Ellen Churchill Semple papers

Abstract

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.

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.
Finding Aid Author
Processed by: Archives Staff ; machine-readable finding aid created by:Eric Weig
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

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Chapters IV-VII, 1908, undated

  • Box 1, folder 2
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Chapters VIII-X, 1903, undated

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Chapters XI-XIII, [1900?]-1902, undated

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Chapters XIV-XVI, 1902, undated

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Chapters XVII-XIX, 1902, undated

  • Box 2, folder 1
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References, undated

  • Box 2, folder 2
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The Geography of the Mediterranean Region, 1919-1931, undated

Printed front matter, with edits, 1931 November 1

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Chapters I-II, undated

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Chapters III-IV, undated

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Chapters V-X, undated

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Chapter XI, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Chapter XIII, 1921, undated

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Chapters XIV-XV, undated

  • Box 2, folder 9
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Chapter XVI, undated

  • Box 2, folder 10
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Chapter XVII, undated

  • Box 2, folder 11
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Chapter XVIII, undated

  • Box 2, folder 12
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Chapter XIX, 1919, undated

  • Box 2, folder 13
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Chapter XX, undated

  • Box 2, folder 14
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Chapters XXII-XXIV, undated

  • Box 2, folder 15
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Influences of Geographic Environment, 1900-1918, undated

Chapters I-III, 1905-1907, undated

  • Box 3, folder 1
To top

Chapters IV-V, 1900-1918, undated

  • Box 3, folder 2
To top

Chapters VI-VII, 1906, undated

  • Box 3, folder 3
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Chapter VIII, undated

  • Box 3, folder 4
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Chapters IX-X, undated

  • Box 3, folder 5
To top

Chapter XI, 1907, undated

  • Box 4, folder 1
To top

Chapter XII, undated

  • Box 4, folder 2
To top

Chapter XIII, 1902-1908, undated

  • Box 4, folder 3
To top

Chapter XIV, undated

  • Box 4, folder 4
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Chapter XV, undated

  • Box 4, folder 5
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Chapter XVI, undated

  • Box 4, folder 6
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Chapter XVII, undated

  • Box 4, folder 7
To top

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

  • Box 4, folder 8
To top

Ancient Mediterranean Agriculture, 1928

  • Box 4, folder 9
To top

Barrier boundary of the mediterranean basin, 1915, undated

  • Box 5, folder 1
To top

Ancient Mediterranean Pleasure Gardens, 1929

  • Box 5, folder 2
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Articles, Incomplete, undated

  • Box 5, folder 3
To top

Atlases used by E.C. Semple to write Geography of the Mediterranean Region, especially Atlas Antiques, undated

  • Box 5, folder 4
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Mediterranean region climate, undated

  • Box 5, folder 5
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Reclamation by Irrigation...in Turkey in Asia, undated

  • Box 5, folder 6
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The Ancient Piedmont Route of Northern Mesopotamia, undated

  • Box 5, folder 7
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The Partition of Asiatic Turkey, 1918

  • Box 5, folder 8
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Report on Mesopotamia, undated

  • Box 5, folder 9
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The Oil Fields of Mesopotamia, undated

  • Box 5, folder 10
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Mediterranean region, various aspects of agriculture, undated

  • Box 5, folder 11
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Mediterranean region notes, undated

  • Box 5, folder 12
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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

  • Box 6, folder 1
To top

Research materials, undated

  • Box 6, folder 2
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Research materials including Kentucky and frontier notes, 1910-1916, undated

  • Box 6, folder 3
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Correspondence, 1900-1952

  • Box 6, folder 4
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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

  • Box 6, folder 5
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Biographical information on Ellen Churchill Semple, undated

  • Box 6, folder 6
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Biographical information, Baugh; Ellen Churchill Semple, 1961, undated

  • Box 6, folder 7
To top

Scrapbook, 1901-1932

  • Box 6, folder 8
To top

Academic gown, undated

  • Box 8
To top

Academic hood, undated

  • Box 9
To top

Medals; The Helen Culver Medal and The Culium Geographical Medal, undated

  • Box 7
To top

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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.

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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.