Clarence W. Bowen records of the Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Washington's Inauguration
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
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.
Subjects
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
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Clarence Bowen, April 1894.
About this Guide
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
View Inventory
Letters Sent (18 folders), 1888-1889 March, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Content of binders 1,2,4-10. No binder 3 (part of December 1888) was found in the collection in December 2021.
Letters Sent (18 folders), 1889 March-April, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Content of binders 11-15, 17-20. No binder 16 (part of March 1889) was found in the collection in December 2021.
Letters Sent (18 folders), 1889 April-1890 December, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Content of binders 21-27.
Letters Sent (18 folders), 1890 December-1891 August, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Content of binders 28-36.
Letters Sent (6 folders), 1891 August-November, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Content of binders 37-39.
"Miscellaneous" (9 folders), circa 1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
These folders hold the content of 3 binders labeled "miscellanous." The documents appear to be largely Bowen's working files for the Centennial events. Documents include Entertainment Committee reports, lists of invitees or possible invitees to the various events, rough notes, programs and draft event programs, and the like.
Bound volumes (11)
Scope and Contents
Holds 11 volumes with lists of invited guests to events, various lists related to the ball and the banquet, booklets of subscribers to the Centennial memorial book with list of final 1894 financial data for the Publication Committee, and appointment book with a few entries showing committee meeting dates in 1889.
Scrapbooks (3), 1888-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
One of the scrapbooks in this box includes documents other than clippings (e.g., legislative bill for funding the event).
Scrapbooks (4), 1889, inclusive
Scrapbooks (3), 1889, inclusive
Inventory of printing plates, 1894, inclusive
Printing plates (3), 1889, inclusive
Printing plates (38), 1889, inclusive
Printing plate (1); Bound volume (1). Oversize items, 1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The bound volume includes lists of committee members and related lists.
European dispatches, 1890, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Folder of transcripts received by Bowen from the Dutch, English, French, and Spanish archives that related to Washington's 1789 inauguration. The transcriptions are in the various European languages, with translations to English.
Art & Exhibition Committee minutes, 1888-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds the minutes of the committee, some of its subcommittees, and related documents. These were donated in July 1898 by Richard W. Gilder, Secretary of the Art Committee.
Circulars, invitations, admission tickets, and related ephemera (3 folders), 1888-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds sating seat for the St. Paul's service, committee list and members, perodic circulars reporting on planning meetings, programs, etc. The third folder holds tickets directed to Frederic Gallatin, one of the members of the organizing committee.