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West Virginia and Regional History Center
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[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Earl L. Core (1902-1984) Papers, A&M 1730, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Earl Lemley Core, botanist, educator, and historian, was born in Core, West Virginia, Monongalia County in 1902. He received his Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia University in 1926; his masters from WVU in 1928; and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1936. Dr. Core was a professor in WVU's Biology Department for 44 years (1928-1972) and chair of the Department for 18 years (1948-1966). He was also curator of the WVU Herbarium for 40 years (1934-1972). During World War II the Foreign Economic Administration sent Core to Columbia, South America (1943-1944), to explore the Andes Mountains in search of a source for quinine from the Cinchona tree. There he discovered at least 15 new species and in 1978 one of the plants he discovered, the genus Corethamnium , was named for him.
Core was founder (1936) of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club and editor of the journal, Castenea , for 35 years. He was the author of scholarly books and articles with his early works focusing on the botany of West Virginia, and later works on local history and church history. Two biology textbooks he co-authored became standards: General Biology with P.D. Strausbauh and B.R. Weimer and A New Manual for the Biology Laboratory with Weimer. He also collaborated with Strausbaugh to write the classic The Flora of West Virginia . Other botany texts include Vegetation of West Virginia , Woody Plants in Winter , and his most popular book Spring Wild Flowers of West Virginia which has been in print since 1948. Core published articles in Castenea , Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science , and other scholarly sources.
After retirement in 1972, Core turned more of his attention to local history. His most extensive local history work is the five-volume history of Monongalia County, West Virginia, The Monongalia Story (1974-1984). His regular column, "The Monongalia Story" in Morgantown's Dominion Post also details the history of the county. Earlier he had written The Chronicles of Core (1937) about the town where he was born, and Morgantown Disciples: a History of the First Christian Church of Morgantown (1960).
Core's civic activities were numerous and include serving on the Morgantown Public Library Board for 20 years (1959-1979), Morgantown City Council for 4 years, and Mayor of Morgantown for 2 years (1956-1957). Core was an elder in his church, president of the Monongalia Historical Society, president of the Kiwanis, and much more. In 1948, Core persuaded WVU to set aside 100 acres for an Arboretum. The Core Arboretum was named for him in 1967. Earl L. Core Road in Morgantown also sports his name.
He died in Morgantown in 1984.
Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Bartholomew, botanist and educator, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1912. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in botany from West Virginia University in 1934. She received a Master of Arts degree in botany from WVU with the thesis titled "The Flora of Wirt County, West Virginia" in 1948. Bartholomew joined the staff of the WVU Biology Department in 1938, first as Herbarium clerk and later as Herbarium assistant. In 1963 she was appointed as a biology instructor and curator of the Herbarium. During this time she created the Distribution of Southeastern Plants to facilitate the exchange of specimens. She added thousands of plants to the Herbarium collection and in 1950 started a 2,000-plant seed collection. She retired from WVU in 1977
Bartholomew was a member of the West Virginia Academy of Science, editor of its newsletter (1960-61), and secretary (1972-1985); member and secretary for the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club (1946-1981); member of the American Nut Growers Association; charter member and faculty advisor of the botany fraternity Phi Epsilon Phi; and member of Phi Mu.
Bartholomew who joined the Girl Scouts at age 12 earned all the nature badges and maintained a life-long interest in scouting. She served as a Girl Scout leader for more than 20 years. She also promoted nature to children through the Phi Epsilon Phi annual Wildflower Day. Additionally she worked with the Oglebay Nature Camp, church camp, and others. She was a leader at the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage at Blackwater Falls.
The Southern Appalachian Botanical Society created the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award in 1989 in her honor and the governor named her as the Outstanding West Virginia in 1974.
She died in Morgantown in 1985.
Original Accession; 1756-1985; boxes 1-21 and two oversize folders
Records of Earl L. Core, botanist, writer, editor, historian, and West Virginia University professor and Biology Department Head. Includes the correspondence, collected research materials, and writings of Dr. Core. The earliest correspondence, 1951-1960, deals mostly with his role as a botanist and West Virginia University Botany Department chair, and includes letters both to and from Dr. Core. Later correspondence, mostly from the 1960s but up to 1984, includes historical and genealogical inquiries in addition to matters pertaining to botany, publications, and Biology Department business. Of importance is Dr. Core's correspondence with two prominent botanists, P.D. Strausbaugh, with whom Core authored botany and biology texts, and H.A. Allard.
In addition to botany and nature, a large part of the collection deals with the history of Morgantown, Monongalia County, and West Virginia. The collected research materials for these areas include newspaper clippings, booklets and pamphlets, correspondence, genealogical charts, maps, original historical documents, and more. Dr. Core's research resulted in the publication of a 5-volume history of Monongalia County, The Monongalia Story , as well as numerous newspaper columns in the Dominion Post . The collected research materials support Dr. Core's research for some 30 monographs on various aspects of natural history, local history, and to a lesser extent Bible and religious study.
Graphic materials include oversized maps, photographs, photographic glass negatives and film, greeting cards, and post cards.
See series and subseries descriptions for more information.
Addendum of 2018-09; 1907-1984; boxes 22-25
These records include handwritten plant lists; typewritten scientific and history papers; newspapers and newspaper clippings; maps; University class records; collected research materials; and magnetic audio tapes of Dr. Core's lectures on the flora of West Virginia. Plant lists and lecture notes presumably refer to slides in A&M 5211. This addendum includes Core's curriculum vita; some correspondence; and various short publications.
Other collected research materials include maps, postcards, book lists, technical reports about West Virginia and the region, flyers, photographs, newsletters, brochures, programs, and calendars of events from the WVU Experimental Station, the WVU Department of Biology, West Virginia State Parks, West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, the Phi Epsilon Phi fraternity, the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club, the West Virginia University (Core) Arboretum, the American Association of University Professors, the National Audubon Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. These items treat the following subjects: trees, forestry, insects, plant species, water, flooding, ecology, wildflower walks, and biography. The files contain a number of reprints and facsimiles of scholarly scientific papers. There is one local history, that of Wheeling. Biology student records include a graded research paper, a graded bibliography, Core's class record book, and summer class trip schedules.
The audio tapes are recordings of Dr. Core's lectures on West Virginia flora, February-April, 1966. There are 15 of the 1.25" reel to reel tapes in box 25. Five of the tapes are undated.
In addition to Earl L. Core materials in boxes 24 and 25, this addenda includes materials collected by Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Bartholomew, boxes 22 and 23. Bartholomew was also a West Virginia botanist, educator, and manager for the West Virginia University Herbarium. Her artifacts include buttons, a flag, and a Girls Scout cloth badge. A metal box contains items collected by Elizabeth Bartholomew including identification cards and Girl Scout records. Her papers include collected materials about biology and nature as well as materials, including teaching materials, from the WVU Biology Department.
1197, 1556, 1730
This series includes both professional and personal correspondence received; carbon copies of correspondence sent; and collected research materials in addition to letters. The correspondence is with colleagues from across the United States and abroad; citizens with inquiries regarding plants, such as roots in a basement; students regarding grades, course work, and recommendations; as well as family and friends including greeting cards. Some correspondence is typed, some handwritten, some on mimeographed pages, and some on postcards and slips of paper. Subjects include discussions of publications and orders for publications such as The Flora of West Virginia , Wild Flowers of West Virginia , and Spring Wild Flowers ; content and business for the journal Castenea ; discussions and notifications of botanical species' identification and request for specimens; WVU academic matters and WVU Department of Biology business; and family and other personal matters including letters and flyers regarding the Disciples of Christ Church and the First Christian Church in Morgantown where Dr. Core was a member. Of significance are letters from botanists P. D. (Perry Daniel) Strausbaugh, 1886-1965, and H. A. (Harry Ardell) Allard, 1880-1963. An envelope of addresses on slips of paper, torn from envelopes, and business cards is included in this series.
Specifically, boxes 1 and 2 contain correspondence (1951-1957) which is arranged chronologically by month and year. Boxes 3 and 4 contain correspondence (1958) which is also arranged chronologically by month. Boxes 5-8, and 15 contain correspondence not in chronological order, but arranged by subtopics.
Box 5 (1943-1984, with the majority from the 1960s) contains correspondence regarding botany and specifically Core's research in Columbia, 1943-1945, where he worked on the genus Scleria ; and correspondence with various colleges and universities and governmental units.
Box 6 (1953-1984) contains correspondence regarding the P.D. Strausbaugh Student Loan Fund; Core's writings; and Monongalia County history. Also included is correspondence with professional and business organizations; West Virginia University and WVU academic departments; other colleges and universities; and personal letters, photographs, and cards.
Box 7 (1978-1982) contains multi-occasion personal greeting cards received by Dr. Core.
Box 8 (1800-1879, 1920-1928, 1959-1984) contains correspondence, facsimiles of articles and historical documents, and newspaper clippings regarding Monongalia County; Morgantown and other municipalities; Preston County; the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Bethany College; and biographical materials about Earl L. Core including his curriculum vita and others' handwritten narratives of his life.
Box 15, folders 7-10 (1974-1984) contains correspondence responding to Core's book The Monongalia Story .
This subseries includes scholarly articles, often with compliments from the authors, and dealing with scientific topics but some are about the intersection of science and humanities. Collected reports and booklets covering the topics of the Civil War, coal and coal mining, the National Road, Greene County (PA), poetry, and books about and from the Southeast. Includes programs from seminars and conferences attended by Dr. Core.
Facsimiles and transcriptions of historical documents include a letter and other materials from Samuel C. Malone, 1857-1938, and Civil War letters.
This subseries includes the publications, announcements, and plant lists of a number of West Virginia naturalists' societies in Box 14 and including the Mountaineer Chapter of the National Audubon Society (1978-1979); the Brooks Bird Club, Inc. (Wheeling; 1978-1979, 1982, 1984); Nature Conservancy, WV Chapter (1978, 1983); the George M. Sutton Audubon Society (Bethany; 1978, 1983); The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (1979); the West Virginia Garden Club (1965); Bud and Blossom Garden Club (Princeton). Other publications include the Plant Newsletter (1978, 1983) (Box 9, Folder 11) from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture; West Virginia Conservation from the WV Department of Natural Resources (1962); WV State Parks promotional brochures, flyers, and plant lists including materials pertaining to the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage; and Twinleaf (1979) Washington Crossing State Park (PA) Bowman's Hill State Wildlife Preserve. This subseries includes the program for the Adanson Bicentennial Symposium (1963, Box 9) at The Hunt Library of the Carnegie Institute of Technology with signatures of some attendees and attended by Dr. Core. Box 20 contains a map, ca. 1944, of the Cauca Department in Columbia indicating the location of the plant genus Cinchona resulting from Core's research study there. Additional information regarding Dr. Core's time in Columbia can be found in the Correspondence Series, Box 5. Also, see the Correspondence Series for letters and more regarding Dr. Core's botany work and botany publications. See the West Virginia University Series for more on the Biology Department and the Herbarium.
These collected research materials may have supported Dr. Core's research of Monongalia County history for his newspaper columns and five-volume book titled The Monongalia Story . This subseries includes miscellaneous original historical documents and facsimiles of historical documents (mostly in Boxes 9 and 12) including land grants, river boat registry, court cases, city of Westover and Granville records, property assessment, Mexican War muster list and pension, broadside for the Socialist Party in Star City (Box 21), and account book. Other formats include newspapers, newspaper clippings, magazine article clippings, annual reports, pamphlets and brochures, and maps. Topics covered in this series include County Health Department, agriculture, shipping, churches (Boxes 12 and 17), technology, organizations, flooding, schools, ethnic groups (Box 15), biography, genealogies, funeral homes, various communities, and more.
While the majority of materials for this subseries are in box 9, other boxes include some content. Box 19 contains two original and one facsimile land grant, and a register of boats.
See the Correspondence Series for letters and more regarding Dr. Core's research on Monongalia County history and families.
Includes newspaper clippings, pamphlets, event brochures, editorials, reports, booklets, newspaper clippings, Chamber of Commerce publications (particularly Box 12), and more. Topics covered include many aspects of Morgantown history including the telephone system; police force and federal prison; walking tours; houses; industries; people; businesses; the Morgan family; parks; and churches and synagogues (particularly Box 17). A facsimile of the story of David Morgan, Indian fighter, is included.
See the Correspondence Series for more regarding Morgantown history.
This subseries includes collected research materials regarding other parts of West Virginia not included in the Morgantown and Monongalia County Subseries. Formats include student research papers, newsletters (Humanities Foundation), event programs, booklets, and reports. Topics covered include Boone and Clay county schools, weather, Independence Hall (Wheeling), the 4-H Camp at Jackson Mills, Future Farmers of America (FFA), various municipalities, Appalachia, Bethany College, vegetation management, mining, and churches and religion.
The majority of materials are in Box 13, however Box 9 contains a folder with facsimiles and transcriptions of historical documents about Prickett's Fort and one on West Virginia agriculture. Box 17 contains a folder on West Virginia churches.
See the Correspondence Series, particularly Box 8, for more West Virginia materials.
This series includes collected materials from and about West Virginia University, the WVU Biology Department, and the Herbarium. Included are programs and brochures; annual reports; magazines; a souvenir program for athletic events; and newspapers and newspaper clippings. Periodical publications are from the WVU Foundation, Alumni Association, Cooperative Extension Service, the Board of Regents, the Office of Development, and the Division of Forestry. Materials from the Biology Department include faculty meeting minutes, the Biology Newsletter (1959), memoranda, event programs, brochures, and course listings. Specific subjects include the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT); honor societies; special summer courses; the Medical Center; history of the University; WVU baseball; and WVU presidential inaugurations. Included is a special issue of the Beacon (Hope Natural Gas) (1951) featuring WVU.
The series also includes a notebook with notes and commentary regarding Core's 1950 WVU recruitment efforts at West Virginia high schools: Philippi High School, Lost Creek High School, Jane Lew High School, Buckhannon Upshur High School, Buckhannon Upshur High School-Tennerton Branch, Walkersville High School, Weston High School, and St. Patrick High School in Weston. Each high school entry includes introductory notes usually with the principal; attendance; individual interviews with a few students; and possible enrollments for WVU.
Box 11 contains the majority of the materials, however Box 20 contains a map of an Evansdale master plan (ca. 1964).
See the Correspondence Series for letters and more regarding Dr. Core's work in the WVU Biology Department, the Herbarium, and the University at large.
Earl L. Core published scholarly articles, newspaper columns, and books about Monongalia County history and its environs as well as definitive works on the botany of West Virginia. Dr. Core published a newspaper column titled "The Monongalia Story" in the Dominion Post which presumably provided background research for a book by the same title. This series includes some of the original published articles as newspaper clippings (1976-1985, but most with no dates; box 19, folder 5) as well as typed and handwritten drafts (Box 15, ca. 1977-1979). Box 15 also includes Guide to the North American International Excursion from the International Society for Vegetation Science for which Dr. Core wrote Chapter 8. Box 19 includes a newspaper clipping of a book review of History of Harrison County ; and handwritten text, possibly lecture notes, which discusses evolution, creation, and religion.
See the Correspondence Series for letters requesting copies and discussing Dr. Core's botany books. See the Graphic Materials series for sketches, photographs, and maps included in The Monongalia Story .
Includes files, sorted alphabetically by family name researched in box 10, of correspondence to and from Dr. Core with some facsimiles and transcriptions of historical documents included. The Genealogy Series also includes some genealogical charts and typed family histories.
Publications in the series include the 1983 surname list from the KYOWA Genealogical Society (Huntington), and The Pioneer: Second Annual Report of the Descendants of the French Creek Pioneers (1925) which includes a history of the Morgan Family.
Additional Core family history is found throughout the Correspondence Series, boxes 1-8. Box 8, folder 5 contains biographical materials for Earl Lemley Core and Lewis Addison Core.
Includes photographs, some black and white and some color, some original and some facsimiles; postcards some with writing and some blank; glass plate negatives; film negatives; facsimiles of sketches including David Hunter Strother's work; and maps. Some photographs include subject identification, some do not. It appears that some of the photographs and maps were illustrations in publications since they have figure numbers noted. Topics covered by the photographs, postcards, and negatives include plants, animals, gardens, and forests; buildings; scenes; individuals and groups of people including members of the Core family; WVU buildings; the WVU Arboretum; WVU personages; West Virginia; and more. Most of the photographs are from the Morgantown and Monongalia County areas, particularly Blacksville in Box 16. The glass plates, also Box 16, are of birds and other animals; one includes a woman and a chipmunk; and one is of a child with a cart pulled by two opossums and includes prints. Some of the glass plate photographs have been digitized. Additional film negatives include portraits, buildings, and more, and may have been illustrations for Core's books. In addition to Strother's sketches, the sketches include facsimiles of portraits and one original sketch of a man shucking corn.
The maps include an historical map of Botetourt County, Virginia (1756); edited historical Monongalia County map (1826); map of Morgantown (1785); and map of Monongalia County churches (1953). The series includes the maps and sketches on paper board for the book The Monongalia Story ; box 15 contains maps of Monongalia County and environs as well as municipalities; box 19, folders 1 and 3 contain a sketch and maps; boxes 20-21 include sketches and maps.
This series includes these objects: address stamp for Earl L. Core, Biology Department (ca. 1963); small trowel imprinted with "The Duntile Company" (ca. 1960s); and a "Micro Windgauge Receiver Sight, No. 48, for Springfield Rifles" with box and insert (ca. 1910). Also, includes these objects moved from box 14: three cut nails (ca. 1820) and mailing envelope; and an unidentified key on twine taped to envelope labeled "FILM."