Guide to the Alfred Henry Nelson papers
circa 1950-1958, 1980
Collection number: HMC-1213.
Creator: Nelson, Alfred Henry.
Title: Alfred Henry Nelson papers.
Dates: circa 1950-1958, 1980.
Volume of collection: 1 cubic foot.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photograph albums and scrapbook of a construction engineer and former Commander of Jack Henry Post 1.
Biographical note:
Alfred Henry Nelson was born in 1898 in New Jersey, and served during WWI in the U.S. Army. Nelson moved to Bushnell, Florida sometime in the late 1940s, and later moved to Anchorage with his wife Emma around 1950. Nelson worked as a construction engineer, most likely for the Ric-WiL Company, doing inspections on pipes. While in Anchorage, Nelson was the Commander of Jack Henry Post 1. He moved back to Florida sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. In 1980, Nelson drove to Alaska from Florida for a visit. He died in 1989.
Collection description:
The collection contains four photograph albums and a scrapbook. Album one contains personal photographs, as well as photographs relating to Nelson’s work-related projects, possibly with the Ric-WiL Company. Subjects of the photographs include: the Canadian Pacific Railway in Cote St. Luc, Canada; pipes leading to a power plant on Fire Island, Alaska; housing and Ric-WiL pipes in New York City; Eklutna Lake and a Russian Orthodox Church in Eklutna; Jonesville Coal Mine, Alaska; Chickaloon; Chena River; Denali; aerial views of Anchorage, Fire Island, Denali, and Big Delta Army Airfield (now called Allen Army Airfield); Circle Hot Springs; gold dredges; Juneau; and Alaska pilot George Spernak. Album two contains photographic postcards printed by Robinson Studio of Anchorage. Subjects of the postcards include buildings and scenery in Anchorage, Denali National Park and Mt. Mckinley Park Hotel; Long Lake along Glenn Highway; Alaska Railroad buildings and trains; Seward; Valdez; Ketchikan; Wrangell; Nome; Cordova; Juneau; Matanuska Valley; Fort Richardson; Alaska Natives; glaciers; wildlife; and Russian Orthodox Churches. Album two also contains comic post cards, an aerial view of Fire Island, and a photograph of Nelson with two salmon in Soldotna. Photograph albums three and four contain photographs from Nelson’s trip to Alaska in 1980. Subjects of the photographs include: stops and scenery along the ALCAN and Glenn Highway, as well as buildings and shops in Downtown Anchorage. The scrapbook contains photographs, correspondence, and news clippings relating to Jack Henry Post 1 of the American Legion in Anchorage.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in original order.
Digitized copies: Albums one, three, and four have been digitized for preservation purposes. The digital materials in the collection are not available online. For information about obtaining digital copies of any part of the collection, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives holds copyright to materials created by Alfred Henry Nelson. The collection contains material not created by Nelson, which may be subject to copyright restrictions.
Preferred citation: Alfred Henry Nelson papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was provided by the donor, Jackie Revels Peterson, Nelson’s niece-in-law.
Acquisition note: The collection was donated to Archives and a deed of gift signed by Jackie Revels Peterson, Nelson’s niece-in-law, in 2015.
Processing information: This collection was described by Veronica Denison in 2015. Albums one, three, and four were digitized, dismantled, and photographs put into archival enclosures for preservation purposes at this time.