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Thomas A. Curtis ("Diogenes") Collection, 1849-1989, n.d.
0.25 linear feet.
Catalog Number:
M239
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Agency History / Biographical Note:
Thomas A. Curtis arrived in Brunswick in the summer of 1840 with a small
puppet show. Soon after his arrival he began cleaning and mending clothes for
the townspeople and Bowdoin students, then did menial jobs on campus such as
carrying wood, building fires in early morning to warm the classrooms, and
running errands. Perhaps because he carried a lantern from dorm to dorm or
because he was mildly cynical, Curtis was named "Diogenes" by the students.
Curtis lived in a small shack which he built himself; he was known for
wearing a silk hat, having a strong liking for whiskey, and being an avid
reader. Not only did he occasionally recite verse, he also composed a poem,
"Morning, Spring Term, 1864" which was published in the January 29, 1864
Brunswick Telegraph. Of special note was his large collection of books, some
of which he purchased by assessing Bowdoin freshmen twenty-five cents. In
return for the students' payment, Curtis was to leave his library to the
College. In the 1901 "Tales of Bowdoin" by Minot and Snow, Henry L. Chapman
(Bowdoin 1866) reports that after Curtis' death in 1868, no kin could be
found and Curtis' books were transferred to the Bowdoin College Library with
the label, "From the Library of Thomas A. Curtis"
Scope and Content:
This collection includes two albums, kept by Thomas Curtis, that contain
Bowdoin students' remembrances of Curtis (including one from Oliver Otis
Howard, Bowdoin 1850), as well as student autographs and records of student
subscriptions to Curtis' library. Newspaper clippings, including Curtis'
obituary/biography, and photocopies of images of Curtis and his home are also
in the collection.
Cite as:
Thomas A. Curtis ("Diogenes") Collection, George J. Mitchell Department of
Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library
Access Restrictions:
None.
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