Special Collections & University Archives Search

Ted Sannella (1928-1995) was a square and contra dance caller from Boston, later moving to Maine. Ted began teaching New England dancing as a professional caller in 1946. He was the author of Balance and Swing (1982), and Swing the Next (1996). Ted served on the board of NEFFA and was a sought after caller for dances and camps across the country. He was a choreographer of many popular dances and originator of the…

Ernie Spence (1925-2011) was a contra and square dancer and dance organizer in western New Hampshire, starting ca. 1950. He was responsible for first bringing to dances many young people who would later become important leaders of the dance scene in their own right. Ernie and his wife Jean organized the Fitzwilliam Square Dance through some of its most turbulent years in the 1960s and 1970s. Ernie was courtious to a fault and loved by all who knew him. The Ernie Spence Papers consists of…

The Square Dance Foundation of New England (SDFNE) was formed 1973 under the leadership of Charlie Baldwin. The collection consists of organizational papers and display materials documenting the 42 year operations of the SDFNE and the Charlie and Bertha Baldwin Library and Museum.

Patrick Stevens (1953-2007) was an architect by trade, and one of the leaders of New Hampshire's Seacoast dance scene during the 1980s-2000s. He was a prolific dance photographer, caller, and organizer of such influential ongoing events as the Star Hampshire Traditional Music and Dance Weekend on the Isle of Shoals. The Patrick Stevens Collection contains organizational records for the Star Hampshire Dance Weekend,…

Marianne Taylor (1930-2008) was a dance leader and caller from New England. She taught English, Scottish, Contra, and International Folk styles, and was heavily involved in dance organizations such as the Folk Arts Center of New England (co-founder), Pinewoods Dance Camp, Stockton/Pacific Folk Dance Camp, and the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend. Marianne was an accomplished dance pianist. This collection consists of…

Brownlow “Brownie” Leighton Thompson (1909-1998) and Dorothea “Dot” [Martin] Thompson (1911-1992) were square, contra, and round dance callers and dance historians from North Conway, New Hampshire. They were active for over 50 years within the community. The Brownlow and Dorothea Thompson Collection (1853-1994) consists of dance notation, 19th century New England music publications and manuscripts, and extensive…

Jon Thunberg (UNH '56) has been a member of the New Hampshire dance community for many years, as a contra and square dancer, an international folk dance leader, and a volunteer audio/visual processor for Milne Special Collections and Archives at UNH. The collection consists of photographs, dance notes, field recordings, articles, and programs related to Thunberg's involvement in international folk dancing …

Newton French Tolman (1908-1986) was a contra dance flute player from Nelson, New Hampshire. He learned flute from his uncle as a child and played in the Nelson Town Band. Later he became an invaluable source of knowledge for younger generations during the contra dance revival of the 1960s-1970s. Tolman authored several books with Ralph Page and Kay Gilbert. This collection consists of the original manuscript of …

The University Folk Club at the University of New Hampshire started as the Women's League in 1912. The purpose of the organization was to "promote better fellowship among the women connected with New Hampshire College". By 1919 the number of female students was such that they split and formed their own group. The remaining women became the College Folk Club and was open to any adult woman connected with the college…

Bob Van Antwerp (1920-2005) was an early and influential western style square dance caller, founding member of CALLERLAB, and released many square dance recordings. Van Antwerp’s papers consist of teaching notes, early CALLERLAB notes (1971-1985), and writings on dance and dance pedagogy.

Marlys S. Waller is the co-author of the classic folk dance text Dance A While. Before this she helped found the early western square dance magazine Foot ‘n Fiddle in Texas during the 1940s. She later moved to Seattle, Washington. This collection consists of approximately 20 letters between author Marlys S. Waller and New Hampshire dance caller Ralph Page. They are mostly related to updates between the 3rd and 4th…

Walter S. Jenkins was a music professor at Newcomb College, Louisiana, and a lifelong biographer of composer Amy Cheney Beach. The Walter S. Jenkins Amy Cheney Beach collection mostly includes correspondence, research notes, and miscellaneous materials. While the collection does include some original documents from Amy Cheney Beach, most items in her series are not primary-source.

Walter Kittredge was born in Merrimack, New Hampshire. He was a self-taught musician who wrote over 500 songs throughout his career. His most famous song was "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground," which was sung by both sides during the Civil War. From Reeds Ferry, N.H. Walter Kittredge writes a letter, Dec. 29, 1900, to Lizzie G. Dickinson in which Kittredge writes that he has no photos of himself, but notes that she can acquire one by purchasing his book "Tenting Illustrated", which includes both…

Louise Winston (1917-1996) of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, was a teacher and caller of square and contra dances. She was a co-founder of Country Dance Society-Boston Centre, and heavily involved in the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) and camps across New England such as Pinewoods and Maine Folk Dance Camp. She is notable as one of the first prominent woman callers in New England, and was a close friend of George…