Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Anna B. Pittman Swan travel diary
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Anna B. Pittman Swan travel diary
- Date
- 1957-1975 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Swan, Anna B. Pittman, 1901-1980
- Extent
- 0.15 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Cruise ships
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0518: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Anna B. Pittman Swan travel diary, 1957-1975, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Anna B. Pittman Swan (1901-1980) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Mary Priscilla Blakey Pence. Anna worked as a teacher in Louisville, retiring about 1957 when she began to travel the world.
- 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 Anna B. Pittman Swan travel diary (dated 1957-1975; 0.15 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a detailed record and diary of a Louisville, Kentucky retired school teacher's travel and experiences on her eighteen tours to around sixty four different countries on six of the seven continents over a span of eighteen years. Anna mainly traveled with friends from the same Methodist church group, her alumni sorority sisters, or traveled alone with a tour group. The countries she visited include; Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Mexico, England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Norway, Sweden, Japan, China, Thailand, Philippines, Senegal, Liberia, Gahanna, Egypt, Jordan, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Trinidad, Aruba, Spain, Russia and many more. Anna enjoyed going to Hawaii and visited the various islands three times over the eighteen year span. She visited the Pearl Harbor memorial on each trip and wrote about the sadness it made her feel. She also mentions the "political hotbed" in Africa and the "restrictions" on the tourists in Russia. For each of the eighteen tours, Anna included a brief history of the country, natives and customs. She then wrote a day to day log of her meals, shopping, tours, souvenirs and experience with locals. Finally, she included a language guide that provide the native langue and the English translation at the end of each tour. Throughout the eighteen tours she traveled by boat, train, bus, car and plane. Anna dedicated her travel diary to her mother, Mary Priscilla Blakey Pence. This copy of An Angel on Vacation was presented to the Louisville Free Public Library by Anna in September of 1979.
- The Anna B. Pittman Swan 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
An Angel on Vacation, 1957-1975
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.
