This weblog is an attempt to reveal images, artifacts, documents, bits of information, etc. that pertain to the history of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There are many unidentified or under-identified items in our collections that you may know something about! We will occasionally post some unidentified photographs. Let’s see if we can put a name to a face, locate a building, describe an object or get the story behind the image. There are events, traditions or incidents that you may have never heard about — be in the know. Better yet, you may have witnessed RPI history in the making — tell us about it!
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amythearchivist on Mystery Image #19 Bob Gallagher on Mystery Image #19 Ben on The Tute Screw Howard Henze on About the Archives Howard Henze on About the Archives Archives
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This is great! I look forward to reading in the future. Unfortunately I won’t be of much use as a sophomore.
Thanks for stopping by and come back again!
I’m glad to see this blog, especially as a new mechanism to solve unidentified photographs for the Archives.
Thanks for the positive comment Glen!
It’s great to see that the blog has attracted some attention. I’ll be posting another unidentified photo this week.
Thanks for adding your impressive blog to the archival blogs directory! Good stuff here, and a great use of a blog as a platform to help identify people and places lost in the archives.
Cheers!
Do you have any NYC based items? We’re working on a website and need some images.
I was also wondering if we could build a map of RPI trivia: it would be a map that listed alumni contributions like the many bridges in NYC, buildings that architects designed, etc. Any volunteers interested in helping would be appreciated.
Mark
http://ameres.net
You can find images of the Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Verrazano-Narrows bridges by searching our online image database http://archives-2.lib.rpi.edu/InmagicGenie/opac.aspx. I can’t think of any other New York City images in our collection. Buildings designed or built by RPI alums that I know of off the top of my head are the Woolworth Building, Hotel St. George and the YMCA.
The map of RPI trivia is an interesting idea. I may be able to help with basic facts and images.
Hello,
I live in Seattle Wa. and i found an old calculus book at a garage sale. It is ” practical treatise on the differential and integral calculus with some of its applications to mechanics and astronomy” published in 1873. There are equations and other writings from alumni Van Wyck Hewlett. If you would like this let me know and i’ll send it to your attention.
Tom Cox
Tom, thanks for your offer. I’ll contact you by email.
Enjoyed seeing the 1952 snow scuptures.
The horse and sleigh was Theta Chi’s entry and I seem to remember we won. Graham Williams lead that effort
I just stumbled upon this blog…very neat. Enjoy trying to ID the old photos and learning some of the buried history.
Looking forward to more.
There were some great sculptures that year, but this one would have received my vote. Thanks for identifying it as Theta Chi’s.
Thanks for all of your comments Joann. The feedback from alums makes this blog so rewarding. Stay tuned!
Amy, I have heard rumors that Led Zeppelin, possibly The Who, and other big name bands played at RPI during the 70s. Can you give me some more information about this such as what bands played and when they did (specifically Zeppelin). Also if you have any of the concert posters available for scan that would be sweet, my friend’s and I would love to see that.
Thanks,
Chris
Chris, I’m so glad you asked this question! A topic like this has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I haven’t come across info. about Zeppelin, but I’ll take a closer look and get back to you. Look for a post regarding big name concerts at RPI in the near future! I can say for certain that we do NOT have concert posters — I know, too bad. A Doors poster recently came up for sale on Ebay, but it was way out of our price range!
Led Zeppelin did not appear at RPI. The closest they got was Schenectady in 1969. The Who also never made it to Troy. I think their only gig in upstate NY was Woodstock!