Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: American Express World Cruise travel diary
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: American Express World Cruise travel diary
- Date
- 1923-1924 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.07 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Diaries.
- Diaries -- 20th century
- Ocean travel
- Travel.
- Cruise ships
- Hawaii
- Japan -- Description and travel.
- China.
- Singapore
- India
- Tourism.
- Parent and child.
- American Express Company
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0875: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: American Express World Cruise travel diary, 1923-1924, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- No biographical information available on diary author.
- The American Express Cruise Around the World was initiated in 1922 by the American Express Company to be the first ever continuous circumnavigation of the globe by a passenger liner. Its intention was to visit the waters first explored by Magellan's fleet during his circumnavigation of the globe some 400-years earlier. The initial voyage began on November 1922 and the company chartered Cunard's Laconia for the 130-day voyage. The Second Cruise Around the World, lasting from 1923 to 1924, chartered the Franconia, also from Cunard, and is the subject of this diary.
- 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 American Express World Cruise travel diary (dated 1923-1924; 0.07 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the experiences of a young man and his father on the S.S. Franconia during the Second Cruise Around the World hosted by American Express in late 1923 and early 1924. The son writes occasionally in the diary, describing their stops in Hawaii, Japan, China, Singapore, and India. He writes about the weather, his thoughts on the landscape, learning about the different cultures, experiencing traditional ceremonies and festivals, touring historic sites and museums, and eating local cuisine. He also writes about his and his father's personal health, friends they make on the cruise and at various ports, celebrating holidays on the ship, and sailing through storms.
- The American Express World Cruise travel diary 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.
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.
