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COLLECTION Identifier: HUM 405

Professional papers of J.O. Brew

Overview

John Otis “J.O.” or “Jo” Brew (1906-1988), archaeologist, worked at the Harvard Peabody Museum and taught as Peabody Professor of American Archaeology and Ethnology, spending his career at Harvard from 1928 until his retirement in 1972. Beyond teaching, he was actively involved in "salvage archaeology," working with a number of domestic and international organizations, including the National Park Service Advisory Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Human Relations Area Files, Inc., and UNESCO’s International Committee for Monuments, Historic Sites, and Archaeological Excavations, of which he was chairman for many years. The collection documents his work with these organizations, and others, through correspondence, maps, reports, publications, photographs, and Brew's handwritten notes. It also contains note cards created by Brew while he was a student and professor in Harvard's Anthropology Department.

Dates

  • Creation: 1834-1987 and [undated]

Creator

Language of Materials

English, French, German

Researcher Access

The Professional papers of J.O. Brew are open for research with the following exceptions: Personally identifiable information is restricted for 80 years. Some photographs in this collection have been identified as potentially culturally sensitive according to the Protocols for Native American Archival Material and are not open for research at this time. These protocols can be found at the following link: https://www2.archivists.org/groups/native-american-archives-section/protocols-for-native-american-archival-materials-information-and-resources-page. Please see reference staff for details.

Extent

23.63 cubic feet (34 document boxes, 16 oversized folders, 11 legal document boxes, 6 card boxes, 4 flat boxes, 1 legal half-document box)
420 photographs

The Professional papers of J.O. Brew chiefly document his career-long collaborative efforts to establish, support, and maintain hundreds of archaeologically and historically significant sites throughout the United States and across the world. The collection chronicles his salvage archaeology work with individuals, numerous projects, and international and domestic organizations, as well as the internal administrative functions of those groups. The records found in each series are generally consistent, containing correspondence, maps and photographs of sites and archaeologists, clippings, and Brew's handwritten notes. There are also many official and printed papers, including publications, pamphlets, government documents, financial and administrative files, and reports.

Within the United States, reports, correspondence, clippings, financial files, and maps document Brew's work with the National Park Service (NPS), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the National Research Council Committee on Preservation of Indigenous Strains of Maize, and the Human Relations Area Files, Inc. Although many of these groups' projects are represented throughout the collection, there are substantial materials related to the TVA's Tellico Dam site and the NPS archaeological dig at Mesa Verde National Park, particularly the Wetherill Mesa site, which Brew oversaw as chair of the project's Advisory Committee.

Internationally, correspondence, organizational by-laws and rules, reports, studies, and Brew's personal notes chronicle his participation as chairman of UNESCO's International Committee for Monuments, Historic Sites Archaeological Excavations, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Fund for Monuments, as well as other UNESCO-related and independent groups. Many of the projects documented in the collection involved both domestic and international work, such as Brew's involvement with efforts to prevent the illicit importation and exportation of cultural property. Brew worked on the issue with UNESCO, as well as with individual museums in Mexico and the United States.

Several of the photographs, found throughout the collection, are of Tennessee Valley Authority sites, particularly Tellico, as well as UNESCO projects in Lalibela, Ethiopia, and Aswan Dam, Egypt. There are also some photographs of the Kennedy assassination location, which the National Park Service had considered creating into an official site in the early 1970s. There are also many photographs of the Mesa Verde archaeological dig, including its Wetherill Mesa Site. These annotated photos include shots of anthropological and archaeological field and lab work, with many employees pictured; aerial and landscape views; and Ancestral Puebloan textiles and artifacts.

Beyond the Mesa Verde photographs, additional records in this collection relate to several Native American cultures. Photographs of Tellico include shots of Cherokee tribal members and Tribal Council members, including an "Indian preacher" and members lighting a "council fire." There are also materials on the Cherokee lawsuit aimed at halting dam construction at the Tellico site. Additionally, Brew's work on the National Research Council Committee on Preservation of Indigenous Strains of Maize resulted in the collection of more than 12,000 variations of Native American corn.

The collection contains a substantial amount of letters, through which Brew's far-reaching influence is demonstrated. He corresponded with a diverse and prominent group of people, including archaeologists, politicians (such as Representative John F. Kennedy), and government departments and administrators. Many of his letters discuss archaeological issues, strategies for salvage activities, funding options, and administrative considerations. His leadership within the field is further highlighted within the correspondence regarding the charges of fraud against controversial archaeologist Frank C. Hibben, where Brew's opinion was sought after by those investigating the matter.

He also corresponded with several female archaeologists and scholars, many of whom he mentored or befriended. These women include Cynthia Irwin-Williams, Hannah Marie Wormington, Marjorie Lambert, Dena Dincauze, Anna O. Shepard, and E. Boyd. Women archaeologists and staff members are also pictured in many of the photographs of the Mesa Verde archaeological site.

The final series contains notecards created by Brew during his time as a student and professor in Harvard's anthropology department, as well as some of Brew's student examinations, giving insight into his academic interests and activities.

Biographical note on J.O. Brew

John Otis “J.O.” or “Jo” Brew (1906-1988), archaeologist, worked at the Harvard Peabody Museum and taught as Peabody Professor of American Archaeology and Ethnology, spending his career at Harvard from 1928 until his retirement in 1972.

He received his BA in Fine Arts from Dartmouth College in 1928, then prepared for his PhD in the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where he’d been awarded a Thaw Fellowship. After completing his residence requirements in 1931, Brew was invited to join the Peabody Museum's Claflin-Emerson Expedition in northeastern Utah. That same year, he was made director of the Museum’s Southeastern Utah Expedition to Alkali Ridge; his published work on this expedition is still studied and cited by archaeologists. Brew continued to conduct many field research expeditions throughout his career. Some of the most notable include the 1934 Harvard Irish Mission, the 1936 to 1939 Awatovi Expedition, and the 1949 to 1954 Upper Gila Expedition. In the final year at Awatovi in 1939, Brew married Evelyn Nimmo, who was a member of the expedition staff; the couple had two children.

In 1941, he completed his PhD and was appointed the Peabody’s curator of southwestern archaeology; he then became curator of North American archaeology in 1945. In 1948, he was appointed director of the Peabody Museum, a position he held until 1967. In addition to his museum and research work, Brew also taught, holding the position of Peabody Professor of American Archaeology and Ethnology from 1949 until his retirement in 1972. While at the Peabody, Brew was particularly supportive of female archaeologists; at a time when women were actively discouraged from studying archaeology, Brew mentored students such as Cynthia Irwin-Williams in their academic pursuits and field work.

Beyond teaching, Brew was actively involved in "salvage archaeology," working with a number of domestic and international organizations, including several government groups and committees, serving as a board member, consultant, and contract worker. He was a member of the National Park Service Advisory Board and UNESCO’s International Committee for Monuments, Historic Sites, and Archaeological Excavations, for which he was chairman for many years. Brew also worked with the U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which he chaired in 1972. He also served as Chairman of the Secretary of the Interior's Committee on Recovery of Archae­ological Remains. Brew's work on the Consulting Committee of the National Park Service led to the designation of over eight hundred sites as national historic landmarks and earned him a Conservation Service award from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Brew died in 1988.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in nineteen series, as it was received by the Harvard University Archives:

  1. National Park Service, 1834, 1932-1987 and [undated]
  2. National Research Council Committee on Preservation of Indigenous Strains of Maize, 1951-1957 and [undated]
  3. Human Relations Area [Files] (HRAF), 1951-1960 and [undated]
  4. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), 1971-1976 and [undated]
  5. Clandestine Export, 1961-1975 and [undated]
  6. International Council o[n] Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), 1964-1987 and [undated]
  7. UNESCO, 1947-1980 and [undated]
  8. International Organizations, 1949-1982 and [undated]
  9. International Fund for Monuments, 1964-1974 and [undated]
  10. Correspondence with E. Boyd and Marjorie Lambert, 1956-1987
  11. Letters relating to the Hibben Controversy, 1946
  12. Miscellaneous Historic Preservation, 1946-1983 and [undated]
  13. Miscellaneous papers by and about Brew, 1931-1983
  14. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1931-1987 and [undated]
  15. National Park Service, 1941-1987 and [undated]
  16. Tennessee Valley Authority & National Park Service, 1929-1983 and [undated]
  17. National Park Service & Awatovi, 1937-1982 and [undated]
  18. National Park Service, National Science Foundation, UNESCO, ICOMOS, 1906-1986 and [undated]
  19. [Brew’s notes as student and teacher in Harvard’s Anthropology Department], 1927-1950 and [undated]

Custodial History

The collection was originally donated to the Arizona State Museum by Evelyn Nimmo Brew in 1989. In 2002, the Arizona State Museum deaccessioned parts of the collection and transferred the papers to the Peabody Museum, which received them as accession #2002-3. In July 2003, the Peabody Museum transferred the papers to the Harvard University Archives, which received them as Accession 14851.

The Arizona State Museum's original numbering system has been recorded at the appropriate folder and series levels.

The original folder listing, created by the Arizona State Museum, is located in the collection's control file.

Acquisition

Transferred from the Peabody Museum Archives in July 2003; Accession 14851.

Related Materials

In the Harvard University Archives:

  1. Papers of J.O. Brew, 1923-1993 and [undated] (HUGFP 28.xx): https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua64021/catalog
  2. Correspondence and other records of John O. Brew, 1948-1967 (inclusive) (UAV 677.95.2)
In the Peabody Museum Archives:
  1. [J.O. Brew collection of lantern slides, 1930-1939, bulk]: https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/pea00022/catalog
  2. Awatovi Expedition Records, 1930-1981: https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/pea00068/catalog
  3. Records of Awatovi Expedition, 1935-1939 (inclusive)

Processing Information

This finding aid was created by Olivia Mandica-Hart in October 2021-January 2022. Processing included physical re-housing and the creation of this finding aid. Titles were transcribed from the original folders; titles enclosed in brackets were devised by the archivist. The original file structure, as applied by the Arizona State Museum, has been maintained.

This finding aid contains harmful language that is now considered racist and derogatory. Contextual statements where this language appears are located at the series, subseries, and item levels.

Title
Brew, J.O. (John Otis), 1906-1988. Professional papers of J.O. Brew, 1834-1987 and [undated] : an inventory
Author
Harvard University Archives
Date
October 1, 2021
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
hua79021

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
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Cambridge MA 02138 USA
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