Leonard Woods: administrative records

Record Group

Identifier: A01.02.04

Staff Only
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Scope and Content

The papers contain general correspondence concerning College affairs and three series of material on specific issues. One series consists of a group of depositions taken from all the students at the College in 1846 just after the wood yard burned on the night of October 29. One student was eventually dismissed for his alleged involvement in the incident.

Another series concerns the Declaration of Denominational Status, also of 1846. This issue revolved around the status of the College as a Congregationalist institution. The Declaration however, was used primarily as a means of raising the funds necessary to build a new chapel.

The final series is a collection of correspondence relating to the construction of the Chapel, including discussions with architect Richard Upjohn, about interior and exterior design.

Woods' correspondence regarding the College's collection of paintings can be found in the records of the Museum of Art, Series 1, Correspondence, Exhibitions, and Events.

Most primary source material concerning the early administration of the College is found in the records of the Board of Trustees or in the Records of the Faculty which includes the records of the Executive Government. For related Leonard Woods materials, see the Leonard Woods Collection.

Dates

Creation: 1828 - 1866

Biographical/Historical Note

Leonard Woods (1807-1878), served as Bowdoin's fourth president from 1839 until 1866. Woods presided over an ambitious building program on campus that included the construction of the Chapel, Appleton Hall, Adams Hall, and Memorial Hall. The Declaration of Denominational Status of 1846, and the investigation of the burning of the College's wood yard in the same year, were issues during Woods' presidency.