Thanks to partial funding by an Ohio Local History Alliance (OLHA) Digitization Grant, The Dawes Arboretum is excited to announce that the collection of our co-founder, Beman Dawes, has been scanned and is now available online for you to explore!
With the support of the OLHA grant, The Dawes Arboretum’s archive was able to purchase a new flatbed scanner, scanning software, storage and photo editing software which were used to complete the digitization of this project. These new tools will continue to support future efforts as we work to grow our digital archive. Currently, about 45% of our entire archival collection has been digitized. There is still much work to be done, but we are eager to see what hidden treasures we will uncover next!
The goal of digitizing Beman Dawes’ manuscripts was to ensure the accessibility of Dawes’ personal and business papers relating to Ohio. By digitizing this collection, we ensure that those interested in Ohio’s history regarding gas, petroleum, politics and environmental conservation can learn from Dawes' legacy.
This collection features correspondence and documents spanning from 1876 to 1953. The manuscripts in this collection consist of letters, shares, investments, properties owned by the Dawes family, trust information and more. Together, these manuscripts highlight Dawes' impact on Ohio’s industrial growth and environmental stewardship, making his collection substantial not only to The Arboretum but also to the state of Ohio. Much of the information in this collection is one-of-a-kind and cannot be found in any other repository!
We invite you to explore this online collection and discover the remarkable legacy our co-founder, Beman Dawes! If you have any questions about archival collections available, contact our Archivist at zkthomas@dawesarb.org.
Interested in helping us expand our digital collection or assisting with other archival projects? Please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator at mgconklin@dawesarb.org.
