Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Carver, George Washington (1864?-1943) to Grady Porter

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04207 Author/Creator: Carver, George Washington (1864?-1943) Place Written: Tuskegee, Alabama Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 9 August 1931 Pagination: 1 p. : envelope ; 28.2 x 21.8 cm. Order a Copy

Carver, a celebrated agricultural chemist, requests peanut vines from Porter, a researcher from a peanut processing plant in Columbus, Georgia. In an attempt to assist Porter in peanut planting and diagnosing peanut disease, Carver states that wilted vines are acceptable. Requests that Porter bring the vines next time he travels to Tuskegee. Comments on the large quantity of rain Tuskegee recently received. Written on Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute stationery, with an envelope containing the printed return address of the Director, Research and Experiment Station, Tuskegee Institute.

Carver, noted for his developments in peanut farming, revolutionized Southern agriculture through his experiments with crop diversification. He also expanded the industrial use of agricultural products. As a prominent African-American scientist, Carver helped to dismantle stereotypes about the intellectual inferiority of people of color.

Carver, George Washington, 1864-1943
Porter, Grady, fl. 1931

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