Erwin H. Richards Collection

The records of the Oberlin College Museum, 1877-1964, include correspondence, inventories, an accession book, and a catalogue that contains information relating to the acquisition of specimens for the natural history museum. The Accession Book covers the period 1855-1949 and contains entries that include the name of the donor, date received, a description of the specimen, and the accession number. The correspondence files contain letters from individual donors. Inventory and specimen lists, that provide detail about the holdings of the College Museum, are also included.

A small number of financial records contain information about the business aspects of the museum. Individual ledger sheets document expenditures for staff and supplies.

This collection includes records related to work completed by Professors Henry C. Cowles, Albert A. Wright, and Lynds Jones. These records illustrate the amount of work and detail that was involved in caring for the specimens in the Oberlin College Museum.