SMR: Archives and Special Collections
The Georgetown University Library continues to expand its collections for the study of slavery locally, regionally, and nationally. In addition to our circulating and electronic collections, the Library also has primary source materials that are open to faculty, students, and other researchers. Please explore the collections below and contact us for more information. Additional information is in our Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation at Lauinger Library research guide.
Archives of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
The Archives of the Maryland Province represent a crucial primary source for the study of the Jesuits’ and Georgetown University’s connections to slavery, most notably the documentation of the 1838 sale of 272 slaves by the Maryland Province, proceeds of which benefited Georgetown College (now Georgetown University).
Contact: speccoll@georgetown.edu
Georgetown University Archives
Georgetown University established its Archives in 1816, being one of the first American colleges to do so. Because of this longevity, the Archives has an unusually rich collection, housing material from before the University’s founding in 1789 to the present, including documentation of the history of slavery related to Georgetown.
Glimpses of Slavery at Georgetown College (online exhibit)
Manuscripts Collection
The Library's Manuscripts Collections include materials related to the history of slavery, including a logbook documenting the 1795-1796 voyage of the slave ship Mary from Rhode Island to the west coast of Africa and its return trip to Georgia. The Manuscripts Collection includes the papers of many members of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus well as papers of 19th-century priests who were not members of the Maryland Province but who were associated with Georgetown. These collections inform the study of slavery, both at Georgetown and more broadly.
Society of Jesus (description of collections from Special Collections at Georgetown: A Descriptive Catalog)
Email: speccoll@georgetown.edu
Woodstock Theological Library
Located on the lower level of Lauinger Library, Woodstock contains a full run of the Woodstock Letters (1872-1969) which include descriptions and analysis of Jesuit operation of plantations and ownership of slaves. The Woodstock College Archives may contain additional research materials relating to the legacy of slavery on Jesuit plantations.
- Woodstock Letters (online from the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, Boston College)
Georgetown Slavery Archive
The Georgetown Slavery Archive is an online repository of materials relating to the Maryland Jesuits, Georgetown University, and slavery. The GSA is part of Georgetown University's Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation initiative. Among the materials in the GSA are documents from the Library's archival and special collections important to the study of slavery at Georgetown.