RE Log Spring 2023

From the Archives of History 76 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2023 By Katrina Patchett, Director of Libraries and Archivist Researching the history of Ransom Everglades School is a constant journey of happy discoveries. The work is detailed and involves learning about the hundreds of people who have walked through the school’s doors, the founders and supporters, the expansion of the physical plant, as well as the school’s place in the history of the City of Miami. Paul Ransom arrived in the frontier wilderness of Coconut Grove in 1893 and opened the Pine Knot Camp in 1896, the same year the City of Miami was incorporated. In many ways the school’s history parallels Miami’s. One aspect of the work in the archives is to drill down into the collection’s information in order to develop as complete a picture as possible of the school’s history. A recent project involved sorting, assessing and cataloging books that had been in the libraries of the Adirondack-Florida School (AFS), the Ransom School and the Everglades School for Girls. Looking carefully at each title, and reading any written notes inside the front covers, provided an additional insight into the authors and subjects enjoyed by each school’s faculty and students. One of the many fascinating discoveries was through a book called American War Songs , published in 1925 by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Alice Ruth Ransom, who created the AFS library, added the title to the collection in the same year, which raised a question as to why she was interested in acquiring it. Subsequent research found that Mrs. Ransom was a member of the New York branch of the society and is listed in their 1915 register as “Mrs. Paul Carlton Ransom (Alice Ruth Carter), eighth in descent from Cornelis Melyn.” Melyn emigrated to New Amsterdam (today’s New York) from the Netherlands in 1641 and later moved to New Haven, Conn. Why is this morsel of information about Alice Ransom significant? When Paul Ransom passed away at the age of 43 in 1907, Alice decided to keep the Adirondack-Florida School open. She shared her husband’s vision and commitment to education and, although well-prepared to continue, she recognized she could not run the school herself. Instead, she asked Levings Hooker Somers, a new master of mathematics, to take on the position of headmaster. Working alongside Somers, Mrs. Ransom set the school’s tone and ensured the continuation of Paul Ransom’s ideals. She remained involved with the school until her death in 1935. Without Alice Ruth Ransom, today’s Ransom Everglades School might not exist, so each discovery about her, however small, is a meaningful addition the school’s historical records. If you would like to learn more about the school’s history or wish to donate items to the archives collection, please contact Katrina Patchett, Director of Libraries and Archivist, at 305 460 8867 or email kpatchett@ransomeverglades.org .