Harvey L. McAlister Collection, 1805-1950

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McAlister, Harvey L.
Title
Harvey L. McAlister Collection
Dates
1805-1950 (inclusive)
1893-1946 (bulk)
Quantity
1 cubic foot, including 26 photographs, (4 boxes, including 2 oversize boxes, and 1 map folder)
Collection Number
MSS McAlister
Summary
The Harvey L. McAlister Collection consists of materials assembled by McAlister pertaining to the first Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) football teams in the mid 1890s and the Spanish American War as well as photographs of the OAC campus and students in the 1890s. McAlister played on the first OAC football team in 1893 and graduated with a degree in agriculture in 1897. He was a farmer in Lexington, Oregon, until he retired in 1947.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Additional Reference Guides

Preliminary container list available online.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Harvey L. McAlister was known as "Pap Hayseed" during his student years at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). McAlister came from Lexington, Oregon (in Morrow County) to OAC in 1893. As a freshman, he played center on the first OAC football team. McAlister attended OAC from 1893 to 1897 and earned a BS in Agriculture. After service in the Spanish-American War, he returned to Lexington where he farmed until his retirement in 1947, when he moved to the Veterans Home in Napa, California. McAlister died in California in 1955.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Harvey L. McAlister Collection consists of materials assembled by McAlister that document his student years at Oregon Agricultural College and his service in the Spanish-American War.

The materials from his student years include a scrapbook of clippings about the first years of football at Oregon Agricultural College in 1893-1897, photographs, and his diplomas. In addition to football clippings, the scrapbook includes clippings about OAC students and Corvallis; several ephemeral items; and articles about Oregon and Washington history especially Dr. Marcus Whitman.

The photographs include portrait photographs of McAlister and images of groups of students; military cadets; and campus views and buildings, including Benton Hall, the greenhouse and horticulture building, Mechanical Hall, Alpha Hall, and the octagonal barn. One of the photographs was made by Pernot Brothers, of Corvallis. Of particular note are several Christmas cards showing either Mount Hood or Benton Hall.

The Spanish-American War materials include Spanish-American War veterans publications, Philipine newspapers published in Manila in 1898-1899, and several photographs of Oregon veterans made in the 1920s.

The McAlister Collection also includes several early American newspapers. These include two issues of the Boston Weekly Magazine (May 25 and July 27, 1805) and one issue of the Independent Messenger (September 9, 1831), published in Mendon, Massachusetts.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Harvey L. McAlister Collection, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Processing Note

The photographs in this collection were originally a separate OSU Archives collection (P 064) and have been combined with the paper records and the football scrapbook to form the Harvey L. McAlister Collection. This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Acquisition Information

The paper records and scrapbooks were donated to the Library in 1950; the photographs were acquired by the Archives before the early 1960s.

Related Materials

Additional materials pertaining to the Spanish-American War are available in the Memorabilia Collection (MC-Spanish American War). The Football Photograph Collection (P 004) and Harriet's Collections include numerous other photographs of early Oregon Agricultural College football teams and players.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College buildings--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Football--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Military education--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Spanish-American War, 1898.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon Agricultural College--Buildings.
  • Oregon Agricultural College--Students.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Albumen prints.
  • Panoramas.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Scrapbooks.