Two older women keep watch from paintings on one wall of the former library at the A.D. White House and Aidan Goldberg 鈥25 is on a quest to find out who they might be.
That鈥檚 just one of the historical mysteries Goldberg is solving as he spends the summer putting together a history of the house, which was the home of Cornell鈥檚 first president, then housed the university鈥檚 art collection and today hosts the Society for the Humanities. The booklet he鈥檚 creating will be printed and available for visitors.
As a student in the Humanities Scholars Program, Goldberg is interested in poetry, writing and music and now also Cornell history.
鈥淚 feel humbled to be in this house and think about who鈥檚 been here before me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 feel like a bit of a steward for the house now. It鈥檚 a really cool way to be connected to the school that I鈥檓 in.鈥
His summer living expenses are supported by a Humanities Scholars Program Summer Experience Grant, open to students working on a supervised humanities research project.
鈥淪tudents, visitors, and other campus community members wander into the A.D. White House almost every day and say, 鈥業鈥檝e never been in here before. What goes on in this building?鈥 We also once heard a student tell her family just outside the main entrance of the building that this was where (Cornell President) Martha Pollack lives,鈥 said Julie McLean, program manager for the Society for the Humanities. 鈥淲e feel it鈥檚 time to communicate the lengthy and important history of the house, its foundation as a center for the study and contemplation of the arts and humanities and its continuation today as a center for humanities classes, events, research and scholarship.鈥
Goldberg has spent hours in Cornell Library鈥檚 Rare and Manuscript Collection, looking through photos and memorabilia from the house, including a guest book, maps from the years when the house was the university museum and programs from events that happened there, as well as diaries from A.D. White. He鈥檚 also sifted through boxes of documents in the house鈥檚 basement.
Among the many tidbits he鈥檚 gleaned from that research:
- The Big Red Barn used to function as White鈥檚 carriage house;
- A.D. White鈥檚 chair (which used to sit in every president鈥檚 office, but is really uncomfortable) is still in storage in the house;
- And the table in the dining room is an original from White鈥檚 time there.
He鈥檚 learned about A.D. White鈥檚 love for the humanities, his trips to Europe to enrich the university鈥檚 collection of books, his focus on excellent lecturing and his progressive thoughts about the importance of diversity in education.
Goldberg said although his academic interests usually lie in other areas, he does enjoy history when it鈥檚 mystical or he has a connection.
鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 spend this much time in a house this beautiful, with so much history here,鈥 said Goldberg, whose work this summer also includes staff support for events at the house. 鈥淓ven taking out the trash or making sure the lights are off and the doors locked, I think about walking where A.D. White walked. And peeling back these layers of history does feel special and mystical to me.鈥
The history booklet, along with a map of the house, will be printed as part of the celebration of the Society鈥檚 50th year in the A.D. White House. The Society has been in existence since the mid-1960s, but moved into the house in 1973 as the art collection moved over to the brand new Johnson Museum.
The celebration year will begin on Friday, Aug. 25, with a special welcome reception for Cornell humanities faculty and current Society fellows.
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