Guide to the Papers of James L. Swauger,
Anthropology Department of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Prepared by Emily Uhrin, July 2007
Collection Number:
2007-3
Inclusive Dates: 1930-1998
Bulk Dates: 1970-1996
Extent:
5.25 linear feet
Repository:
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Library
4400 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: cmnhlib@carnegiemnh.org
Abstract:
The collection contains James L. Swauger’s correspondence, monthly reports, field
notebooks, diaries, academic papers and professional writings created during his
employment at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (1935 to the late 1990s). He
served many positions within the Section of Man, including laboratory assistant (19351942), Custodian (1946-1948), Curator (1949-1963), Senior Scientist (1974-1981) and
Curator Emeritus (1981-1998). He also served as Assistant Director (1955-1963) and
Associate Director (1964-1974) of the Museum. The collection includes much
information on the Section of Man, now the Section of Anthropology, at the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History, such as exhibits, staff, and research projects. The collection
also documents Swauger’s interests in the Native American petroglyphs and pictographs
of the Northeastern United States.
Acquisition Information:
Records created by James L. Swauger in the course of normal museum activities within
the Anthropology Department at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. These records
were transferred to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives for processing by
David Watters on 15 May 2007.
Preferred Citation:
Guide to the Papers of James L. Swauger, Anthropology Department of the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives – 2007-3
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Access Restrictions:
The collections of the museum shall be available for examination and study by any
qualified individual under the normal museum security procedures and other special
procedures established by the section for the protection of the specific collection.
Copyright:
Property rights reside with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. For information
about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Museum Archivist at the
address above.
Alternate Format:
This collection is not available in another format
Related Materials:
Please see the Administrative Records of the Director’s Office collection, Carnegie
Museum of Natural History Archives, 1988-2. The meeting minutes of the Museum
Committee from 1949-1975 were transferred from the Swauger collection to this
collection in July 2007.
History:
James L. Swauger was born on November 1, 1913 in West Newton, Pennsylvania
as the oldest son of John Shaner Swauger and Katharine Weaver Swauger. He graduated
from Turtle Creek Union High School in 1930 and went on to the University of
Pittsburgh to study Civil Engineering. Because of financial issues, he did not return to
Pitt for his second year. He returned in 1934, however, to study zoology and botany. In
1935 he began work as a laboratory assistant in the Section of Archaeology and
Ethnology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. From 1941-1942 he worked in
the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology. He received his B.S. in 1941 and left the
Museum to serve in the Army’s Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps (1942). In
1943 he married Helen May Poole. Swauger was discharged from the Army as a Captain
in 1946 and returned to the Museum as Custodian of the Section of Archaeology and
Ethnology.
In 1947, Swauger received his M. Litt. in History from the University of
Pittsburgh. The Museum then appointed him as Curator of the Section of Man in 1949.
James and Helen Swauger then had their first child, John Lee, in 1950. Daughters
Deborah Jane (Handsman) and Amy Elizabeth were born in 1951 and 1956, respectively.
In addition to his curatorial role at the Museum, Swauger also served as the Assistant
Director of the Carnegie Museum from 1955-1964. As Assistant Director, Swauger was
responsible for expediting all of the exhibition activities of the Museum. Still, the focus
of his work remained on the Section of Man. During this time, Waynesburg College
awarded Swauger with an honorary doctorate (1957). In 1964, Swauger was promoted to
Associate Director and left his position in the Section of Man. As Associate Director,
Swauger was involved with the International Council of Museums, the American
Association of Museums, and the Northeast Museums Conference. He also developed
the International Program, in which museum specialists from other countries would visit
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the Carnegie Museum for up to six months at a time. Upon the retirement of the Museum
Director, M. Graham Netting, in 1975, Swauger was appointed as Senior Scientist,
Anthropology. He enjoyed the freedom from administrative responsibilities and
concentrated on his own research. During the time from 1976-1979, Swauger acted as
the Coordinator of the International Program, one of his favorite projects. In 1981,
Swauger stepped down from his paid position at the museum and became a volunteer.
He was given the title of Curator Emeritus—Anthropology.
In 1993, Helen Swauger fell ill at a conference in Kentucky and never improved.
Her illness kept Swauger from performing field work and attending conferences. Thus,
he devoted his time to writing books on the petroglyphs and pictographs of the
Northeastern United States. He left Pittsburgh and moved to Rhode Island in 2004. He
died of pneumonia at the age of 92 on December 18, 2005 in Johnston, Rhode Island.
Scope and Content Note:
This collection documents the activities of James L. Swauger, as well as those of
the Section of Man of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, from the 1930s to the
1990s. Research, grants, exhibits, publications, and Section of Man staff are the main
topics of the documents.
Swauger’s main archaeological interests were Native American petroglyphs and
pictographs in the Northeastern United Sates. He gained this interest in 1958 when he
visited Indian God Rock and realized that his assistants knew more about rock art than he
did. He delved into this new interest as a way to break up the monotony of administrative
work at the Museum. Swauger traveled from state to state to study and prepare
manuscripts on the rock art of Ohio, Kentucky, the New England area, Maryland, New
Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Swauger’s method was to
document the sites as thoroughly as possible, yet not try to interpret or explain them. He
also studied dolmens in Israel and Palestine. His main project in Israel was the Tel
Ashdod Excavation (1962-1969) which he completed in conjunction with the Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary. Swauger was involved with many professional associations, both
anthropological and museological.
The collection contains correspondence, reports, field notebooks, inventories, and
writings concerning these interests. These papers were created by James L. Swauger
during the course of his employment at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The
materials contain information on publications, family life, museum staff, grants and
funding, and research activities. Major topics include: Helen Swauger’s poor health;
publication of the petroglyph/pictograph books; the Tel Ashdod Excavation; the
International Program; adjunct professorships; activities of the Section of Man;
fieldwork; professional societies and memberships.
Series I. Correspondence
The bulk of the correspondence is from 1989-1996. The organization flows from
personal correspondence to professional. Within the folders, the letters are arranged in
descending chronological order. The correspondence includes intra-museum
communication as well as letters to Swauger’s friends, colleagues and publishers.
Swauger’s field work, publications, and administrative functions are the topics of the
letters and memos. The bulk of the correspondence concerns the possible publication of
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Swauger’s books on petroglyphs and pictographs of the Northeastern United States, for
which his son, John, prepared the illustrations.
The correspondence also documents Swauger’s relationships with institutions
other than the Carnegie. There is information about his adjunct professorship at the
University of Pittsburgh where he taught courses in anthropology and museum theory.
Also documented is Swauger’s relationship with the Rock Art Archive at UCLA for
which he was a research associate from 1981-1991. Additionally, there are many letters
about his literature donations and consultancy services that he offered to the Waynesburg
College Museum.
Container list:
Box 1
Folder 1: General Correspondence (1960-1998)
Folder 2: CMNH Interoffice Correspondence (1968-1998)
Subfolder A: David R. Watters (1994-1996)
Subfolder B: James B. Richardson, III (1990-1998)
Subfolder C: General (1968-1997)
Folder 3: Bussers, Helene (1992-1996)
Folder 4: Lantz, Gary Wyan (1990-1993)
Folder 5: Phillips, Wendell (1960-1976)
Folder 6: Wallace, Birgitta L., Vikings (1977-1995)
Folder 7: Reese, John (1975-1986)
Folder 8: Correspondence Regarding Publication (1981-1995)
Subfolder A: Christine Dragoo: Publication of Reported Pictographs and
Petroglyphs (1993-1995)
Subfolder B: Denise Grantz: Publication of “Petroglyphs, Pictographs and the
Last Thirty-Five Years” (1993)
Subfolder C: General (1981-1995)
Subfolder D: Publication of “No Place to Hide” (1987-1988)
Subfolder E: Publication in Oxford Companion to Archaeology (1993-1995)
Folder 9: Meighan, Clement C. (1981-1997)
Folder 10: Swauger, John Regarding Illustrations (1993-1996)
Folder 11: University of California (1989-1994)
Folder 12: Slippery Rock (1974-1982)
Folder 13: University of Pittsburgh (1963-1996)
Subfolder A: ED COMM 261, The Museum as an Educational Resource (19711986)
Folder 14: M. Graham Netting Award (1989-1995)
Folder 15: Netting, M. Graham (1958-1971)
Folder 16: Waynesburg College: Literature Donated (1978-1998)
Folder 17: Waynesburg College (1990-1997)
Folder 18: Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (1988, 1993)
Folder 19: The Buhl Foundation (1971-1972)
Folder 20: Andrew Carnegie Trusts, Museums, Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, etc. (19751980)
Folder 21: Revolving Research Fund of the Carnegie Museum (1951, 1971, 1995)
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Folder 22:
Folder 23:
Folder 24:
Folder 25:
Folder 26:
Folder 27:
Folder 28:
Folder 29:
Folder 30:
Folder 31:
Folder 32:
Folder 33:
Folder 34:
Folder 35:
Folder 36:
Folder 37:
Folder 38:
A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Fund (1968, 1973)
Rachelwood Foundation (1971, 1974)
R.K. Mellon Family Foundation (1985-1995)
Pettit, William (1994-1997)
State Historic Preservation Officers (1978, 1981)
Pennsylvania History and Museum Commission (1964, 1970, 1991)
Society for American Archaeology (1993-1994)
Society for Human Ecology (1975)
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (1986-1995)
Society for Professional Archaeologists (1992-1993)
National Museums of Canada (1972, 1974)
Phoenician Historical Society (1960)
Eastern States Petroglyph and Pictograph Research Association (1993, 1995)
Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission (1978)
Smithsonian Institution (1972, 1975, 1982, 1991)
Radiocarbon Dates (C-14 date for Mortuary Boat in Egypt Hall) (1960)
Orbeliani Collection, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Accession No.
9074 (1974, 1979, 1989)
Folder 39: Fort McIntosh (1974-1978)
Folder 40: Miscellaneous Awards and Certificates (1947, 1959, 1961, 1964)
Folder 41: Transfer of Swauger dolmen items to the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
(2005)
Folder 42 [in binder]: Powdermill Conference (1959)
Folder 43 [in binder]: Powdermill Conference (1961)
Folders 44-45: Powdermill Conference (1975)
Folder 46: Memberships, Receipts (1994-1996)
Series II. Routine Reports
Swauger’s reports cover the time period from 1950-1989. The reports include
information on Swauger’s work while in the Section of Man as well as his administrative
responsibilities while acting as Assistant Director and Associate Director of the Museum.
The focuses of each report are accessions, research and publications, staff, educational
work, field work, exhibitions, and travel. There is much information on Swauger’s major
projects: Tel Ashdod (1962-1969) and the petroglyphs and pictographs of the
Northeastern United States. There is also information on the International Program;
Swauger provides details about the museum specialists who visited the Carnegie.
Swauger had hoped that his reports would be used to write a history on the Section of
Man.
Also included in this series is a bound collection of correspondence within the
Section of Man from 1959-1979. This is included in this series because much of the
correspondence is directly related to the routine reports. The correspondence concerns
publications, exhibits, funding, staff, and the physical location and organization of the
Section of Man (Meridian and Pittsburgh locations).
Container List:
Box 1
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Folders 1-4 [in binders]: Routine Reports (1950-1979)
Box 2
Folders 5-6 [in binders]: Routine Reports (1980-1989)
Folder 7 [in binder]: Section of Man Correspondence (1959-1979)
Series III. Field Notebooks and Diaries
Swauger’s field notebooks contain details about his archaeological excavations,
mainly holding information about staff, travel arrangements, routine activities and
interesting occurrences, drawings, and expenses. There is a Field Book Index which lists
the sites with their dates and corresponding notebooks. The collection contains Field
Book 1, Field Book 3, Field Book 5, and Field Book 6 (out of 11 field books). Locations
include the Near East (Israel and Palestine) and the Northeastern United States. Two
books that are not indexed are Field Book 1308 and a record book. The field book
contains a list of petroglyph/pictograph sites, and the record book is a diary of the
weather and scenery in Israel in 1962. It also contains later general diary additions from
1992-1993. The collection also includes Swauger’s personal diaries from 1958-1959 and
1961. They detail family life as well as work done at the Museum and at petroglyph/
pictograph sites.
Container List:
Box 2
Folder 1: Catalog of Dates in Field Books (1984)
Book 1: Field Book Index
Book 2: Field Book 1 (1951-1971)
Book 3: Field Book 3 (1961-1963)
Book 4: Field Book 5 (1963, 1965, 1970-1971, 1981-1982)
Book 5: Field Book 6 (1963, 1974-1975)
Book 6: Field Book 1308 (1993)
Book 7: Record Book (1962, 1992-1993)
Book 8: Daily Reminder (1958)
Book 9: Daily Reminder (1959)
Book 10: Daily Reminder (1961)
Series IV. Inventories
This series consists of an inventory of slides, prints, and negatives held by the
Petroglyph Studies Department within the Section of Man at the Carnegie Museum of
Natural History in the 1970s and 1990s. There is an inventory of all of the rock art slides,
photos, and negatives sent to the Rock Art Archive at UCLA. The inventories consist of
lists of assigned numbers and descriptions of their corresponding photographs.
Container List:
Box 2
Folder 1 [in binder]: Photo Lists (working copies)
Folder 2 [in binder]: Section of Man Colored Slide List
Folder 3 [in binder]: Section of Man Black and White Photographs, Negatives, Prints
and Slides Lists
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Box 3
Folders 4-5: List of Prints, Slides and Negatives Sent to the UCLA Rock Art Archive
Series V. Academic Papers, Professional Writings and Interviews
Included are Swauger’s history and sociology papers written for his M. Litt. at the
University of Pittsburgh (1947). There are also essays submitted for publication in
Carnegie Magazine, such as his 1972 “As Others See Us,” containing suggestions for
improvement to the Museum. This article was never published, however. Drafts of his
tables of contents for his West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey,
and New York petroglyph/pictograph books are also included. These books remained in
manuscript form and were never published.
The 1958 preliminary version of Swauger’s My Life as a Dog is also included.
The book describes Swauger’s experiences of the D Battery of the 796th Anti-Aircraft
Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion in the European Theater of WWII. There is also
a published version of the book:
Swauger, James L. My Life as a Dog. Whitestone, New York: Track Tracings
Jr. Press, 1982.
Also included are transcripts from radio shows that Swauger appeared on from
1939-1949, as well as manuscripts for other public talks. The series contains the
September 1974 volume of Carnegie Magazine which also contains a Swauger interview
in which he discusses his activities as the Associate Director of the Carnegie Museum:
Gangewere, Robert J. “An Interview with James L. Swauger.” Carnegie
Magazine 48, no. 7 (September 1974): 270-277.
Also included are the transcripts from Swauger’s November 8 and December 5, 1989 oral
history interviews about his role in the Section of Man.
Container List:
Box 3
Folders 1-10 [in binders]: School Papers and Reports (1930-1948)
Folder 11 [in binder]: “As Others See Us” (1972)
Folder 12 [in binder]: My Life as a Dog Manuscript (1958)
Folder 13 [book]: My Life as a Dog (1982)
Folder 14: Table of Contents for Maryland, New Jersey, and New York Petroglyph/
Pictograph Book (1995-1996)
Folder 15: Illustrations for the Virginia and West Virginia Petroglyph/Pictograph Book
(1993-1995)
Folder 16: Table of Contents and Site Listings for Pennsylvania Petroglyph/Pictograph
Book (1995-1996)
Folders 17-18: Draft of Pennsylvania Petroglyph/Pictograph Book (1990-1993)
Folders 19-21 [in binders]: Proposed Course Syllabi and Outlines
Folders 22-23: Course Information for Museum Theory and Practice
Folder 24 [in binder]: Radio Shows, Public Talks and Manuscripts (1939-1949)
Folder 25: Robert J. Gangewere’s Interview with Swauger, Carnegie Magazine 48, no. 7
(September 1974)
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Folder 26: Beth Heintzel’s Oral History Interviews with Swauger (November and
December 1989)
Sub-series A. Bibliographies and Resumes
Swauger compiled bibliographies of his own writings. His bibliography as of
1978 of writings concerned specifically with petroglyph studies is included. He also
typed out his entire bibliography as of 1986. His resume as of 1994 and vita as of 1988
are also included.
Container List:
Box 3
Folder 1: Biography and Bibliography (1956-1994)
Series VI. Personnel Information
Included in this series are the bylaws of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as of
1970 and the rules and regulations of the Carnegie Museum as of 1904. A copy of the
Carnegie Institute’s Application for Charter from January, 1927 is also included. There
is information about the Museum’s operating budget and employee benefits (1960s1980s). Additionally, this series contains a transcription of the diary of John Hurlbut,
detailing his work with General Amherst on an expedition against Ticonderoga and
Crown Point in 1759. The diary was submitted to the Museum for preservation in 1911
by G.H. Barbour and accessioned in 1912. Only transcriptions of the diary are available.
The diary may have been of personal interest to Swauger because of his academic
background in history. There are also personnel records for Swauger including staff
photographs and his application for the position of Director of the Carnegie Museum in
1973. A few of Swauger’s timecards are also included. This series also includes a folder
on Don Dragoo, a former curator in the Section of Man, including his bibliography, a few
of his articles, correspondence, and his obituary written by Swauger.
Container List:
Box 3
Folder 1: Carnegie Museum Miscellany (1904-1984)
Folder 2 [in binder]: Transcription of Diary of John Hurlbut, 1759
Folder 3 [in binder]: Description of the Mannitto Site, 36 Wm 106 (1961)
Folder 4: Photographs and Head Shots of Swauger (1953-1985)
Folder 5: Time Cards (1993, 1995)
Folder 6 [in binder]: Application for Post of Director, Carnegie Museum (1973)
Folders 7-9: Donald W. Dragoo Bibliography, Articles and Obituary (1961-1990)
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