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Clarence W. Bowen records of the Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration

Call Number

MS 3118

Date

1888-1894, inclusive

Creator

Bowen, Clarence Winthrop, 1852-1935
New York (N.Y.). Committee on Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of Washington, 1789

Extent

12 Linear feet in 10 record cartons and 1 oversize flat box

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The collection primarily holds copies of Clarence Bowen's outgoing letters in connection with his position as Secretary in 1889 of New York's Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration and as editor of the related memorial volume published subsequently, in 1892. The collection also holds scrapbooks of newspaper clippings covering the 1889 celebration; working files and bound volumes with lists of attendees, etc. for the ball, banquet, and other specific events; invitations, funding legislation, and other original documentation and ephemera; and metallic printing plates for tickets, press passes, invitations, and other print matter for the celebration.

Biographical / Historical

In the mid-1880s, New-York Historical Society, the Sons of the Revolution, and the New York Chamber of Commerce each passed resolutions calling for the celebration in 1889 of the centennial anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first president under the new Constitution of the United States. In November 1887, New York City Mayor Abram S. Hewitt presided over an organizing meeting that resulted in the formation of the Committee of Citizens, or more formally the Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration. Clarence Bowen, the compiler of the records in this collection and the donor of it to N-YHS, was Secretary of the Committee.

The Celebration comprised several major events spanning April 29-May 1, 1889, (with some earlier events) that attracted the (bipartisan) attendance of then-U.S. President Benjamin Harrison and former Presidents Grover Cleveland and Rutherford B. Hayes. It included parades, banquets, a ball, an exhibition, a religious service, a re-enactment by President Harrison of Washington's arrival at the foot of Wall Street for the inauguration, and more. Funding was provided by the state, city and private sources. Subsequent to the Celebration, a Publication Committee remained to produce a memorial volume recounting the history of the Centennial's events. Clarence Bowen stayed on as editor of that volume and he wrote many of its chapters.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by format.

Scope and Contents

The collection primarily holds copies of Clarence Bowen's outgoing letters in connection with his position as Secretary in 1889 of New York's Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration and as editor of the related memorial volume published subsequently, in 1892. (There are very few incoming letters.) The collection also holds scrapbooks of newspaper clippings covering the 1889 celebration; working files and bound volumes with lists of attendees, etc. for the ball, banquet, and other specific events; invitations, funding legislation, and other original documentation and ephemera; and metallic printing plates for tickets, press passes, invitations, and other print matter for the celebration.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Clarence W. Bowen records of the Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration, MS 3118, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Clarence Bowen, April 1894.

Related Materials

N-YHS holds a small collection of documents about the 1989 commemoration of the 200th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration. In that collection is an overview history of the 1889 celebration, written by historian Richard Bernstein for the 1989 New York City Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. See the Collection on the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration (MS 3119).

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:08 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

The collection was processed by archivist Larry Weimer in December 2021. The principal physical intervention was the removal of Bowen's outgoing correspondence from their original binders for conservation purposes; the original order of the documents with reference to the original numbered binders was retaned in the container list and in the boxed folders.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024