Nichols College Archive
The Nichols College Archives, located on the first floor of the library building, maintains College-related material of historical importance.
The Archives promotes knowledge and understanding of the origins, programs, and goals of the College, and strengthens the College's curriculum in offering primary historical sources for study. The Archives accomplishes these goals through the acquisition, processing and preservation of collections; its reference and research services; and such outreach activities as the development and installation of exhibits and the production of publications in a variety of formats on various topics related to the history of the College.
Researchers can view the holdings list for the Nichols Archives (PDF).
Included among the many record series are material concerning:
- the College's founding (including its predecessors, Nichols Academy, Nichols Junior College, and Nichols College of Business Administration); descriptions of the College and its buildings
- photographs
- faculty, staff, student, and alumni publications (including Senior Theses campus newspapers and literary publications, student yearbooks, scrapbooks, records of athletic competition, student organizations and activities)
- administrative reports and general records
- papers and correspondence of Presidents, faculty and alumni
- minutes and reports of the Board of Trustees.
A number of images and items from the Nichols College Archives are now available as part of the Massachusetts' Digital Treasures online collection.
Also, past issues of the Nichols College Magazine, starting with the Summer 2013 issue, contain articles about various aspects of the college's history by Archives curator, Jim Douglas.
- Summer 2013: Early Ad for Nichols Academy
- Fall/Winter 2013: True Colors
- Spring/Summer 2014: Summer Boarders: H.P. Lovecraft At Nichols
- Spring/Summer 2015: Nichols College Fire Department
- Spring 2016: Technology on the Hill
- Summer 2016: Marketing the Institution
- Summer 2017: Nichols in Uniform
- Summer 2017: Piety and Virtue (Graduation and Character)
- Fall/Winter 2017: The History of Nichols College Yearbooks
- Fall/Winter 2018: Hauntings on the Hill
- Spring/Summer 2018: Radio Days at Nichols
- Spring/Summer 2019: The Nichols - Cuba Connection, 1931-1959
- 2020: The Hill Was Alive With The Sound Of Music
The following are a few unpublished articles:
Two-volume History of Nichols
For those interested in the history of the College, a 'Bicentennial History' covering the years 1815 to 1996 is available, written by historian James L. Conrad, Jr.:
Nichols Academy: The Spring on the Hill, 1815 - 1931
Nichols: A College for the Hill, 1931 - 1996
The Nichols & Its History Course packets have been digitized and are located on the For Students page, in the third tab below 'Doing Research.'
For more information, please contact Library Director, Carrie Grimshaw [508-213-2334]
