Hiram College Showboat "Majestic"
Business Collection
1948 - 1958
Inventory
Prepared by Lisa Johnson, November 2002
1 record storage box, .75
cubic ft.
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Hiram College Showboat "Majestic" Inventory Prepared by Lisa Johnson, November 2002 |
Historical Note
The Showboat “Majestic” was built by Captain Tom Reynolds and operated on the Ohio River and its tributaries from 1923 until the 1965 Safety at Sea Act forced the permanent mooring of all wooden-hulled sea and river vessels. An excellent summary of the history and traditions of the “Majestic” may be found at http://www.steamboats.com/museumu8.html
In 1948, Hiram College students and staff joined
students and staff from Kent State University in a summer of traveling the river
and entertaining the residents of nearby communities with plays, old time
vaudeville skits and calliope music. In 1949, Hiram faculty contracted
individually with Captain Reynolds to continue the summer entertainment. During
the next decade, with the exception of 1951, Hiram faculty and students
continued to travel the river in the summer, bringing a uniquely American form
of entertainment to the residents of both large and small communities along the
rivers.
This collection joins a previously processed collection
of scrapbooks compiled by the students and faculty who had taken part in the
Showboat experience. It was donated to Hiram College by Dina Kellams, assistant
archivist, at Indiana University in July of 2002. It was part of a much larger
collection of papers donated to the Indiana University Archives in 1999 by their
Department of Theatre and Drama. We can only speculate, but the papers may have
been left on the “Majestic” after Hiram’s last voyage in 1958 and made
their way to the theatre department after the Captain Reynolds sold the boat to
Indiana University in 1959.
Additional information on the Showboat “Majestic” will be found in the Kent State University Archives and Special Collections. Consult their web site at http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/theater/hwright.html. You may also wish to view the web site at Indiana University to review their “Majestic” holdings. Please go to http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/IUDL/findingaids/archives/InU-Ar-065inst
The Showboat “Majestic” business records are arranged
in one document storage box. The papers consist of correspondence documenting
all aspects of the operations of a working showboat theater in the 1950’s. In
addition, a large portion of the documentation reflects the Showboat
“Majestic” staff’s advertising plan, public relations activities,
personnel decisions, legal agreements and licensing requirements necessary to
successfully operate a touring theatre company.
In 1955, author Rosamond Du Jardin based her YA novel, Showboat Summer,
on the experiences of the Hiram College students living and performing on the
Ohio River. The letters written by Miss Du Jardin to arrange her visit to the
Showboat in 1952 and 1953 are included.
Folder – Contents
Advance
Agent Worksheets – 1955-1958
Advance Work and Advertising – Pittsburgh, PA, ca.1953
Correspondence – 1953