Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lennox Allen papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lennox Allen papers
- Date
- 1926-1978, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Allen, Lennox
- Extent
- 2.54 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Family.
- Friendship.
- Books.
- Poetry.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Magazines.
- Fire fighters -- Kentucky
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged into four series: Letters, Papers, Scrapbooks, and Manuscripts. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0575: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lennox Allen papers, 1926-1978, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Lennox Allen (1911-1980) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Charles Allen (1877-1963) and Emily Lindsay (1875-1957). Lennox had one younger sibling, Charles Jr. (1914-1977). The Allen family was a prominent Louisville family, having married into the Belknap family of the Belknap Hardware Company. Lennox's grandfather worked for Belknap Hardware Company from 1865 to 1895 and was a major stockholder in the firm, his father was general manager of the company from 1901 to 1932, and his brother, Charles Jr., was personnel from 1946 to 1960 and a vice president from 1960 to his death in 1977. Lennox was not involved in the family business; he was a writer, art teacher, and volunteer firefighter in Louisville.
- 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 Lennox Allen papers (dated 1926-1978, undated; 2.54 cubic feet; 6 boxes) comprises letters, papers, manuscript drafts, and publications that document the life of Lennox Allen in Louisville, Kentucky during the twentieth century. The letters come mainly from family and friends, complimenting him on his book about the Ohio River flood of 1937; other letters discuss his work as an art teacher, romances he had, and his efforts to get permission to use copyrighted materials in his later books. The papers include certificates and awards from organizations he was a member of, handwritten notes, travel itineraries, partial poems, newspaper clippings, and photographs. The manuscript drafts are for two books Allen published; Across the Fields of Yesterday and Of Things Come and Gone, Do You Remember? The Turbulent Years, Ten Years: A Color Pattern of News, which he had previously titled This Was News: A Short History 1930 to 1945. The publications include literary magazines of poems and short stories, tourism magazines, newsletters sent by his alma mater, and newsletters on the efforts of Kentuckians in World War II. The two scrapbooks in the collection depict some of Allen's artwork, his correspondence with friends, and newspaper clippings of events he found interesting all during the 1930s.
- The Lennox Allen papers collection 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
Letters, 1927-1970, undated
Lennox Allen to "June" [Charles Allen, Jr.], circa 1937
Family to Lennox Allen, 1931-1937, 1960, undated
Letters to Lennox Allen, 1930-1936
Letters to Lennox Allen, 1937
Letters to Lennox Allen, 1938-1939
Letters to Lennox Allen, 1940-1970
Letters to Lennox Allen, undated
Allen family letters, 1927, 1937, 1953-1954
Papers, 1926-1978, undated
"Astrology - Your Daily Horoscope" magazine, 1960 July
Clippings, 1926-1941
College Verse publication from the College Poetry Society of America, 1936 January
Conscientious objector form, 1941
Diary, 1951
The Flamingo literary magazine, 1932-1935
Gold Old Days magazine, 1978
Harrods Creek Fire Department membership applications, undated
The Kentucky Militiaman publication, 1943-1944
Gallery showcase programs, 1940, undated
Lennox Allen papers, 1927-1944, 1963-1965, undated
Louisville, Kentucky Fire Department activity report, 1937 March 3
Louisville, Kentucky climatological data, 1968
Marble Collegiate Church booklets, 1961-1965
Newspaper clipping, 1960
Newspaper clippings re: Lennox Allen, 1930-1965, undated
Notes and personal writings, 1932, 1956, undated
The Rockport Anchor tourism information publication, 1975
The Storm King School publications, 1962, 1977, undated
Travel itineraries and menus, 1928-1935, 1964, undated
United States Navy civilian recruiter honorary member certificate, undated
Manuscripts, 1971-1976, undated
Across the Fields of Yesterday draft mock-up, 1975
Across the Fields of Yesterday page mock-ups, 1976
Across the Fields of Yesterday print mock-up, 1975
Across the Fields of Yesterday poem drafts, 1971
Across the Fields of Yesterday draft, undated
Across the Fields of Yesterday draft, undated
Across the Fields of Yesterday draft, undated
Of Things Come and Gone bound manuscript, undated
Of Things Come and Gone manuscript draft, undated
Of Things Come and Gone manuscript draft, undated
Of Things Come and Gone manuscript draft excerpts, undated
Of Things Come and Gone manuscript draft with notes and edits, undated
Of Things Come and Gone manuscript, undated
This Was News: A Short History 1930-1945 manuscript, undated
The Turbulent Years [eventually Of Things Come and Gone] manuscript draft, undated
unidentified manuscript, undated
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.
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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.
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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.
