Ellen Churchill Semple papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Ellen Churchill Semple papers
- Date
- 1900-1961, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 3.64 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Human geography -- United States.
- Women scholars.
- Historical geography.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged into series four series by subject: Books, Mediterranean regional material, Professional, and Personal.
- Preferred Citation
- 46m139 : [identification of item], Ellen Churchill Semple papers, 1900-1961, undated University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Geographer Ellen Churchill Semple was born in 1863 in Louisville, Kentucky. When Semple was sixteen years old she moved from Louisville to Poughkeepsie, New York to attend Vassar College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in history at nineteen years old. She spent some years teaching in Louisville at the private school where her sister worked while studying independently for a master's degree, which she received from Vassar in 1891.
- After completing her formal studies, Semple travelled to the University of Leipzig in Germany to study geography under professor Friedrich Ratzel. Though the university prohibited matriculation of females, Semple was permitted to attend Ratzel's lectures and seminars, where she was the only female student.
- Upon returning to the United States, Semple began field work and research concerning the Kentucky highlands. In 1901, her work was published in the article "The Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains, A Study in Antropogeography" in theGeographical Journal. In 1903, she published her first book, American History and Its Geographic Conditions, a work that was influenced by the teachings of Friedrich Ratzel. Semple published two more books in the course of her career, Influences of Geographic Environment in 1911 and Geography of the Mediterranean Region in 1931.
- Semple taught at the University of Chicago from 1906 until 1920, lectured at the University of Oxford in 1912 and 1922, and in 1922 began as a Professor of Anthropogeography at Clark University, where she stayed until her death. Semple was elected as the first female President of the Association of American Geographers in 1921. The University of Kentucky gave Semple an honorary doctorate degree in law in 1923.
- Semple died in 1932.
- Scope and Content
- The Ellen Churchill Semple papers (dated 1900-1961; 3.64 cubic feet; 7 boxes, 2 oversize boxes) consist of manuscripts, correspondence, research material, and realia relating to the writings of geographer Ellen Churchill Semple. Present are manuscripts and notes for three influential books: American History and Its Geographic Conditions, Influences of Geographic Environment, and The Geography of the Mediterranean Region. Also included are reprints of some of Semple's articles, notes for articles, a scrapbook containing newsclippings about Semple and reviews of her books, photographs, and maps. Present also are Semple's academic gown, academic hood, and two gold medals: one the Collum Geographic Medal awarded in 1914 by the American Geographical Society of New York, and the other, the Helen Culver Medal, awarded her by the Geographic Society of Chicago in 1931. Also included is a biographical sketch of Semple by Ruth E. Baugh, a fellow geologist.
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
Books, 1900-1931, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises research materials, drafts, and correspondence that document Semple's published books, American History and Its Geographic Conditions, The Geography of the Mediterranean Region, and Influences of Geographic Environment.
American History and Its Geographic Conditions, [1900?]-1908, undated
Chapters I-III, 1901, undated
Chapters IV-VII, 1908, undated
Chapters VIII-X, 1903, undated
Chapters XI-XIII, [1900?]-1902, undated
Chapters XIV-XVI, 1902, undated
Chapters XVII-XIX, 1902, undated
References, undated
The Geography of the Mediterranean Region, 1919-1931, undated
Printed front matter, with edits, 1931 November 1
Chapters I-II, undated
Chapters III-IV, undated
Chapters V-X, undated
Chapter XI, undated
Chapter XIII, 1921, undated
Chapters XIV-XV, undated
Chapter XVI, undated
Chapter XVII, undated
Chapter XVIII, undated
Chapter XIX, 1919, undated
Chapter XX, undated
Chapters XXII-XXIV, undated
Influences of Geographic Environment, 1900-1918, undated
Chapters I-III, 1905-1907, undated
Chapters IV-V, 1900-1918, undated
Chapters VI-VII, 1906, undated
Chapter VIII, undated
Chapters IX-X, undated
Chapter XI, 1907, undated
Chapter XII, undated
Chapter XIII, 1902-1908, undated
Chapter XIV, undated
Chapter XV, undated
Chapter XVI, undated
Chapter XVII, undated
Mediterranean regional material, 1915-1929, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises handwritten and transcript research materials, including notes, maps, published articles, pamphlets, and essays on the Mediterranean region. Also includes two atlases Semple used in the research for Geography of the Mediterranean Region.
Climate and geographical influence upon ancient Mediterranean forests, 1925, undated
Ancient Mediterranean Agriculture, 1928
Barrier boundary of the mediterranean basin, 1915, undated
Ancient Mediterranean Pleasure Gardens, 1929
Articles, Incomplete, undated
Atlases used by E.C. Semple to write Geography of the Mediterranean Region, especially Atlas Antiques, undated
Mediterranean region climate, undated
Reclamation by Irrigation...in Turkey in Asia, undated
The Ancient Piedmont Route of Northern Mesopotamia, undated
The Partition of Asiatic Turkey, 1918
Report on Mesopotamia, undated
The Oil Fields of Mesopotamia, undated
Mediterranean region, various aspects of agriculture, undated
Mediterranean region notes, undated
Professional, 1900-1952, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises maps Semple used over the course of her career, handwritten and transcript research materials covering areas outside the Mediterranean region, and professional correspondence with agents, publishers, and other professional contacts.
Maps and a postcard, 1905, undated
Research materials, undated
Research materials including Kentucky and frontier notes, 1910-1916, undated
Correspondence, 1900-1952
Personal, 1901-1961, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises biographical materials, a scrapbook about Semple's career achievements and publications, and memorabilia from significant events in Semple's life.
Biographical information, Gaines; The Kentucky Woman in the Field of Letters VII Ellen Churchill Semple, 1917
Biographical information on Ellen Churchill Semple, undated
Biographical information, Baugh; Ellen Churchill Semple, 1961, undated
Scrapbook, 1901-1932
Academic gown, undated
Academic hood, undated
Medals; The Helen Culver Medal and The Culium Geographical Medal, 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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Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
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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.
