Lupton Library Lines

The Letters of the John T. Wilder

The Special Collections recently digitized one of its more significant collections: The Letters of the John T. Wilder Collection. General John T. Wilder (1830-1917) was a Union officer who moved to Chattanooga after the Civil War, having distinguished himself in Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee battles, particularly the battle of
Chickamauga.

He was an industrialist and an entrepreneur who, after the war, opened a series of mines in Tennessee, and also served as Mayor and Postmaster of Chattanooga. The largest monument in the Chickamauga battlefield was constructed in his honor.

The John T. Wilder Letters, many written during the Civil War, were given to the University in the early 1960s by one of his daughters. They include correspondence between officers, as well as his letters back home to his wife, who was living in Indiana, where Wilder had a foundry before the war.

There are other military documents as well. These letters provide descriptions of the battle of Shiloh and other battles Wilder was associated with, as well as other military matters. The web site gives the letter transcription, a photo of the letter or document, and pictures of General Wilder throughout his life. The entire collection can be viewed at http://www.lib.utc.edu/wilder-letters.html.

Blueprints to Patten Chapel

Also added to the Special Collections of Lupton Library are the original blueprints to Patten Chapel, from 1915, which were discovered late last fall in the drafting storage area of the Administrative Services Building by Janet Spraker, of the Facilities Planning and Management Office. There are a total of eight prints, showing all the different parts of this Chapel, one of the oldest still standing buildings on campus. More information about these blueprints can be found at http://www.lib.utc.edu/current-online-exhibits.html.