Unloading a tractor-trailer full of boxes on a hot and steamy August day is not ideal, but there was anticipation in the air as several staff members and student workers from the Center for Adventist Research and James White Library unloaded the vast yellow Andrews University trailer filled with roughly 30,000 pounds of materials. This included books, artifacts, tracts, periodicals and other resources from Atlantic Union College’s (AUC) Heritage Room and other locations on its campus that were once a part of their historical materials collection.

Also included were selected administrative and organizational records, documenting the most recent 20 years of the College. AUC was the oldest Seventh-day Adventist educational institution operating on the same site where it was founded in 1882.
Judymae Richards, administrative assistant at the Center for Adventist Research, said, “I was excited to be able to help. It turned out to be a wonderful time of teamwork and fellowship—one of the first times we were able to work together in person in months. We ladies carried items and stacked boxes all day. It was truly a team effort. We are very grateful that the AUC items are finding a home here at Andrews University. They represent a great faith heritage.”

The historical materials made the lengthy 18-hour trip from the AUC campus in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, to Andrews University over two days, stopping at the Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek, Michigan, to drop off items from AUC going to Adventist Heritage Ministries. Securing the Atlantic Union College materials was an extended process that encompassed several years. Since 2011, when Atlantic Union College was forced to close its doors for a variety of reasons, the College and the Atlantic Union Conference leadership made several efforts to find a way to reopen the College and keep it functioning. After that was no longer possible, the leaders of the Atlantic Union Conference were looking into the possibility of establishing a museum that would feature Adventist artifacts and other historical resources held by the College. Seventh-day Adventism began in New England and it seemed appropriate to continue to maintain the historical resources in that part of the country.

However, it soon became clear that the cost and logistics to accomplish that plan would be too high. Merlin Burt, then director of the Center for Adventist Research, together with James Nix, the now-retired director of the Ellen G. White Estate, and its vice-director Tim Poirier, along with Markus Kutzschbach, executive director of Adventist Heritage Ministries, assisted the Atlantic Union Conference officers, and through them the executive committee, in assessing how best to proceed with preserving the valuable Adventist historical artifacts, books and other materials. The decision was made to first find places within the Atlantic Union Conference for some of the artifacts and materials. Next, many of the more significant artifacts went to the Ellen G. White Estate in Silver Spring, Maryland, and to the sites of Adventist Heritage Ministries. The bulk of the historical and research materials came to the Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University.

The Atlantic Union Conference officers, executive committee and constituency deserve a multitude of recognition and gratitude for their careful attention to preserving these priceless and important materials for posterity. This will permit telling stories about the mighty acts of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of early Seventh-day Adventists and the educational ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It further allows the opportunity to actually show objects associated with those stories. As the saying goes, “a picture [or an object in this case] is worth a thousand words.” Particular appreciation is due to Elias Zabala, treasurer of the Union, and Barbara Fuller, manager of the Atlantic Union College campus. They have shown great responsibility in preserving the materials during the uncertain years since the closing of the school. It should be noted that the historical materials entrusted to the Center for Adventist Research and other entities are for the purpose of continuing the memory, legacy and story of Atlantic Union College. Thousands of students attended AUC over the years, and many of the students went on to make significant contributions to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and bless the world in so many ways.

There are multiple diverse objects that will be preserved by the Center for Adventist Research—original communion glasses from the church at Washington, New Hampshire, where the Sabbath was first embraced in the spring of 1844, and materials from Adventist pioneers like James White, Stephen N. Haskell, Uriah Smith and F.C. Gilbert. Other materials include the Ottilie Stafford poetry/literature collection, records from the former New England Sanitarium, paintings, class banners, chairs from the AUC Board Room, and administrative records documenting the last years of the college. Also, the periodical collection from the Heritage Room of the AUC library is particularly rich and will expand the resources available through both the Center for Adventist Research and the Adventist Digital Library.

“Moving the AUC collection to Andrews University was bittersweet for me,” said Tamara Karr, collections associate at the Center for Adventist Research. “I grew up in New England and most of my family attended Atlantic Union College. AUC’s closing was very sad and moving items that represented its history made the closing final. However, knowing that the collection is here at Andrews made me happy. I know it will be preserved and shared.”

When the Atlantic Union College resources are added to the Center’s collection, they will be identified in the James White Library catalog as coming from AUC. Exhibited items will also be shown as coming from AUC. Additionally, when material that came from AUC is digitized and placed in the Adventist Digital Library, AUC will be identified as the source of the material. In that way, these items and materials will continue the legacy of the College. After the inventory work is complete, the Center for Adventist Research will share unneeded materials with other Adventist institutions to further preserve the legacy of Atlantic Union College.

In late 2018, a very significant collection was donated to the Center by Jean Davis. Some of the items this collection includes are photos of Samuel I. Abbey and his wife enclosed in a photobook, an 1898 Directory of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Dime Tabernacle dedication program, a notice from Ellen White’s funeral, and many other items. A most unique part of the collection is the letters written by the White boys, Henry, Edson, and Willie, to Samuel Abbey. Mrs. Davis spent many years in original research on Adventism as well as many of the early pioneers in Battle Creek, Michigan. Visit our Facebook page to see some of the items from this new collection.

A huge thank you goes to University administration and the Library for working together to provide a wonderful new storage area for the Center. During a walk through looking at space options, the Provost and Plant Administrator, Christon Arthur and Paul Elder, along with Library Dean, Larry Onsager, came upon the under-utilized space outside of CAR “back door,” in the library’s Periodical Department. At the time it was used for the storage of shelf pieces. It was decided to work towards turning this space into additional CAR storage space.
Over time, the Center, with the backing of the Provost, was successful in securing funding from the University’s Capital Expenditures Committee for the installation of a new compact shelving system. We were able to find a bid at about half of previous bids for the same job. Story short, in July 2018 new walls went up in that part of the Library, and on August 6, the installation of a new Space Saver™ compact shelving system began.

As of October 30, 2018, the room was finally completely finished and ready for use.

The space is 800 ft2, which does not sound like much. But it is all new space for CAR and that is the important part. With the investment in a quality compact shelving system we have 3,597 linear feet of new storage. Looking at it another way, we have space for 2,368 of our large storage boxes.
We will use this new space primarily for manuscript collections (personal papers of individuals) and the University Archives. We will likely also allocate some space for more “remote” storage of little used resources now held in the closer shelves.
This new space takes pressure off in some areas. We are now positioned to more easily accept several larger collections of personal papers we know are coming at some point. We still have, however, a very old electronic compact system in our vault that still operates due to God’s blessings. There are two other areas where a compact system would enhance our utilization of space. For now we are in good shape, but our collection continues to grow as we fulfill our mission.
We still have a doctor’s office-size compact shelving system waiting in a storage trailer to be installed. The only cost to us will be labor for installation. We hope to install it in our collection processing room—Room 170. It is not large enough to make much of an impact in our general stacks area, but in a limited space, such as the processing area, it will indeed make an impact. To this point we’ve been stymied by the need to move a fire alarm and by a lack of money/time from Plant Service to do the work.

A coach bus full of students began the journey to tour Adventist Historic sites in New York and New England from August 5 to 12, 2018. This is an annual event for students of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. Many find it a way to connect with the roots of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Brian Seewaldt Rigoni reflected on his experience and said, “The tour…allowed me to see that the fire of the Spirit that the early SDA Church experienced is also available today.”

On Monday, in Rochester, New York, the students toured Mount Hope Cemetery to see the graves of Mary Andrews, Angeline Andrews, Carrie Andrews, Nathaniel White and Anna White, and Frederick Douglass. Afterward. the bus drove around the city to see historic sites, and then began the trip to Massachusetts. Lunch was served in the parking lot of a Walmart and headed toward the Erie Canal Museum. The group spent about an hour on a self-guided tour of the small museum and then were back on the road to Uncasville, CT for the night.

The following day the study tour went to Mystic Sea Port in Connecticut. The outdoor temperature was in the 90s and the humidity level was high. The group enjoyed seeing as much of the 1830s sea port village as the heat would allow. The staff of the village were very knowledgable and there was lots to see. Mystic Sea Port puts people into the mindset of life in the 1830s. That was a few years earlier than the events focused on during the tour, but a good place to start to get a feel for how daily life was lived for our Adventist pioneers. Next, the group was back in the bus and headed to sites related to Joseph Bates.

Joseph Bates, one of the co-founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His childhood home was near enough to the Atlantic to see the ocean-going vessels in the harbor and it is easy to understand how Bates developed a longing to go to sea. Bates spent 20-plus years at sea and retired as captain of his own ship with a comfortable fortune. The tour went to the home that he built upon his retirement which was later sold to fund the spread of the Millerite Advent message. Along the rocky water’s edge, where the old Fairhaven Bridge once stood, participants heard the story of how the Sabbath being the seventh day of the week came to the Millerites and to Joseph Bates. Bates then wrote three tracts on the Sabbath, one of which James and Ellen White read and were convinced to start keeping the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath.

Wednesday, the tour went to Maine; the house was pointed out where James and Ellen White were living when they accepted the Sabbath. This was in Gorham, Maine, while the Whites were living with Ellen’s parents in 1847. Gorham, Maine, is also where Ellen was born. She spent many of her growing up years in Portland, Maine. The tour visited many sites in Portland, but because of a fire in the 1860s and construction of newer buildings, many of the sites are uninspiring. For example, the spot where Ellen Harmon was baptized is now a parking lot because the city reclaimed land from the bay.

Thursday was spent in New Hampshire. First was a visit to the Washington, New Hampshire, Seventh-day Adventist church, which features the Sabbath Trail on its property. The group spent the morning in the church hearing stories and singing songs. After lunch, a walk along the Sabbath Trail and picture taking time, the tour moved on to the childhood home of Uriah Smith and his sister Annie Smith. The LaJoies, owners of the Smith tavern, opened their home for a tour. Everyone enjoyed seeing the restored tavern. Annie Smith’s grave is in a cemetery nearby, near her family members.

That evening, the group ate at the Country Life Restaurant in Keene, New Hampshire. This is an independent, Adventist owned, vegan restaurant. Many on the tour considered it to be the best meal of the trip. It was a learning experience for many who were not familiar with the health ministry of these restaurants. It served as an anchor for the lectures about the health message given to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Friday was spent at the William Miller Farm and chapel. Elder Jim Nix, president of the White Estate, joined us to present the story of William Miller in the chapel. With passion and exhortation he described Miller’s conversion. He held up a cannon ball as a visual aid in describing the war of 1812 and the battle in which Miller took part. Later Elder Nix presided over the tour through Miller’s home. Later on, a group photo was taken on Ascension Rock with everyone wearing the special t-shirts that were given to each participant again this year.

Sabbath morning the group was at the Roosevelt Seventh-day Adventist Church for the worship service and then Sabbath School. Dr. Burt spoke for the worship service. The church was again blessed to have the group. A very delicious lunch of vegan pulled pork sandwiches and salad, along with a dessert of homemade pies was served and pita pocket feast was prepared for a to-go supper. After a visit to the Roosavelt Cemetery, the bus was loaded to begin the frive to the Hiram Edson barn. After a meaningful visit to the barn, the group enjoyed the sack supper that the Roosevelt Church had provided. Then it was back to Rochester, NY for the night.

Sunday’s journey back to the University was uneventful; all were thankful for safe travels and even though the weather was estremely hot and humid for a lot of the time, God held back he rain through the whole week.