“This digital collection, generously donated by Mary Mikell Spence (ICS ’83), Hall’s great-granddaughter, features an intimate assortment of letters, postcards, photographs, and telegrams,” said Digital Projects Specialist Katie Gentilello.

The materials cover the length of Hall’s presidency, 1898 to 1905, but also stretch to 1930. To view the Archives’  collection of materials associated with Hall, simply visit our website. 

Hall, Tech’s second president and first chair of Mathematics, served the Institute from 1896 to 1905. Among other noteworthy achievements, he hired John Heisman (namesake of college football’s coveted Heisman Award) as Tech’s first professional coach. Hall also oversaw construction of the Shacks, Knowles and French buildings and added four new degrees to the bourgeoning Institute’s catalog: electrical, chemical, textile and general engineering. 

“The Lyman Hall Correspondence collection features 10 ledgers of letters addressed to various recipients, including prospective students, parents, donors, government officials, publishers, architects, and academic peers,” said Gentilello. 

Due to the fragile condition of the collection, archivists Archives staff employed image processing techniques to enhance readability and contrast, facilitating transcription. Though time-consuming, the process improved accessibility through full-text indexing.

Significant content includes: President Hall’s appeal to the City of Atlanta for the paving of North Avenue; requests to city leaders and business figures for donations  to establish the French Textile School; letters to Andrew Carnegie seeking funding for the first campus library; and efforts to secure legislative support for the institution.

“This collection from the Spence family adds an amazing accompaniment to the Archives' existing Lyman Hall materials and documents the early history of the Institute's second president,” said Jody Thompson, head of Archives. 

To learn more about Georgia Tech’s unique and compelling history, or to schedule time for viewing materials in person in the Archives Reading Room, visit https://library.gatech.edu/archives.