Series I: Manuscripts, 1930-1968
Series I of the Ernest Hunter Wright papers mainly documents the period between Wright's retirement from Columbia in 1947 and his death in 1968. He was very busy and prolific during this time, and wrote many articles on a variety of subjects. The manuscripts in the collection are quite varied, reflecting his many interests, and most remain unpublished. The manuscripts are almost entirely undated, and are organized alphabetically. There are multiple drafts of many of the manuscripts, which are in separate folders, and as close to the order they were written as could be discerned.
Box 1 Folder 1
"A Poet's Secret,", undated
Box 1 Folder 2
"Are You a Safe Driver?", undated
Box 1 Folder 3
"Enchantress, Wake Again!", 1943
Box 1 Folder 4 to 5
"Ethics of the Dust,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 6 to 7
"Forgotten Bards,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 8 to 9
"Groton on the Bowery,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 10
"Hamlet, an Ill Made Play,", undated
Box 1 Folder 11
"Have You Learned How to Be Happy,", undated
Box 1 Folder 12
"Helen Keller,", undated
Box 1 Folder 13
"Just Accident?", undated
Box 1 Folder 14 to 16
"King of the Bowery,", undated, (3 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 17
"Moriturus Saluto,", undated
Box 1 Folder 18
"Not Greek to Him,", undated
Box 1 Folder 19 to 20
"One Wandering Word,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 21
"The Royal Road to Learning,", undated
Box 1 Folder 22 to 23
"Speaking of Books,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 24 to 27
Short Stories, undated, (4 Folders)
Box 1 Folder 28
"To My Scientific Friends,", undated
Box 2 Folder 1
"Tom,", undated
Box 2 Folder 2
"Universal Tune,", undated
Box 2 Folder 3
Untitled Book, Chapter 1, undated
Box 2 Folder 4 to 5
Untitled Book, Notes, undated, (2 Folders)
Box 2 Folder 6 to 11
Untitled Manuscripts, undated, (6 Folders)
Box 2 Folder 12
Untitled Poem, undated
Box 2 Folder 13 to 14
"What the Russians Must Think of Us,", undated, (2 Folders)
Box 2 Folder 15 to 17
"What Man Has Thought of Man,", 1961, (3 Folders)
Series II: Correspondence, 1908-1968
A portion of the personal correspondence contained in this series is between Ernest Hunter Wright and Mary Thomas Branham, a former student who sent also sent him an unpublished manuscript that she wrote about living in Dublin as a disabled woman. There is one letter from his daughter written right before his death, and a few letters from while he was completing his PhD. There is also a group of letters related to an article Wright wrote in Scientific American posing a question about the mechanics of skipping stones on water. Many people responded with ideas, and Wright had an extended correspondence with a young man named Kirtson Koths on the subject.
Box 3 Folder 1
Branham, Mary Edith, 1962
Box 3 Folder 2
General, 1908-1968
Box 3 Folder 3
Scientific American
, 1957-1968
Box 3 Folder 4
Koths, Kirtson, 1966-1968
Series III: Personal Papers, 1892-1962
The papers are related to his time at Columbia University as well as his retirement. A number of the papers are related to Mary Edith Branham, a student of Wright's at Columbia. She was in a wheelchair after a childhood bout of polio, and worked as an assistant to the President. Branham moved to Dublin with her husband after Columbia, and wrote a manuscript about life as an academic and handicapped woman traveling in Ireland. During Wright's time as chair of the English Department, his responsibilities required him to deal with a variety of department transactions and this series contains receipts, speeches and notes. The personal papers also contain Wright's report cards from Lynchburg, Virginia in the 1890's. There is also a folder of greeting cards and Christmas papers, and a small print of a hill signed by Heskell. Five photographs are included in the personal portion of the collection.
Box 3 Folder 5
Notes--Branham, Mary Thomas, 1962
Box 3 Folder 6
"Dublin or Nothing,", 1962
Box 3 Folder 7
Notes--Dean Hawkes
Box 3 Folder 8
Department Transactions, 1942
Box 3 Folder 9
Speech at the English Graduate Union, 1943
Box 3 Folder 10
Program of English Department Dinner, 1944
Box 3 Folder 11
Notes--Copy of 18th century French Correspondence
Box 3 Folder 12
Report Cards, 1892-1898
Box 3 Folder 13
Miscellaneous Cards, 1892-1898
Box 3 Folder 14
Print (visual work), undated
Box 3 Folder 15
Man and Two Women, undated
Box 3 Folder 16
Two Women Facing Vista, House, undated
Box 3 Folder 17
Unidentified Gentleman, Photograph, undated
Mapcase 14-P-1
Unidentified Gentleman, Photograph, undated (oversized), undated
Series IV: Cragsmoor Community Properties, 1950-1954
A large part of the collection is contained within Series IV, a group of papers related to the Cragsmoor Community properties. This series is made up of correspondence and organization files, with some legal papers interspersed among the letters. The general correspondence file contains letters regarding the general fundraising and upkeep up the theater from a variety of local artists and friends. Wright wrote extensively to raise money, both to buy and maintain the theater, and organized all of the tenants of the theater and adjoining restaurants. Many of the letters contain financial pledges to the community, or responses to his requests. Because of the financial difficulties of maintaining the theater, Wright also wrote to the creditors of the theater. This series also contains insurance policies, leases, and other business papers in relation to the letters. Wright also kept meeting minutes, leases, and legal papers related to the community ownership of the theater.
Box 3 Folder 18 to 22
General, 1950-1954, (5 Folders)
Box 3 Folder 23
Performers, 1950
Box 3 Folder 24
Foley, Paul, 1951-1952
Box 4 Folder 1
By-laws and Incorporation Documents, 1950
Box 4 Folder 2
The Terwilliger Insurance Agency, 1950-1954
Box 4 Folder 3
Financial Transactions and Correspondence, 1949-1954
Box 4 Folder 4
Minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1950-1954
Box 4 Folder 5
Leases and Correspondence, 1950-1952
Box 4 Folder 6
List of Plays, 1952
Series V: Mary Heritage Wright
Series V is entirely focused on Mary Heritage Wright, and is some of the earliest material in the collection. Mary Wright's diaries from the 1920's describe the Wright's daily life at Columbia and Cragsmoor, and detail their personal lives and work. Mary Wright's series also contains a complete draft of a book she edited, Your Land and Mine, a compilation of poems and fictional works by a variety of authors. Many were reprinted versions of published works, including previously published writings by Robert Frost and Henry David Thoreau. The book is organized by geographic region and concentrates on New England.
Box 4 Folder 7
1923 January 1-1923 December 31
Box 4 Folder 8
1924 January 1-1925 September 5
Box 4 Folder 9
1927 June 5-1928 September 13
Box 5 Folder 1
List of Authors, 1930s
Box 5 Folder 2 to 5
Your Land and Mine
, 1930s