Tufts History Collection Overview

Charles Tufts

In 1852, when Somerville businessman, farmer, and Universalist Charles Tufts was asked what he planned to do with bleak Walnut Hill in Medford, he said he would put a light on it. In the 150 years that has since passed, the college founded in Tufts name has indeed been that beacon. From its humble beginning with one building, four faculty members, and seven students, Tufts has grown to include four campuses, seven schools and more than 8,000 students in an unprecedented variety of liberal arts and professional programs.

Ballou Hall, first College building

The Tufts History collection brings together historical photographs, documents, and secondary sources that create a picture of the college on the hill over its history. The centerpiece of the collection is the Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History, an ongoing project to capture 150 years of Tufts' achievements, societal contributions and outstanding alumni and faculty in concise entries. As a source of accurate factual information, the Encyclopedia can be used by anyone interested in the history of Tufts and of the people who have made it the unique institution it is.

Complementing the Encyclopedia is the image database of over 3,000 photographs of photographic prints, negatives, and digital images of material in the collections of the University Archives. Subjects span the range of campuses, programs and people from 1852 to the present. Rounding out the collection is a continually growing selection of primary and secondary source texts including Russell Miller's history of the University, Light on the Hill Vols. 1 and 2, a Tufts song book, nineteenth century student diaries, and a growing database of Athletics statistics, including rosters and scores of athletic teams from the first football game ever played in America to the championship teams of the new century.

Memorial Steps, ca. 1950

Initial funding for the project came from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost and the 150th anniversary steering committee. Significant technical support for the initial development of the collection came from the Perseus Project which has been housed at Tufts since 1993.