Guide to Williams History

Williams History 101 - The Essentials

• From Williams.edu, the official brief history of the college.
• From Williams.edu, a brief background on our traditions, such as the Purple Cow and "The Mountains."

Williams History 201 - On specific subjects

• From the Archives: The Life of Ephraim Williams, Jr.
• From the Administration: Information on the Committees that study and propose college policy

Williams's lobbying and investment activities.

• From the thesis archive, The Elimination of Fraternities at Williams College (PDF).
  • Additional information is here.
• From the archives, a timelin of Williams's history.

Williams History 301 - For the intrepid and curious

• From the History of Science Program: The History of Science at Williams (LONG)
• From Guidestar.com, Williams's financial disclosure to the government
  • This document is chock full of information relating to Williams as a non-profit organization. Besides compensation information, it reports on Williams's lobbying and investment activities.
• From the thesis archive, Voices of Change (1987).
  • Black students at Williams
  • The 1969 occupation of Hopkins Hall
• From the archive, our founding documents

Books to Read

• [Perspectives: A Williams Anthology http://francis.williams.edu/search~S0?/aRudolph%2C+Frederick/arudolph+frederick/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=arudolph+frederick&10%2C%2C16]
• [Mark Hopkins and the Log: Williams from 1836 to 1872 http://francis.williams.edu/search~S0?/aRudolph%2C+Frederick/arudolph+frederick/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=arudolph+frederick&8%2C%2C16]

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This is a guide to some sources on the history of Williams. The College provides a brief history, along with detailed biographies of its Presidents. There is also an overview of the life of Ephraim Williams. The Archives contain other material, see in particular the history of some of the most important people and events from the College's past.

This history of the sciences at Williams, the result of a collaborative effort among the students in History of Science 240 during the spring of 1992, is a fine example of what more could be done. Also see the biographies of the members of the Williams class of 1863, created in conjunction with their 40th reunion.

Unfortunately, the most important book on the history of Williams --- "Mark Hopkins and The Log: Williams College, 1836-1872", by Emeritus Professor Frederick Rudolph '42 --- is not available on the web.

Form 990s filed by the College are also available.