Elbe: A Field Commander's View of  the War in Europe December 7, 1941 -- April 25, 1945." Seitz, a 1929 West Point graduate, went on to a further military career in Korea until he retired with disability in 1966. These factual details are confirmed within the included background information on Colonel Seitz within folder one as well. Such information greatly helps when one examines the 121-page double-spaced typescript (carbon copy), with an eight-page index, with a one-page introduction.  The manuscript encompasses many different topics of interest and is the single largest portion of the collection.

The second file series relates to author Arpee's 1964 released "Lake Forest, Illinois: History and Reminiscences of Lake Forest, 1861-1961." It was originally undertaken for the City's centennial committee, but was not ultimately published by them. Rather, the the local Rotary Club of Lake Forest helped Arpee publish this important book.  There is correspondence with Mayor Michael Cudahy, local resident Elliott Donnelley of the Donnelley Chicago printing firm, First National Bank President Philip Speidel (Lake Forest College '19), Rotarian Gilbert Curren (Lake Forest College '40), Merle Norton Alderman (Lake Forest Academy alum '08 and publisher of 1916 "Lake Forest Art and History.") There are authorship and printing contracts, press clippings following publication, and letters from readers of the published history.

This collection consists of five travel narratives by George R. Beach (ca. 1903-1990), a long-time Lake Forest resident, mayor of the City, and chair of the College's Board of Trustees from 1971 to 1974.

These journal-type narratives, which foremost are full of personal insights and stories of George Beach, also prove in displaying the spirit of the era of elite jet travel between the 1960s and 1980s. This stretch of time, as made clear through the Beach's words, shows a distinct evolution of how people traveled.

The early journals are characterized by discussing the easy ability to move about the globe and the greater availability of jet travel compared to other methods such as train and ship travel. Still, as time goes by, the reader will see how the Beaches covered a large array of countries and places to visit even as the act of travel changes and progresses. Overall,  these diaries complement an equal number of other such writings by the Beaches that are cataloged.

The collection features one folder of correspondence (photocopied) and eleven original editorial cartoons by artist Carey Cassius Orr (1890-1967). As a Pulitizer Prize winning cartoonist, Orr produced much of his witty and pointed work, including all of the pieces in this collection, during his time drawing with the Chicago Tribune from 1917 to 1963. The collection features both black and white and color drawings of various sizes. Many handwritten notes by Orr and Tribune newspaper staff are visible and show the behind-the-scenes work of cartooning for a national newspaper.

The collections consists of one folder containing a compiled scrapbook of different newspaper clippings that all relate to the publicity needs of the North Shore Alumnae Panhellenic or as it was later called the Chicago North Shore City Panhellenic Association. This newly named association then became an affiliate Member of the National Panhellenic Conference in July of 1959 as well.

The clippings are glued down onto individual scrapbook pages and come from a number of different newspapers such as Wilmette Life, The Evanston Review, Chicago Sunday Tribune, Deerfield Review, and Northbrook Star.

Overall, the newspaper clippings discuss the group's upcoming meetings, times, locations, dates, and speakers presenting between the years of 1958 to 1969. There is also a small envelope of loose materials that include photographs, additional articles on past events, and 2 pamphlets titles "Theta Sigma Phi Publicity Handbook" and "Speaking of Sororities to High School Graduates Going to College."

These clippings are found to have been collected by the Publicity Chairman Lois C. Cesner. However, the presence of a stamped name of Mrs. Richard E. Gauen on the cover of the scrapbook and also the general number of sororities/collaborated events discussed, it should be reasonably concluded that the collection assuredly has a wider number of contributors present throughout the scrapbook as a whole.

For more information, contact the Lake Forest College Archivist.

The collection consists of records of the Lake Forest Water Company when it was founded in 1891, the papers of its subsidiaries through 1921, and when it became the City of Lake Forest's Water Works unit in 1921 to 1938, with some records as late as 1955.

The records include a very detailed ledger book listing early estates, indicating the scale of listings of equipment/outlets, and it also lists owners, locations, and changes of ownership in that period. Other major materials in the collection include studies carried out for the city of of Lake Forest by the Chicago-based engineering firm of Pearse, Greeley & Hansen, local correspondence, records, and documents for the city department in the 1920s-1930s, and in one case in 1955.

The collection additionally shows the relationships with state and federal authorities, including the WPA and relates the general growing need for water from the lake by the increasing number of estates and North Shore suburbs.

This collection contains the personal papers of Ernest A. Johnson, the 9th President of Lake Forest College, donated by his wife, Edith Johnson. The papers mostly consist of documents such as personal correspondence, photographs, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, Lake Forest issued Bulletins, several different awards and honors given to Ernest Johnson, programs such as those given at the opening of the Ernest A. Johnson Memorial Science Center, and additional collected memorabilia by the Johnson family showing the changes that emerged on the Lake Forest College Campus. All these materials are held within a single archival box and in 14 titled folders.

This collection predominantly consists of correspondence in the form of (handwritten in ink) 20 personal letters sent from Eugene Beuharnais Payne, a Union Civil War Soldier, to his wife Delia W. Payne in the year of 1862.

The collection does also contain a folder of photocopied reference/information materials on the life of Eugene B. Payne and the Civil War environment he faced in 1862. These documents include items like a compiled list of summaries about the text and subject matter of each letter in the collection, several photocopied encyclopedic entries, a pamphlet by Payne on the 37th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry and the Battle of Pea Ridge and visual context maps of the Pea Ridge, Arkansas battlefield. There are also transaction papers that document the purchase of these letters by the Lake Forest College Archives and Special Collections.

The collection also holds several individual objects belonging to Payne that include a carte de visite photograph (taken By Chicago photographer A. Hesler) and clothing accessories such as cufflinks, badges, buttons, ribbons, medals, and a fabric star. Overall, the collection shows Payne's early years as a eager soldier ready to fight, but at the same time the letters show a devoted newlywed husband in a time of conflict and separation.