Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Thomas Nelson Page Letter to Clarinda Holcomb, 1922 February 7, SC 0323, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The immediate source of acquisition for the letter is unknown. It was in the custody of Special Collections in 1983 according to a note written on the back of a frame that previously housed the letter: "2 sheets of acid-free interleaving placed between letter & backing 2/7/83 C[hris] B[olgiano]." The letter was removed from the frame in September 2021 and placed in an archival folder.

Processing Information

The letter was removed from its frame in September 2021 and placed in an archival folder. The frame was discarded. A note on the box that the framed letter was previously housed suggests that the letter was once located in Carrier 205.

Bio/Historical Note

The Page Literary Society was established at the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg in 1922 as a result of the Lee and Lanier Literary Societies reaching their membership capacities. Page Literary Society was organized for the purpose of literary and forensic study and was named after Thomas Nelson Page (1853-1922), a Virginia lawyer and author whose writings frequently invoked a Lost Cause narrative. Membership in the Page Literary Society was obtained by invitation and was open to students who were already members of the Alpha Literary Society for at least one quarter. Clarinda Holcomb ('24), to whom Page's letter is addressed, was a charter member of the Page Literary Society and served as its first secretary. Along with the three other literary societies (Lee, Lanier, Alpha), Page Literary Society was turned into a local sorority in the spring of 1942.

Scope and Content

The Thomas Nelson Page Letter to Clarinda Holcomb, 1922 February 7, describes Page's appreciation for having a literary society at the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg named in his honor. In the letter he suggests a motto - "Thy Country's, thy God's and Truths - which the society adopted.

The letter is printed in its entirety in the 1923 and 1929 issues of the Schoolma'am yearbook as part of the Page Literary Society spread.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Harrisonburg (Va.) -- History
• Letters (correspondence)
• Literature -- Societies, etc.
• Page Literary Society (1922-1942)
• State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.)
• State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.) -- History
• State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.) -- Students -- Social life and customs