TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview of the Collection
Biographical Note
Scope and Contents
Restrictions
Administrative Information
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series I: Index and Typewritten Manuscripts of History of WPI
Series II: Handwritten drafts of sections for History of WPI
Series III: Handwritten drafts of sections not included in typed manuscript and related notes
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ca. 1915 - 1928
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| Repository: |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609
508-831-6612 / archives@wpi.edu |
| Creator: |
Zelotes Coombs (1865-1946) |
| Title: |
Zelotes Coombs Papers |
| Dates: |
ca. 1915-1928 |
| Quantity: |
4 document cases; 1.6 linear feet |
| Abstract: |
The papers of WPI professor Zelotes Coombs consists of drafts and finished writing for his unpublished book The History of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Materials are not dated, but the history he describes generally ends by the late 1920s.
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| Identification: |
MS28 |
| Language: |
The records are in English.
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Zelotes Wood Coombs was born in 1865 in Worcester. He graduated from Amherst College in 1888, and studied law and taught
Physical Education at the University of Virginia. In 1890, he became assistant in languages and clerk to President Homer
T. Fuller at WPI. In 1892 he became instructor and in 1895 Assistant Professor of Modern Languages. From 1903 to 1913 he
served as head of the Department of English and Modern Languages. When the department was divided in 1913, he became head
of the Department of English, and served in this capacity for twenty-four years. Beginning in 1910 and until his retirement
in 1937, he was secretary of the faculty. He was chairman of the admissions committee from 1916 until his appointment as
Dean in 1935. He was interested in WPI’s athletics programs, and served for several years as treasurer of the Athletic Association.
Professor Coombs wrote several small published books, including a biography of Homer Taylor Fuller. Most of these books are
on specific topics, including the Worcester Art Society, Worcester and Worcester Common, and the Blackstone Canal.
Professor Coombs retired from WPI in 1937. He died in 1946.
Return to the Table of Contents
All of the materials in this collection appear to be drafts and finished writing for his unpublished book The History of Worcester
Polytechnic Institute. Materials are not dated, but the history he describes generally ends by the late 1920s.
Most of Box 1 contains the typewritten manuscript. There are two copies, and the first has been divided into several folders
containing sections of the manuscript. A large part of the manuscript is the section titled “History of Worcester Polytechnic
Institute,” which includes history of the founding of the school, its land and buildings, and other information about its
early history until about 1927.
Beginning at the end of Box 1, with Folder 16, are handwritten drafts of the many sections of the manuscript. Some handwritten
sections do not appear to have been included in the typed manuscript, and these are at the end of the collection.
Before the collection was processed, all the handwritten sections were together in a box. Because there seemed to be some
order, folders were numbered in the order they were found. These numbers, which do not correspond to the final arrangement,
are on the right side of the folders. The final arrangement of the handwritten materials corresponds to the typewritten draft.
Folder 1 in Box 1 contains an index of the sections of the manuscript.
Return to the Table of Contents
Restrictions on Access
Permission from Archivist required.
Restrictions on Use
Papers may be copied with the consent of the WPI Archivist.
Return to the Table of Contents
These materials were part of WPI’s collection, and were probably left with WPI by Professor Coombs.
Return to the Table of Contents
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| Box 1 |
Folder 1 |
Index to History of Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
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Folder 2 |
Typed manuscript--Degrees |
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Folder 3 |
Typed manuscript--Scholarships |
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Folder 4 |
Typed manuscript--Young Men’s Christian Association; Musical Organizations |
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Folder 5 |
Typed manuscript--Boynton Hall; Institute Colors; Property at Chaffin, Holden; Boynton Street Wall; Student Troubles; Athletics |
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Folder 6 |
Typed manuscript--Periodicals; Newton Hall; State Aid; Washburn Engineering Society; Funds of the Institute |
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Folder 7 |
Typed manuscript--Architecture course; Course in Economics, Political
Science and History; Rights to Institute Park; Magnetic Laboratory; Pictures; Examining Committees; Fiftieth Anniversary
Celebration; Preliminary Sketch of Technical Education
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Folder 8 |
History of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
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Folder 9 |
Typed manuscript--Chapel exercises; Lectures; Commencements; Commencement exercises; Baccalaureate services; Baccalaureate
preachers; Class day exercises; Commencement speakers; Dramatics
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Folder 10 |
Typed manuscript--Acquisition of real estate; Theses; Laboratory Fees; Fraternities and clubs; Presentation of the flag |
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Folder 11 |
Typed manuscript--Publications; Conditions of admission; Alumni Association; Tuition; Examinations; Summer school; Lunch room;
Special students
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Folder 12 |
Typed manuscript--Biographical sketches--Emory P. Aldrich; Seth Sweetser; Hiram Kallock Pervear; Stephen Salisbury, 2nd; Charles
O. Thompson; Charles Hill Morgan; Milton Prince Higgins; Stephen Salisbury, 3rd
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Folder 13 |
Typed manuscript--The Washburn Shops |
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Folder 14 |
Typed manuscript--Magnetic Station; Institute seal; Institute at expositions; Student customs; Dept. of Chemistry; John Boynton
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Folder 15 |
Typed manuscript--Copy 2 of History of Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
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| Box 1 |
Folder 16 |
Handwritten draft--Degrees |
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Folder 16 |
Handwritten draft--Degrees |
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Folder 17 |
Handwritten draft--Scholarships |
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Folder 18 |
Handwritten draft--The Young Men's Christian Association |
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Folder 19 |
Handwritten draft--Musical Organizations |
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Folder 20 |
Handwritten draft--Boynton Hall |
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| Box 2 |
Folder 1 |
Handwritten draft--The Institute Colors |
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Folder 2 |
Handwritten draft--The Property at Chaffins, Holden |
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Folder 3 |
Handwritten draft--The Boynton Wall |
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Folder 4 |
Handwritten draft--Student Troubles |
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Folder 5 |
Handwritten draft--Athletics |
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Folder 6 |
Handwritten draft--Periodicals |
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Folder 7 |
Handwritten draft--Newton Hall |
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Folder 8 |
Handwritten draft--State Aid |
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Folder 9 |
Handwritten draft--The Washburn Engineering Society |
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Folder 10 |
Handwritten draft--Funds of the Institute |
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Folder 11 |
Handwritten draft--Architecture |
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Folder 12 |
Handwritten draft--The Course in Economics, Political Science, and History |
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Folder 13 |
Handwritten draft--The Rights of the Institute in Institute Park |
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Folder 14 |
Typed manuscript--The Magnetic Laboratory |
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Folder 15 |
Handwritten draft--The Pictures |
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Folder 16 |
Handwritten draft--Examining Committees |
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Folder 17 |
Handwritten draft--The Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration |
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Folder 18 |
Handwritten draft--Preliminary Sketch of Techical Education |
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Folder 19 |
Handwritten draft--History of WPI, pp. 1-68 |
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Folder 20 |
Handwritten draft--History of WPI, pp. 69-202 |
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Folder 21 |
Handwritten draft--History of WPI, pp. 103-296 |
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Folder 22 |
Handwritten draft--Chapel Exercises |
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Folder 23 |
Handwritten draft--Lectures |
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Folder 24 |
Handwritten draft--Commencements |
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Folder 25 |
Handwritten draft--Commencement Exercises |
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Folder 26 |
Handwritten draft--Baccalaureate Sermon |
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Folder 27 |
Handwritten draft--Class Day Exercises |
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Folder 28 |
Handwritten draft--Commencement Speakers |
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Folder 29 |
Handwritten draft--Dramatics |
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Folder 30 |
Handwritten draft--A Record of the Acquisition of Real Estate by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
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Folder 31 |
Handwritten draft--Attendance |
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| Box 3 |
Folder 1 |
Handwritten draft--Written copies of land records giving land to the Institute |
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Folder 2 |
Notes re: land and other matters |
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Folder 3 |
Handwritten draft--Salisbury second land gift; Boynton Street Purchase; Mr. Salisbury's Third Gift; The Lot for the President's
House; Gift of the Hill Estate; The Gift of the Howe Estate
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Folder 4 |
Handwritten draft--The Lot for the President's House |
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Folder 5 |
Handwritten draft--Theses |
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Folder 6 |
Handwritten draft--Laboratory fees |
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Folder 7 |
Handwritten draft--Fraternities |
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Folder 8 |
Handwritten draft--The Scholarship Fraternities |
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Folder 9 |
Handwritten draft--The Cosmopolitan Club |
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Folder 10 |
Handwritten draft--The Tech Council |
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Folder 11 |
Handwritten draft--The Camera Club |
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Folder 12 |
Handwritten draft--The Evening Drawing Classes |
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Folder 13 |
Handwritten draft--The Presentation of the Flag (Class of 1902) |
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Folder 14 |
Handwritten draft--Publications |
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Folder 15 |
Handwritten draft--Conditions of Admission |
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Folder 16 |
Handwritten draft--The Alumni Association |
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Folder 17 |
Handwritten draft--Tuition |
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Folder 18 |
Handwritten draft--Examinations |
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Folder 19 |
Handwritten draft--The Summer School |
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Folder 20 |
Handwritten draft--The Lunch Room |
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Folder 21 |
Handwritten draft--Special Students |
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Folder 22 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketch--Judge P. Emory Aldrich |
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Folder 23 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketches--Rev. Hiram Pervear, Hon. Stephen Salisbury, Principal Charles O. Thompson |
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Folder 24 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketch--Charles H. Morgan |
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Folder 25 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketch--Milton Prince Higgins |
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Folder 26 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketch--Stephen Salisbury, the third |
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Folder 27 |
Handwritten draft--The Washburn Shops |
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Folder 28 |
Written copies of records re: how/whether Shops fit as part of the Institute |
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Folder 29 |
Handwritten draft--The Foundry |
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Folder 30 |
Handwritten draft--The Magnetic Station |
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Folder 31 |
Handwritten draft--The Institute Seal |
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Folder 32 |
Handwritten draft--The Institute at Expositions |
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Folder 33 |
Handwritten draft--Student Customs |
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Folder 34 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Chemistry |
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| Box 3 |
Folder 35 |
Handwritten draft--The Course in Metallurgy |
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Folder 36 |
Handwritten draft--Other Organizations |
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Folder 37 |
Handwritten draft--The Catalogue |
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Folder 38 |
Handwritten draft--The Institute Year |
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Folder 39 |
Handwritten draft--The Name |
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Folder 40 |
Typewritten chronology--Important WPI decisions/events, 1890-1903 |
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Folder 41 |
Handwritten draft--The Mechanical Engineering Building |
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Folder 42 |
Handwritten draft--The Power Laboratory |
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Folder 43 |
Handwritten draft--The Electrical Engineering Building |
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Folder 44 |
Handwritten draft--The Salisbury Laboratories |
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Folder 45 |
Handwritten draft--The President's House |
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Folder 46 |
Handwritten draft--The Institute in the Spanish War |
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Folder 47 |
Handwritten draft--The Courses |
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Folder 48 |
Handwritten draft--Course of Study |
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| Box 4 |
Folder 1 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Mechanical Engineering |
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Folder 2 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Electrical Engineering |
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Folder 3 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Physics |
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Folder 4 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Mathematics |
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Folder 5 |
Handwritten draft--Drawing and Design |
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Folder 6 |
Handwritten draft--Department of Civil Engineering |
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Folder 7 |
Handwritten draft--Course in Physical and Political Science |
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Folder 8 |
Handwritten draft--The Department of Language |
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Folder 9 |
Handwritten draft--The Course in Geology |
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Folder 10 |
Handwritten draft--Descriptive Geometry |
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Folder 11 |
Handwritten draft--The Course in Elementary Mechanics |
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Folder 12 |
Handwritten draft--Business Law |
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Folder 13 |
Handwritten draft--Mineralogy |
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Folder 14 |
Handwritten draft--Graduate Courses |
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Folder 15 |
Handwritten draft--Apparatus |
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Folder 16 |
Handwritten draft--Biographical Sketch--Rev. Seth Sweetser |
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Folder 17 |
Handwritten draft--Libraries |
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Folder 18 |
Handwritten draft--Branch Alumni Association |
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Folder 19 |
Notes--written by someone other than Prof. Coombs probably--mostly concerning land and buildings |
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