Special Collections and University Archives
1015 Volunteer Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37996
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Food
Virginia Pearl Moore was the first home demonstration agent in Tennessee. Her home demonstration work expanded to incorporate all aspects of domestic life, including cooking, canning, sewing, cleaning, and managing home finances. The following selections from the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection are related to Moore's work with food and nutrition.
Programs/Pamphlets
Early Home Demonstration Work in the South
A lecture written by Moore addressing the history of home demonstration work in Southern United States, the history of canning clubs and home demonstration work in Florida, including some history of home demonstration work in the U.S.. From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
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| An outdoor canning demonstration. From the Virginia P. Moore Collection. |
Victory Luncheon, April 5, 1918
A program booklet printed in black ink with fancy fonts for a luncheon, [organized] by Virginia P Moore as the Home Economics Director, Federal Food Administration for Tennessee and the Food Director, Tennessee Division, Women's Committee, Council of National Defense. Page [2] includes the luncheon's menu. Page [3] includes the 'toasts' listing of two reports' titles, "Production of food in our homes" and "Conservation of food in our homes' from Women of West, Middle and East Tennessee. This luncheon is evidence of home demonstration agents' contribution to the war effort in lieu of food production and conservation and Tennessee women's connection to the Women's Rights Movement in the United States. From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
Sixth Annual Meeting of Women Agents, April 16-21, 1917
The typewritten pamphlet includes the daily meeting schedule for the Sixth Annual Meeting of Tennessee's Women Home Demonstrating Agents at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, April 16-21, 1917. The meetings included a variety of home demonstration topics, ranging from canning, food preservation, beeskeeping to textile laboratory work. From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
Recipes
The St. Patricks Soup's recipe handwritten in pencil on the back of a blank page of the stationary from Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta. From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
Four dessert recipes handwritten with pencil on a sheet of paper include "Mrs. Rutherford's Cheap Fruit Cake, Caramel Pies (Sue Bradley), Coffee Cake, and Fruit Cake (Helen [illegible])". From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
A draft in pencil with Moore's handwriting discussing fruits' preservation in syrup and the use of saccharometer to measure the syrup's density. From the Virginia P. Moore Digital Collection.
Extension Special Circulars (known simply as Circulars until November 1936) were published by the University of Tennessee Extension Service. Each circular has a unique title and topic, and they vary in size and length. Topics include building plans, home gardening and horticultural advice, rural engineering information, clothing and home management, animal husbandry, and farm management. A selection of issues from 1925 through 1968 are available in this collection.
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| Four boys with the feed hoppers they made in an animal husbandry class. From the Pi Beta Phi to Arrowmont Digital Collection. |
Special circular presenting designs for a chicken feed hopper. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Special circular presenting designs for a pig self-feeder. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Special circular presenting designs for a hog self-feeder and stall for hog creep feeding. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Winter hog production in Tennessee
Special circular on feed mixtures for pigs and their ingredients. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Black walnut for timber and nuts
Circular presenting guidelines on planting black walnut trees and use of their products. Includes location of planting, how to plant, differentiating nuts, gathering and processing the products, and selling the products. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Feeding black strap molasses to cattle – hogs – sheep - workstock
Special circular on the use of molasses for livestock feed, with details on particular modifications for different animals. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
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| Pi Beta Phi Settlement School class assisting in the construction of a poultry house, or brooder house, at one of the boy's home. From the Pi Beta Phi to Arrowmont Digital Collection. |
Special circular presenting the food requirements needed for preparing turkeys for market. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Group Discussion: Selecting the variety of corn to grow
Special circular presenting the factors that influence what type of corn farmers grow. Factors considered include soil moisture, fertility of the soil, fertilizers available, and desired yield. Includes data on corn yields by variety and county from 1930. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Group Discussion: why grow alfalfa
Special circular presenting on the feeding value of alfalfa for livestock. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Panel discussion: better fall gardens with new vegetables
Special circular that suggests planting four new plants: savoy cabbage, chinese cabbage, tendergreen, and shogoin turnip. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Special circular on value trends of different crops in Tennessee over the span of four years. Supplement to Farm prices received by Tennessee farmers, 1910-1938 (with comparisons of prices during 1910-1914). From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Special circular on constructing a storage building for protecting potatoes from the elements. From the Extension Special Circulars Digital Collection.
Assorted material relating to Agriculture across all digital collections
By clicking the above link, you will be lead to a master link to images in all of our collections that have been tagged as relating to "agriculture." You may want to narrow down the results by using the filters on the left side of the page. To find more information on how to search through our digital collections, please see the "Navigating Digital Collections" page.
A recipe book from the Royal Baking Powder Company that offers recipes designed to work with the food shortages and rationing of WWI. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
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| Tennessee Home Food Supply Program Certificate of Recognition. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection. |
A United States ration book from World War II that was issued to 25 year old Mamie Sue Marshall of Englewood, Tennessee by issuing officer Mrs. J. Buckner. During World War II, many food items and other goods were rationed in the U.S. Citizens were issued ration books to ensure equal and regulated distribution of rationed items. In the book there are stamps labeled: coffee, sugar, and spare. (Photograph from ration book on the left). From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
One type of war ration book distributed during WWII. This one was issued to Annette Elaine Church. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
This is a United States ration book from World War II. In World War II, many food items and other goods were rationed in the United States. Citizens were issued ration books to ensure equal distribution of food and other rationed items and materials. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
One type of war ration book issued during WWII. This one was issued to Robert R. Church. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
War Production Program 1943 Farm Plan
This document shows a list of products needed/used for the war through the war production program. The reverse side gives the year`s quota. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
Tennessee farm prices in War I and War II periods
Special circular comparing the price trends of World War I and World War II. From the Volunteer Voices Digital Collection.
Full Digital Collections
Tennessee Farm News is a series of weekly news releases published by the University of Tennessee Extension Service between 1918 through 1989. Announcements cover historical crop yields, market prices, farm facts, home economics, and 4-H club updates.
Tennessee Farm and Home Science
Tennessee Farm and Home Science is a quarterly progress report released by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station from 1952-1994. It primarily focuses on agricultural research conducted at Experiment Stations across the state.
University of Tennessee Extension Special Circulars
Published by the University of Tennessee Extension Service, this collection contains a selection of circulars from 1925-1968. Topics include building plans, home gardening and horticultural advice, rural engineering information, clothing and home management, animal husbandry, and farm management.
Virginia Pearl Moore was the first home demonstration agent in Tennessee. Her home demonstration work expanded to incorporate all aspects of domestic life, including cooking, canning, sewing, cleaning, and managing home finances.
Volunteer Voices provides access to digitized primary sources, such as photographs, letters, diaries, oral histories, and other artifacts, documenting the history and culture of Tennessee. The collection includes materials from archives, historical societies, libraries, and museums from across the state.
Primary Source Databases
- What's on the menu?Collection of historical menus at the New York Public Library.
- Food and Drink in History
Explores over five centuries of primary source material documenting the story of food and drink. Includes printed and manuscript cookbooks, advertising ephemera, government reports, films and illustrated content sourced from across the globe to reflect a wide range of food cultures and traditions.
UT Library has access for modules 1 and 2.
- Pearlstein (Leo) papersLeo Pearlstein is an American public relations executive known as the "Culinary King of Public Relations" and one of the pioneers of food consulting. The collection is comprised of recipes, photographs, press releases, magazine clippings, letters, memoranda, emails, menus, leaflets, and brochures related to Pearlstein's public relations business' with the food and beverage industry.