Harriet Oxman Erasmus Hall High School collection
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Abstract
A collection of Erasmus Hall High School publications and ephemera collected by former principal Harriet Oxman.
Biographical note
Harriet Morel Oxman was born in 1927. She worked as an educator in the New York City school system from 1954 to 1982. She attended the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Columbia University and the School of Education at New York University. In 1957, she was hired to teach high school at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. She became assistant principal in 1964 and then principal in 1972, a position she held until 1981. She was the fifth principal of Erasmus, and its only female principal.
Sources
- Ditta, Joseph. "Guide to the Harriet Oxman Papers 1907-2017 (bulk, 1962-1987) MS 2922." New York: New-York Historical Society, 2021.
Historical note
The first secondary school to be chartered by New York State, Erasmus Hall Academy was founded as a private school in 1786 by Dutch settlers in the town of Flatbush in Kings County (the present-day borough of Brooklyn). It was named for Dutch scholar and theologian Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536). The Academy's original building was built on land donated by the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church in 1787 in the Georgian and Federal styles, and is both still standing and an official New York City landmark. The Academy was deeded to the City of Brooklyn in 1896, after which it became a public high school named Erasmus Hall High School. From 1905 to 1939, four adjoining Gothic buildings were constructed for the school around a central courtyard, and the school's original building underwent restorations in 1936, 1952, and 1987.
In 1994, Erasmus was split internally into three separate schools: Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Business and Technology. 2004 and 2006 saw the additions of the High School for Service and Learning and the Academy for Hospitality and Tourism. As of 2023, Erasmus is still educating Brooklyn students.
Sources
- Taylor, B. Kimberly. "Erasmus Hall High School and Academy of the Arts," in The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, c. 1995), 382.
- Ditta, Joseph. "Guide to the Harriet Oxman Papers 1907-2017 (bulk, 1962-1987) MS 2922." New York: New-York Historical Society, 2021.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by type and chronologically.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes yearbooks, publications, commencement programs, pins and buttons, one medal, and two tee shirts.
Subjects
People
Topics
Titles
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Harriet Oxman Erasmus Hall High School collection, CBHM.0012, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presumed to be the gift of Harriet Oxman, date unknown.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Found in collection in May 2023. Notes indicated the donor was named Oxman and stationery originally included in the collection reads "A note from Harriet Oxman," so she is presumed to have been the donor. No additional accessioning information was found at the time of processing. The archivist discarded duplicate Sing buttons and guidebooks.
