Finding Aids
As we process archival material at the Arden Craft Shop Museum, we will create and post finding aids online to aid researchers. If you are interested in accessing these materials, please review the finding aids and contact us using the Research Requests form.
Arden Archives Collection
Date Range: 1900-Present
Bulk Dates: 1970-Present
Abstract:
The collaboratively amassed ephemera of the villages of the Ardens include correspondence, newspaper clippings concerning the villages and their events, theatre media, local periodicals and other publications, published and unpublished writings of resident authors, and personal files of residents.
Note: Throughout the collection and finding aid, the village of Ardencroft may be referred to as Arden Croft. This is to comply with the Library of Congress subject heading authorities, but it always refers to the village founded in 1950. Similarly, the Robin Hood Theatre is occasionally listed as being located in Arden, but it is located in Ardentown.
William Penn "Bill" Frank Collection
Date Range: 1871-2012
Bulk Dates: 1932-1988
Abstract:
The William Penn “Bill” Frank Collection consists of manuscripts, journals, research notes, correspondence, and newspaper articles created by Bill Frank, mostly from the 1930s to the 1980s. It also contains correspondence from Frank’s friends and newspaper articles regarding Bill Frank.
Betty Solway Smith Collection
Date Range: 1953-1986
Abstract:
The Betty Solway Smith Collection consists primarily of newspaper clippings and programs related to Delaware theater productions from 1954 to 1986. It also contains materials regarding Ardensingers, the Arden Folk Gild, the Arden Club, the Arden Fair, Ardentown leaseholders, Arden and Solway family news clippings, and Solway family correspondence and cards.
Marian P. Bloch Collection
Date Range: 1922-1967
Abstract:
The Marian P. Bloch Collection consists primarily of materials regarding Ardentown leaseholding and land values from the 1930s to the 1960s. It also contains documents related to the Arden School, Arden’s Fiftieth Anniversary, Ardentown town meetings, and Frank Stephens.
Anne Russell Smock Collection
Date Range: 1929-2002
Abstract:
The Anne Russell Smock Collection consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, newsletters, and other materials related to Smock’s life in Arden, Delaware.
Cecilia Vore Collection
Date Range: 1978-2011
Abstract:
The Cecilia Vore Collection consists primarily of Shakespeare Gild promotional materials designed by Ardenite Cecilia Vore. The collection also contains materials related to the Arden Players Gild and the Highway Ensemble.
Hazel Stephens Collection
Date Range: 1929-1964
Abstract:
The Hazel Stephens Collection contains ephemera about theater in the Ardens as well manuscript materials regarding Frank Stephens, Arden Day, and the Arden Club.
Phyllis Conner Collection
Date Range: 1933-2013
Bulk Dates: 1991-2010
Abstract:
The Phyllis Conner Collection consists of materials on Ardencroft governance, tracts about the Ardens, community newsletters, news clippings about the Ardens and their residents, historical research on the Ardens, and documents related to the planning of Remembrance Day and the Arden Reunion.
Hurlong Family Collection
Date Range: 1905-1998
Abstract:
The Hurlong Family Collection consists of materials related to Bunni and Lisa Hurlong as well as members of the Stephens and Ware families. The collection also contains ephemera about the Arden Building in Loan Association, theatrical productions, art exhibits, the Arden Club, and ACRA.
Virginia Shaw Collection
Date Range: ca.1900s-200s
Bulk Dates: 1910s-1990s
Abstract:
This eclectic collection assembled by Virginia Shaw and other residents of the Ardens contains materials related to various Arden institutions as well as the villages’ planning, safety, and community planning committees. It also includes material on the Single Tax movement from the early 20th century, documents related to the management of town records, materials from the Arden Arts assessment, and various newspaper clippings and ephemera related to life in the Ardens.
Barbara Schlenger-Faber Collection
Date Range: 1906-1930
Abstract:
This collection contains letters to John G. Bechtel, a member of the Ardensingers and the Arden Repertory Players, programs and clippings related to his theatrical performances, and a pamphlet on Arden’s Raiffeisen Gild.
Frank Stephens Letter to Estella Hillersohn Frankel, April 12, 1935
Date: 1935, April 12
Abstract:
This collection consists of a letter written by Arden founder, Frank Stephens, to Estella Frankel, a musician and resident of Arden, on April 12, 1935.
Frank Akutowicz Collection
Date Range: 1940-2004
Bulk Dates: 1960s-2000s
Abstract:
This collection contains materials collected and created by Arden resident Frank Akutowicz, who lived in the village from 1954 until his death in 2004. Many items relate to the Arden Archives, Arden committees and governance, and local environmental and transportation issues.
June Kleban Archival Collection
Date Range: 1928-2015 & undated
Bulk Dates: 1960s-2010s
Abstract:
This collection consists primarily of materials collected by Arden and Ardentown resident June Kleban from her arrival in the villages in 1953 until the mid-2010s. The collection not only documents Kleban’s deep involvement in village life, but also captures social, political, and artistic activities in the Ardens during this period.
Broadbent Family Collection
Date Range: 1911-1975 & undated
Bulk Dates: 1920s-1950s
Abstract:
This collection consists primarily of programs and other ephemera related to theater in the Ardens from the 1930s to the 1950s, some of which highlight the Broadbent family’s participation in various productions. There are also photographs of people and places in the Ardens, mostly dating from 1929 to 1939.
Russ and Connee McKinney Collection
Date Range: 1911-2010
Bulk Dates: 1975-2010
Abstract:
The Russ and Connee McKinney Collection consists primarily of graphic designs created by the McKinneys for artists, musicians, Arden Club gilds, and community events from the 1970s to the 2000s.
Research Requests
As we process archival material at the Arden Craft Shop Museum, we will create and post finding aids online to aid researchers. If you are interested in accessing these materials, please review the finding aids and contact us using the Research Requests form. For more information on researching and reproducing items in our collections, please see our Schedule of Fees, Request for Reproduction, and the “Access and Use” section of our Collections Policy.
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