Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Melville Briney travel diary
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Melville Briney travel diary
- Date
- 1937 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Briney, Melville Otter, 1899-1986
- Extent
- 0.04 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Travel -- Personal narratives.
- Women in journalism -- Kentucky
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0235: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Melville Briney travel diary, 1937, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Melville (Otter) Briney (1899-1986) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to John D. Otter (1871-1950) and Melvilla E. Carter (1871-1936). Her father was the director of the Louisville Title Mortgage Co., and her mother came from the prominent Carter family who owned Carter Dry Goods. Briney graduated from Louisville Girls' High School in 1916 and Vassar College in 1921. In 1926, she married William Russell Briney (1900-1966), and editorial page editor for the Courier-Journal. Together the couple had one child – John Otter Briney (1927-1973), who eventually worked as a reporter for the Courier-Journal. Melville wrote a weekly editorial page column, Old Louisville, from 1950 to 1962 for the Louisville Times that was about famous people and events from Louisville's early history. She coauthored a play, A Portrait of Harry, which was performed in 1956. She assisted in the purchase and subsequent renovation of Farmington, the home of John Speed and first museum house in the city; was a member of the board of the Louisville Free Public Library, and a member of The Filson Club Historical Society.
- Source: Kleber, J.E. (2015). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.
- American Letters collector Wade Hall (1934-2015) was a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Starting in 1962, he lived in Louisville, where he taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He held degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M.A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall was the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include A Visit with Harlan Hubbard; High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College; A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher's Life in Country Music; and Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge.
- Scope and Content
- The Melville Briney travel diary (dated 1937; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the experiences of Melville Briney, and her husband Russell, on their trip through Europe in the late 1930s. The entries describe her feelings of seasickness while sailing to France, taking the train to Switzerland, sightseeing in Switzerland, Austria, Budapest, Croatia, and Italy; returning to Paris for the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques, and the artwork seen within. She goes on to describe crossing the channel to England, sightseeing and shopping in London, and their quick return to Louisville aboard the S.S. Bremen. Briney details friends she made while on her travels and the weather in many of the cities she visited.
- The Melville Briney travel diary is part of the Wade Hall Collection of American letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Melville Briney travel diary, 1937
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
