Clair V. Mann Collection Finding Aids
This section of the collection consists of twelve cubic feet and includes boxes 1-11. This material was gathered by the Mann's for the publication of the “History of the Missouri School of Mines". Written correspondence, interviews, and research background information relative to the history of MSM from its establishment to the late 1940s, from previous directors, faculty, students, staff and others are included. The sub-sections emphasize publications by and about the MSM family, the MSM-UM separation controversy, data on the physical facilities and PWA projects and the intensive manuscript tracings for the publication of the history of MSM. Included in this section are several folders with pictures or blueprints. These are denoted by a bold folder number and a star* which also indicates oversized materials that are housed in another box.
This section of the collection comprises 10 cubic feet. It includes notes, newsclippings, maps, and records dealing with Rolla and Phelps County history. Dr. Mann, in his capacity as secretary and historian for the Phelps County Historical Society collected many historical documents and published many narratives of the area. He wrote a three volume “History of Rolla" that covers the years 1844 to 1973. All of the background interviews, maps, and general historical research covering local schools, churches, clubs, societies, civic leaders, buildings, businesses, the Civil War period, Webber Centennial of 1944, the Phelps County Centennial of 1957, and the Maramec Iron Works, as well as the numerous articles written by Dr. & Mrs Mann concerning the history of Phelps County are included. The bold folder number and star indicate that photos may be included or that the material is unique or oversized for a 1 cubic foot box.
Phelps County Residents Geneologies and Biographies
This part of the collection contains six cubic feet. Dr. Mann conducted many interviews about prominent Phelps County residents. Included in these alphabetically listed files are the original and copied interviews with family members, research about each family, as well as many different documents, photos and memorabilia. The folder number in bold and starred are the ones with corresponding photos or unique documents. The last box includes oversized material including diaries and books.
General History: State, National and Special Persons
This section of the collection comprises fifteen cubic feet and includes boxes 22-36. There are maps, newspapers, scrapbooks, cemetery records, and index cards which chronicle Rolla history in the local newspapers citing names, events, and places from 1857-1974. Of particular interest are two scrapbooks that belonged to Senator Ellis G. Evans from 1867-1884, a Frisco Railroad-Freight Station Book form 1864-1865, several USO scrapbooks from Rolla 1941-1946, and a copy of “The Backwoodsman-Daring Men of the Ozarks" by George C. Arthur. There are also index card files, alphabetically listing Rolla citizens, giving genealogical and historical background information. This collection also includes two boxes of various local newspapers from 1861 to the 1960s.
Mann Family Material, Professional Papers and Publications
This is the largest part of the Mann collection comprising sixty-two cubic feet and includes boxes 43-104. Incorporated are biographical and genealogical family data, personal and professional correspondence, historical recordings, publications, papers, reports and speeches covering his extensive engineering education work, Phelps County surveying records, music compositions and booklets, trip autologs, church material, memorabilia and artifacts. Of particular interest are the many autologs of his local and extended trips where he describes details including cost of gas and mileage. Also he authored the “Mann Gazette", a family newsletter, and all copies covering the years 1924-1970 are included.
Engineering Education and Departments of Engineering Drawing
This part of the collection comprises 41 cubic feet and includes material covering Dr. Mann’s tenure as a teacher of Engineer Drawing at Missouri School of Mines(MSM) and his interest in creating and implementing aptitude and interest tests to be given to prospective engineering students. The MSM material includes class notes, rolls and grade books. Aptitude tests given to Missouri high school and college students and resulting personographs created for each student highlighting their strengths and weaknesses are also incorporated. Reports, articles, correspondence and publications relating to studies in engineering education complete this section of the collection.
Maps, Tracings, Blueprints and Graphs
These materials are in most cases rolled up and stored in a separate location from the main Archives. They include materials concerning Missouri School of Mines (MSM), dams, bridges, student testing charts, Phelps County maps, Highway Dept. drawings/blueprints, general Missouri maps, building plans of local institutions and Engineering Drawing classwork. These material reflect Dr. Mann’s many years as teacher, surveyor and county historian.
Clair V. Mann Photographic Collection R:3/3/5
ca.1850-1970
19 cubic feet. BOXES 141-167
Scope and Content Note
The photo collection includes images taken by the Manns themselves, university staff, commercial photographers, and other individuals, as well as copies of historic photographs reproduced by Clair and Bonita Mann. Photographs document the Missouri School of Mines (MSM) faculty, students, and buildings, the history of Phelps County, and Rolla, Missouri, including some of the earliest photos of the county, and the town, and views of MSM classrooms, students, engineering education testing, and the United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II. There is a large collection of negatives from the Baumgardner Studio in Rolla, and general views of Missouri, Colorado, Ohio, New York, Texas, and Connecticut. Phelps County Historical Society photos are intermingled in this collection, many of which are so marked. The collection reflects Dr. & Mrs Mann’s interest in the history of MSM, the Maramec Iron Works and the James family, and their long term research on the history and genealogy of Phelps County. Most of this work was done in the 1940s-1950s when the Manns undertook significant research and interviews of prominent Phelps County citizens and MSM faculty and students in preparation for completing a history of the Missouri School of Mines. The Mann Collection contains the largest number of copies and copy negatives of significant people and places in Phelps County, Missouri. The final component of the collection consists of Mann family photographs identified and augmented by John Mann, Charles Eberhart, and other family members.
Forms
This collection includes a wide variety of forms representing 19th and 20th century photographic processes consisting of approximately 7,034 original prints, 1,325 negatives, 733 copy prints, 258 cabinet cards, 99 postcards, 85 clippings, 30 tintypes, 7 slides, 6 photogravures, 5 ambrotypes, 4 sketches, 4 stereoviews, 3 drawings, 2 ferrotypes, 565 glass lantern slides, and 8 glass plate negatives . Most of the prints are housed in individually labeled print envelopes. Some are still in the original photo albums or removed from album form but still affixed to self-adhesive pages and stored in archival folders or print envelopes.
Organization and Arrangement
The images are arranged in groups by subject, donor, origin, or photographer and have been assigned an individual folder number within a cubic foot box. Items of similar subject are grouped together. Negatives and irregular size photos are stored separately. The bold and starred numbers appearing on the inventory denote negatives that are included and are stored separately. Boxes with negatives have an “N" following the Box number and appear on the inventory with the original number and a separate negative box number citing physical location of the negative.
Photo Reproduction Policy
Materials do not circulate. Reproduction is permitted, but must be done by archives personnel. Payment must be received before any materials can be sent. If a negative exists, the patron will pay the cost of the desired print. If no negative exists, the patron will pay for making a negative, which the depository will retain, plus the cost of the print and postage. All known identifying information on the image will be included with the copy print. Xeroxing of an image will cost $.15 per image and other photocopying fees will depend on size of image and number of prints desired. There is no fee for scanned copies. All images must be credited to the Mann Collection, Missouri University of Science and Technology Archives.
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