Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums
- Date
- 1917-1919 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.3 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- World War, 1914-1918.
- Mechanical engineering.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2014av007 : [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums, 1917-1919, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Norman Kohlhepp (1892-1986) was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduated from Manual Training High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. After graduation, Kohlhepp worked for General Fireproofing Company in Boston, Massachusetts, where they manufactured steel office furniture. In 1917, he enlisted in the armed forces and served in what was known as the Reserve Mallet in World War I. This was a transport unit that was created as part of the French Army but later became part of the United States Army's Transport Service. He trained mechanices during the war and remeined in Europe until 1919.
- Already skilled at mechanical and scientific rendering, in his mid-thirties Kohlhepp began to seriously pursue the fine arts. During further visits to France, he founded the American Students and Artists Club in Paris, where he met his future wife, Dorothy. She encouraged his artistic inclinations and Kohlhepp began his studies at the Académie Colarossi and Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Kohlhepp and his wife also studied with Andre Lhote, the cubist painter.
- Both Norman and Dorothy were active in the Louisville arts community. His work resides in collections at the Filson Historical Society, University of Louisville, The J.B. Speed Art Museum, The National Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian.
- 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 Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums (dated 1917-1919; 0.3 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise a diary and three photograph albums that document Norman Kohlhepp's service in World War I in Europe. Kohlhepp meticulously documented his time in the service from sailing to Europe on the ship the Rochambeau in 1917 until his arrival back on American shores in 1919. The diary is a small three ring binder that contains entries for daily activities, events he witnessed, weather conditions, and his feelings on the war. In the back of the diary are notes for lectures and drawings for mechanical systems. The three photograph albums are titled "Two Years En Permission" and are labeled as volumes one through three. The format is the same three ring binders as the diary, and they contain small black and white photographs pasted on the pages. Kohlhepp describes nearly every photograph in the albums.
- The Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums are 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
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.
