Earl G. Maxwell, Horticulture and Forestry
Papers
Title: Earl G. Maxwell,
Horticulture and Forestry Papers
Creator: Maxwell, Earl G., 1884-1966
Dates: 1884-1966
Quantity: 3 boxes (1.5 linear
feet)
Collection Number: RG 08-10-10
Language: English
Restrictions: None
Access and Use: For information on access or copyright, please see our guidelines
or email archives@unl.edu.
Historical Records Statement: Please see our statement on historical records and materials.
Preferred Citation: Earl G. Maxwell, Horticulture and Forestry Papers (RG 08-10-10). Archives &
Special Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries.
Biography:
Earl George Maxwell was born on October 23, 1884 in Indiana. He received a bachelor
of science degree from Purdue University in 1910. Maxwell came to Nebraska in 1914
and worked on his master's degree. After his graduation in 1915, his first job was
as an agricultural agent for Douglas County, Nebraska. He administered the
Clarke-McNary Tree Distribution Program for Nebraska. Maxwell served as extension
forester at the University of Nebraska from 1934 until his retirement in 1952.
Maxwell had an interest in James Whitcomb Riley and took opportunities to recite
poetry through local radio programs. His interest in Riley also shows in Maxwell's
talks and speeches. Maxwell died in 1966. In 1967, the Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum, 5
acres on the East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was named in his
honor.
Scope and Content:
The Maxwell Papers document his work with the forestry service throughout Nebraska.
The records include field notebooks, outreach booklets that Maxwell either edited or
wrote, newspaper clippings, photographs of Maxwell and his work, and awards received
for his service as a forester and professor of the University of Nebraska. The
records also include items relating to Maxwell's interest in the poetry of James
Whitcomb Riley.
Subjects:
Maxwell, Earl G., 1884-1966
Riley, James Whitcomb, 1849-1916
Forestry extension -- Nebraska
Tree planting--Nebraska
Series Description:
Series 1: Forestry Extension Materials, Box 1-2Materials in the series include Maxwell's work as a forestry extension agent
and include business correspondence, booklets created by the Forestry
Extension service, monthly accounts and associated correspondence, monthly
reports and diaries of activities and extension work done during the
1940s-1960s.
Series 2: Personal Materials, Box 3Maxwell's personal materials include correspondence he received when he
retired from the University in 1952, along with retirement awards. There are
some letters from his brother, Kersey Maxwell, written in 1948. A plant
specimen book includes records and specimens of plants Maxwell gathered in
Indiana in 1909. Maxwell's personal materials highlight his interests in
poet James Whitcomb Riley, an Indiana poet. Maxwell copied numerous Riley
poems and gathered materials on Riley's life. Maxwell had a brief program on
KFAB radio and read Riley's poems as part of the program, which ran from
1942-1952. The series includes a sound recording of Maxwell reading selected
poems by Riley. The collected newspaper clippings relate to plants, masonic
activities, forestry extension, and Maxwell's retirement.
Container List:
Series 1: Professional MaterialsBox 1. Folder 1. Forestry Extension Agent, correspondence, 1950, Dec. 14-1954, Jan.
19
Box 1. Folder 2. Forestry Extension Agent, correspondence, 1954, Feb. 9-1954, June
24
Box 1. Folder 3. Forestry Extension Agent, booklets
Box 1. Folder 4. Forestry Extension Agent, booklets
Box 1. Folder 5. Forestry Extension, accounts, correspondence, Adams-Chase
Counties, 1957
Box 1. Folder 6. Forestry Extension, accounts, correspondence, Cherry-Frontier
Counties, 1957
Box 1. Folder 7. Forestry Extension, accounts, correspondence, Gage-Hitchcock
Counties, 1957
Box 1. Folder 8. Forestry Extension, accounts, correspondence, Kearney-Palisade
Counties, 1957
Box 1. Folder 9. Forestry Extension, accounts, correspondence, Perkins-Webster
Counties, 1957
Box 1. Folder 10. Forestry Extension, monthly reports, 1940-1942
Box 1. Folder 11. Forestry Extension, monthly reports, 1943-1944
Box 2. Folder 1. Forestry Extension, monthly reports, 1945-1946
Box 2. Folder 2. Forestry Extension, monthly reports, 1947-1949
Box 2. Folder 3. Forestry Extension, monthly reports, 1950-1952
Box 2. Folder 4. Forestry Extension, field notebooks, 1950s-1960s
Box 2. Folder 5. Forestry Extension, diaries, 1951, Jan.-Dec.
Box 2. Folder 6. Forestry Extension, diaries, 1952, Jan.-Nov.
Box 2. Folder 7. Forestry Extension, transit book, circa 1935-1937
Series 2: Personal MaterialsBox 3. Folder 1. Plant specimen book, Indiana, 1909
Box 3. Folder 2. Thesis, Sanitary Milk Production With
Special Reference to the Lincoln Milk Supply, 1915
Box 3. Folder 3. War classification, ration books, 1918, 1943
Box 3. Folder 4. Correspondence, Kersey Maxwell, 1948, Mar. 15-1948, June
Box 3. Folder 5. Correspondence, 1950, Sept. 1-1952, Nov.
20
Box 3. Folder 6. Correspondence, 1952, Nov. 21-1953
Box 3. Folder 7. Correspondence, 1963-1964, undated
Box 3. Folder 8. Awards (see oversize box 25)
Box 3. Folder 9. Programs, dedications, ceremonies, 1946, 1965, 1981
Box 3. Folder 10. Notes, about James Whitcomb Riley
Box 3. Folder 11. Poems, typescript copies, James Whitcomb Riley
Box 3. Folder 12. Poems, note card copies, James Whitcomb Riley
Box 3. Folder 13. Radio transcripts, KFAB, James Whitcomb Riley, 1942-1952, 1965 (see audio/visual materials for sound
recording)
Box 3. Folder 14. Obituary, biographical material, 1966
Box 3. Folder 15. Newspaper clippings
Box 3. Folder 16. Photographs
Related Material and Resources: Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln |