Marjory Stoneman Douglas collection

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Marjory Stoneman Douglas collection

Date(s)

  • 1964-2006 (Creation)

Extent

10 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Name of creator

Biographical history

Marjory Stoneman Douglas was born April 7, 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was raised in Taunton, Massachussets after the divorce of her parents. Marjory attended the public school in Tauton, and Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where she majored in English composition, graduating in 1912 with an A. B. degree. After her mother's death and the end of her brief marriage, Douglas moved to Miami to work with her father, Frank Stoneman, then the editor of The Miami Herald. Douglas left the Herald in 1923 after many years working on the Galley, a daily column that always included a poem. As an assistant editor on the paper, Douglas also wrote editorials urging protection and development of Florida's unique regional character in the face of rapid commercial development. After leaving the paper, she devoted herself to her literary career, writing of short stories, forty (40) of which were published in the Saturday Evening Post and other magazines between 1923 and 1938, many winning O. Henry and other awards. In 1947, Douglas published "The Everglades: River of Grass", a best-selling guide and natural/political history that not only raised public consciousness regarding the Everglades but also helped to diminish the national misperception of wetlands in general as swamps. Douglas also became a leader of the successful campaign for the establishement of Everglades National Park and in 1969 helped to found the conservation organization, Friends of the Everglades. Marjory Stoneman Douglas died in her home in Coconut Grove, Florida, on May 14, 1998 at the age of 108.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This collection consists of archival materials acquired that relate back to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the well known environmentalist who was a major force in the fight to preserve the Everglades.

System of arrangement

The collection is organized into series based on the source of the donations. If a donation of materials is large enough, it will constitute its own series. However, many items will be placed in an additional, "miscellaneous" series as well.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

The collection is open for research.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Due to this collection being a combination of materials from a variety of sources, we cannot assign a blanket rights statement to the entire collection. Any questions regarding copyright will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Generated finding aid

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Marjory Stoneman Douglas papers

Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

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Sources used

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Accession area