Alice Austen Religious Retreat Correspondence
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:35:51 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:23 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Religious Retreat Correspondence Collection
Overview
This digital collection comprises Alice Austen’s personal correspondence and related visual materials from her participation in the 1888 Northfield religious retreat. The items include scanned images of handwritten letters (JPG files), typed transcriptions (TXT files), and accompanying metadata. The collection is organized by date and place, with the primary focus on the retreat that began on August 18, 1888, and the subsequent travels to Boston, Seabright, Morristown, and Fishkill.Background
Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering Staten Island photographer, was also an active participant in late‑19th‑century religious revival movements. The Northfield retreat was led by the evangelical preacher Dwight L. Moody, a central figure in American Protestantism. Austen’s letters provide a first‑hand account of Moody’s gospel instruction, the charitable donation of $3,000 to support missionary work, and the social dynamics of the retreat. The collection was curated by the Alice Austen House Museum, preserving Austen’s broader network of friends and family, including her friend Lola, who contributed photographs that Austen praised.Contents
- Correspondence: Two primary letters dated August 18, 1888, detailing the retreat’s itinerary, Moody’s teachings, and the donation event.
- Photographs: Scanned images of the letters (JPG files) with embedded OCR text that captures key excerpts such as “delightful Bible instruction” and “wonderful man.”
- Transcriptions: Typed versions of the handwritten letters (TXT files) for easier reading and research.
- Metadata: Descriptive tags covering subjects such as religious retreats, Christianity, Dwight Moody, Northfield, Bible instruction, travel, family correspondence, and social life.
Scope
The collection covers the period of the 1888 Northfield retreat, specifically August 18, 1888, and the immediate travel days that followed. Geographic coverage includes Northfield (Massachusetts), Boston (Massachusetts), Seabright (New Jersey), Morristown (New Jersey), and Fishkill (New York). The materials focus on religious instruction, charitable giving, travel logistics, and social interactions among attendees. Items outside this timeframe or unrelated to the retreat are not included.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}
@dwight_moody:person {occupation: "evangelist"}
@lola:person {relation: "friend of Alice Austen"}
@northfield:place {state: "Massachusetts", country: @united_states}
@northfield_retreat:event {type: "religious retreat", when: @date_1888_08_18, where: @northfield}
@boston:place {state: "Massachusetts", country: @united_states}
@seabright:place {state: "New Jersey", country: @united_states}
@morristown:place {state: "New Jersey", country: @united_states}
@fishkill:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}
@grand_army_meeting:event {type: "meeting", where: @boston, when: @date_1888_08_18}
@marquand_hall:place {donor: @dwight_moody, purpose: "girls' education"}
@star_hall:place {purpose: "gospel meetings"}
@valley_of_connecticut_river:place {description: "Valley of the Connecticut River"}
@gospel_instruction:concept {description: "Bible instruction at Northfield"}
@collection_donation:concept {amount: "$3000", purpose: "support for missionary"}
@file_1888_8_18_aug_3002_fishkill_jpg:file {type: "image asset with OCR"}
@file_1888_8_18_aug_3003_fishkill_jpg:file {type: "image asset with OCR"}
@alice_austen -> attended -> @northfield_retreat:event
@alice_austen -> traveled -> @boston {when: @date_1888_08_18}
@alice_austen -> noted -> @grand_army_meeting:event {location: @boston}
@alice_austen -> wrote -> @file_1888_8_18_aug_3002_fishkill_jpg
@alice_austen -> wrote -> @file_1888_8_18_aug_3003_fishkill_jpg
@dwight_moody -> led -> @northfield_retreat:event
@dwight_moody -> built -> @marquand_hall
@dwight_moody -> built -> @star_hall
@alice_austen -> praised -> @dwight_moody {quote: "wonderful man"}
@alice_austen -> described -> @gospel_instruction {description: "delightful Bible instruction"}
@alice_austen -> reported -> @collection_donation {amount: "$3000", purpose: "support for missionary"}
@alice_austen -> mentioned -> @lola {context: "photos"}Metadata
Files (2)
OCR Text
Tell to what sect any speakers belonged but it was just gospel teaching one evening Mr. Moody was very much interested in the statement of one of the missionaries and he said he will take up a collection now for you and in less than a half hour $3000 was subscribed. Nothing people were so earnest for there is no excitement about Mr. Moody. We went from Northfield to Boston and passed two days there but it was an unfortunate time as it was the Grand Army meeting there and almost impossible to get good lodgings so we had not stayed quite as long as we intended - we go on Wednesday to Seabright & Morristown & shall be away about a fortnight. We were so pleased with Lola's photos I think they were a great success for her little instrument. Hope she's having a nice time with her The cottage Aug 18th I was very happy to receive your letter and heard you had such a pleasant journey home. I think the impression of a visit is often tinged by the way it ends and I always like to hear my friends have got home without any "contretemps." We always enjoy yours & Lola's news. I think she is a dear child so bright & intelligent and seems to enjoy association with those other than herself. I wish we were a little nearer each other and could be more together. I received your letter just as I was starting off on our trip to Northfield. We had a very pleasant time and I hope
OCR Text
a profitable one—for we had most delightful Bible instruction at Northfield and I think we are responsible of we do not carry out in our lives the good things we learn from such teachings. It is a wonderful place—and Mr Moody is a wonderful man. It is beautifully situated in the Valley of the Connecticut river with high lands all around it forming a beautifully cultivated amphitheatre on which these five handsome buildings connected with Mr Moody's work are situated. They have all been the gift of different persons interested in his work and are named after the giver. We were in Marquand Hall which was given by him. They are most substantial and well built—three of them are for the instruction of girls where they get an excellent education which will fit them for any occupation they may select—for $100 a year board included. It is during vacation he has these gospel meetings and then their houses are open to receive the visitors—one is called star hall in which all these meetings are held and the other is a fine library—the building & library both a gift—then about 2 1/2 miles off he has a similar establishment for the education of boys—the buildings and every available place in the village was crowded with visitors—all there with the one sole aim—to profit by the Bible instruction and every meeting was crowded—he takes great pains to get good speakers and their teachings are all expository. There were persons there from every part of the United States even California from England, Germany, a Bohemian & his wife from India, and foreign and domestic missionaries—there was nothing doctrinal you could not
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:35:51 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:17:27 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:45:03 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:23 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Religious_Retreat"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)