Call Number:

01

Repository:

John Bowman Bartram Special Collections Library

Extent:

30.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1911-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

John Bartram Association.

Abstract:

John Bartram (1699-1777), the "Father of American Botany," created a botanic garden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is widely considered the first true botanic collection in North America. In 1891 the City of Philadelphia purchased his estate as a historic site, and the John Bartram Association was established in 1893 to help with the administration and interpretation of the property. The John Bartram Association records, 1911-2012, consist of records of the John Bartram Association, especially pertaining to its management of the Bartram's Garden site. The collection includes financial and administrative records, reports and architectural plans generated by consultants, photographs and slides, documentation of archaeological digs, and mailings of the Bartram Trail Society.

"The John Bartram Association's mission is to protect and enhance the landmark Bartram's Garden and House, advance the Bartram legacy of discovery, gardening and art, and inspire audiences of all ages to care for the natural world. The Garden is a 45-acre National Historic Landmark operated by the Association in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia.

"John Bartram (1699-1777) was a Quaker farmer lit with a "Botanick fire" that, over time, made him America's first great botanist. His lifelong passion for science began when, as a boy, he looked closely at local wildlife and read every book he could find. Bartram was blessed with profound curiosity and energy. So he set himself a staggering goal, make a compleat Discovery of the Native Growth in America."

The City of Philadelphia bought the Bartram estate in 1891 and turned it into a public park and historic site. The non-profit John Bartram Association was established in 1893.

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: John Bartram Association. "About John Bartram Association." Accessed June 21, 2012. http://www.bartramsgarden.org/about-us/

This collection consists of records of the John Bartram Association, especially pertaining to its management of the Bartram's Garden site. It includes financial and administrative records, reports and architectural plans generated by consultants, photographs and slides, documentation of archaeological digs, and mailings of the Bartram Trail Society.

The financial records of the John Bartram Association include: two cash books, 1911-1938; general bills and receipts, 1930-1947; bills and receipts for plants and nursery services, 1932-1953; check stubs and bank statements, 1939-1950; and receipts and disbursements, 1953-1979. Administrative records include: board minutes, 1928-1964; two minute books, 1965-1983; visitors registers, 1940, 1955-1991; annual reports, 1937-1991; and lists and letters about furnishings, 1925-1983. There is also correspondence from the 1920s-1940s, and correspondence from the tenure of Margaret W. Evans, Board president of John Bartram Association, 1972-1987. (An inventory of the Evans section is available to on-site researchers.) Newsletters of the John Bartram Association include Broadsides, 1976-2012, and the genealogically-oriented Leaves, 1980-1985.

The reports date from 1975 to 2004 and include archaeological feasibility studies and outcome reports, historic structures reports and restoration plans, construction bids, Bartram Trail Conference Reports, Historic American Landscapes Survey, and woody plant management reports. The reports are cataloged in a database available on-site. Architectural and landscape drawings and plans, either associated with reports or separately commissioned, are stored in a flat file.

This collection contains a large amount of photographs and slides depicting plants, landscapes, buildings, events, publicity and people, and artifacts, circa 1980-2012. There are a few slide shows on the Bartram family.

Documentation of archaeological digs conducted at Bartram's Garden consists of field notes, photographs, and slides, 1975-1999. There is also an artifact inventory, 1980. Some large-scale drawings of dig sites are stored in a flat file.

The Bartram Trail Conference, Inc., was founded in 1976 to identify and mark the route traveled by naturalist William Bartram (1739-1823; son of John Bartram) through the southern United States from 1773-1777. The Bartram Trail Society is also dedicated to promoting interest in developing recreational trails and botanical gardens along the route, and the study, preservation and interpretation of the William Bartram heritage at both cultural and natural sites in Trail states. The John Bartram Association records include mailings sent to them by the Bartram Trail Society, including newsletters and general correspondence.

More recent records of the John Bartram Association are stored in other buildings in the Bartram's Garden complex, and may be transferred to archival storage in the John Bowman Bartram Special Collections Library in due course.