To learn more about this collection please see the finding aid link found above, and/or visit the College and Lutheran Church Archives to use these primary sources.
Correspondence Concerning Student Life in Johnson Hall, 1910-1921. GACA Collection 122. 5 folders.
ABSTRACT:
The Correspondence Concerning Student Life in Johnson Hall collection consists of correspondence and ledger papers detailing student life and food supplies in Johnson Hall at Gustavus Adolphus College. Correspondence is primarily incoming letters from parents, students, and various food distributors. During this eleven year period, two different women served in the role of Johnson Hall Preceptress, Hilma Johnson and Clara Tederstrom. The women had considerable and wide-ranging duties in this women’s dormitory. These varied from checking in on homesick students, purchasing and preparing foodstuffs, and allowing charges to view the film Birth of a Nation. Although most documents are in English, there are some letters written in Swedish.
Johnson Hall was constructed during 1908 and thereafter served as a residence for women. The 1909-1910 College Catalogue indicated that the building was “a fire-proof brick structure, modern in every respect, having steam heat, electric heat, electric light, and will room about seventy students. This building has its own dining room and kitchen equipment, and the ladies will be cared for in a modern home under the supervision of a competent precptress.”
The building was damaged during the 1998 tornado and was subsequently demolished.
