Scope and Contents

The sub-series contains assorted student publications, dating from 1849 to 2016.

All True Tales (autobiographical comics, 1988)

Celadon (literary magazine, 1988)

Compositions (literary magazine, 1859-1867)

Packer Current Items (literary magazine, 1909-2014)

Packer '90/Packer Fagots (literary magazine, 1889-1895)

The First Act (student newspaper, 1921-1922)

The Kumquat (humor newspaper, 2003)

The Literary Novice (Brooklyn Heights Seminary literary magazine, 1854)

Middle School Poetry Anthology (literary magazine, 1987)

The Neophyte (literary magazine, 1860-1861)

PALM: Packer Alternative Literary Magazine (literary magazine, 1990s)

Pelican Brief (arts and entertainment magazine, 2004-2005)

The Packer Pen (literary magazine, 1964-1967)

The Packer Perspective (writings from Headmaster Peter T. Esty and students on curriculum, 1971-1972)

The Packer Press (student newspaper, 1953-1968)

The Phoenix (literary magazine, 1867-1868)

Picturae Clair Instituti (Class of 1896 publication)

The Packer Prism (student newspaper, 1968-2016)

Packer Publishers (literary magazine, 1990)

The Packer Quarterly (literary magazine, 1868-1879)

School Room Echoes (literary magazine, 1853)

Serious Stuff and None of That Fake Psychedelic Crap (zine, 1989)

Something Normal (zine, 1986)

Underwater: A Collection of Middle School Poetry (literary magazine, 1988)

Variations (foreign language publication, 2005-circa 2010)

Issues of The Literary Novice from the Brooklyn Heights Seminary are dated May 19, October 6, October 30, November 3, November 17, and December 15, 1854. These issues were sent to Mrs. Harold Quantin at Packer in 1943.

Packer Current Items was first published in 1909 – a copy of vol. 1, issue 1 is included in this series. The publication continued into the twenty-first century, marking it as the longest-running student publication at Packer. Date, volume and issue numbers are sometimes inconsistent. A few issues are missing (see container list for details). Also included in this series is correspondence from various alumni regarding the 50th anniversary issue of Packer Current Items, which was celebrated in 1959.

Scope and Contents

The sub-series contains an assortment of material relating to Packer students, including school work, scrapbooks, autograph books, correspondence, class and club meeting minutes, artwork, and ephemera, dating from 1837 to 2009.

Some highlights include:

The scrapbook of Mrs. Paul D. Shafer (1940s-1950s), which primarily contains information and clippings about her husband (Packer president); Mrs. Harriet Pecket Cabbage's scrapbook, which contains updates on members of her class (1901), including correspondences and family information, including birth and death dates; the 1893 scrapbook of Louise Van Arden, which contains a letter from Florence Nightingale congratulating Van Arden on her graduation; Bernice Dhuy's chemistry, physics, and psychology compostions books (1903-1905); and student accounts of September 11, 2001.

Scope and Contents

This sub-series contains material pertaining to Packer's theater productions, dating from 1859 to the 2000s. Student productions were split into senior and junior performances during the theater's later years. Most of the images, press coverage, and papers in the series collection address senior productions. The students staged a Christmas Pageant every year that included a theatrical reenactment of the Nativity. In addition, repertory and modern productions were performed in the early spring of each year. The stage sets were built and the performances directed by students with adult guidance. In 1979, Packer Theater celebrated its 125th Anniversary by hosting "Today & Yesterday." For publicity purposes, retrospective material was collected about past theater productions for the Packer "Pelican" yearbook. Contents relating to individual plays vary, ranging from photographs and news clippings to promotional material, playbills, scripts, personal notes, and stage budgets.

The sub-series also includes some items relating to the Alumnae Dramatic Association.

Additional programs can be found in Sub-series 12.4: Curriculum files. Additional photographs of theatrical productions are found in  Sub-series 17.1: Packer Collegiate Institute photographs. Audiovisual recordings of theatrical performances can be found in  Sub-series 18.5: Theatrical recordings.

Scope and Contents

The sub-series contains student handbooks and study guides, dating from the 1930s to 1996.

Scope and Contents

The sub-series contains the collected papers of two individual students, Susan Losee and Elizabeth Post Morrow.

Scope and Contents

This sub-sub-series contains the student papers of Susan E. Losee (Nichols), dating from 1865 to 1869. Papers include written exams, essays, lecture notes and exercise books, including a handwriting practice book, and cover a wide range of subjects, including French history, mythology, Latin, astronomy, geography, physiology, grammar/spelling, etc. Also included is a personal scrapbook of classmates' written entries. Eight illustrated "Reward of Merit" cards, awarding student achievement, are included, along with a Certificate of Academic Scholarship issued by Packer for admission to the University of the State of New York, dated 1869.

Scope and Contents

The sub-sub-sub-series contains Packer memorabilia, dating from 1880 to 1818. It includes some material (commencement program and issues of The Packer Alumna), which predate Post's school career. These items possibly belonged to her mother, who also attended Packer. Alternatively, Post may have acquired these items during her tenure as an officer of the Associate Alumnae or on the Packer Board of Trustees.

The bulk of the files date from Elizabeth Post's school career and the years immediately following. These include school publications; a collection of programs of student plays, Glee Club performances, debates and school wide events (1909-1918); a 1913 exam; the script of "A Rose of Plymouth Town" with acting notes throughout for the role of Resolute Story, played by Elizabeth Post; programs of plays performed by the School Settlement Association; a handmade 1914 Packer calendar; and a Packer Anthem Book.

Scope and Contents

Several hymnals seem to be Post Morrow's personal copies, with editions from various years. The hymnals list Charles Taylor Ives and Raymond Huntington Woodman as editors. Most are in fragile condition. Several contained printed or mimeographed lyric sheets. The hymnals sometimes contain ephemera, including painted place cards (including ones for "Mrs. Pratt," "Mrs. Morrow" and "Dr. Brockway"), a clipping announcing the appointment of Morrow to the Packer Board of Trustees, and the Annual Sermon to the graduating class of 1925.

Scope and Contents

This sub-sub-sub-series include files of major events at Packer, or materials around a specific topic that were kept separate by Elizabeth Post Morrow in her original files. File 1 contains 75th anniversary materials (1928) including invitations, programs around various celebratory events, as well as a pamphlet history of Packer 1853-1928. File 2 has a few items related to a dinner in honor Dr. John H. Denbigh (1937). Dr. Denbigh retired that year as president of the Packer Collegiate Institute. File 3 contains clippings, invitation, and programs for the Edwin Jasper Memorial Lectures (1938-1937). Robert Moses was the speaker in 1939. These are fragile and need encapsulation. File 4 contains Centenary Celebration programs, invitations, lyric sheets and other related from 1945. File 5, Class of 1916 Material, contains items found in an envelope related to the class of 1916, including invitations to special graduation events in 1916, dance cards, and programs. This file also has notes and clippings related to reunions in 1937 and 1966.

Scope and Contents

The bulk dates of the material are 1937–1972. The files contain a mixture of materials generated by the Associate Alumnae of the Packer Collegiate Institute, Packer itself, and personal notes from the school administration or other alumna to Elizabeth Post Morrow. The majority of the records are fund raising letters, reports, brochures and event ephemera. Some of these materials are informative, especially letters and reports to the Associate Alumni written by Packer president John F. Skillman. Topics cover the financial troubles or well being of the school, enrollment concerns (1952), closing of the junior college (1971) and the decision to become a co-educational school (1972). There are a few hand written memos relating to Associate Alumnae business, mostly dating from late 1930s to the early 1950s. Other materials include invitations and programs of school events, reprints of speeches by Packer presidents, promotional brochures (some of these have photographs), newspaper clippings covering Packer news, announcements of changes in administration, and expansion of the school facility. Materials of particular interest are: a report card from 1930s reflecting concerns with appearance and deportment, a 1972 Coeducation Study Preliminary Report, a study on the junior college, and a 1969 letter from President on changes being considered to the school. There are several issues of the Packer Times from 1972–1973.

Scope and Contents

The sub-series consists of student directories, dating from 1972 to 2012.

One item of note is a copy of the 1977-1978 directory that includes a tally of the students' ethnicities by grade level.

Scope and Contents

The sub-series contains diplomas and scholarship certificates of Brooklyn Female Academy and Packer Collegiate Institute students, dating from the 1840s to 1952.