Hagley Library recently acquired a new collection of published and archival materials pertaining to the history of American hotels. The acquisition is a gift from collector Larry R. Paul. Mr. Paul has gifted materials to Hagley in the past, adding a rich assortment of business history publications to the collection and providing access to a database he created with historical information on over 20,000 U.S. hotels, from the 18th century to the early 21st century.
The latest collection bolsters the history of American travel that Hagley has been building. The published portion measures 40.5 linear feet, or about 27 record boxes, and includes multiple issues of the Hotel “Red Book” directories (see below) from the first decade of the 1900s until the 1960s. These volumes provide vital data on many hotels and motels across the country (and later internationally), and most include contemporary advertisements for various establishments.
Mr. Paul’s collection includes publications that focus on individual hotel locations, hotel corporations, and hotels within geographic regions. Many items are highly illustrative and visually appealing in their presentation.
This collection will complement Hagley’s other travel-themed collections, such as those originally collected by John Margolies. In preparation for this article, I spotted a volume, Resorts of the Catskills, which features Margolies’s photography:
The published collection is still very new to Hagley, and only a few items have been cataloged, so stay tuned to our library catalog for new items that further the scholarship of American hotels and travel.
Doug McQuirter is the Reference Archivist at Hagley Museum and Library.