William J. Vaughn House
William J. Vaughn Home/Robert Penn Warren Center
William J. Vaughn Home/Robert Penn Warren CenterWhen Vanderbilt University was built, it was situated out in the country, away from the center of downtown Nashville. Since housing near the university was limited, homes for faculty were constructed along the edge of campus. Residence #5 (so called due to the legend assigned when it was first added to the campus map) was given to William J. Vaughn, Professor of Mathematics 1883-1912. The number assigned to the house changed over the years as other buildings were added to the official campus map and the legend expanded to include the new additions.
Since 1987, it has been the home of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities which is dedicated to humanities research.
Photographic Archives
Vanderbilt University Photographic Archives
The Vanderbilt University Photographic Archives contains photographic images of the Vanderbilt University community from the founding of the university in 1875 up to early 2000. The archives includes images of buildings, campus scenes, portraits, group photos, construction scenes and other topics.
Access to the Collection
For the Vanderbilt community, the collection is now accessible through the Vanderbilt University's Media Database. Register for an account on the home page, then use the "Contact Us" page to request access to the collection.
For non-Vanderbilt users, please contact Special Collections for assistance.
Digital Files
Students enrolled in the course may access digital files related to the Vaughn home.
Background Resources
Gone with the Ivy: A Biography of Vanderbilt University by Call Number: LD5588 .C66 1985ISBN: 087049452XPublication Date: 1985-06-01A comprehensive history of Vanderbilt University, from its beginnings in 1873 to 1982.- History of Vanderbilt University byCall Number: LD5588 .M5Publication Date: 1946An early history of Vanderbilt University from its beginning in 1873 up to the end of World War II.
- Brief History of Vanderbilt University byCall Number: LD5588 .M32 1973Publication Date: 1973A brief history of Vanderbilt University, covering 1873 to 1973.
The Vanderbilt Campus by Call Number: LD5588 .M33ISBN: 0826512100Publication Date: 1979-12-01A pictorial survey of the Vanderbilt campus from 1873 up to 1978. There are 25 brief essays on aspects of the campus, an alphabetical list and identification of persons for whom buildings are named, and a chronological list of buildings with their principal architects.- Nashville in the 1890's byCall Number: F444 .N2 W25ISBN: 0826511651Publication Date: 1970-11-01Story of Nashville, Tennessee from 1890 to 1899 as related in written memoirs and oral history interviews with local residents.
- Nashville 1900-1910 byCall Number: F444 .N2 W26ISBN: 0826511651Publication Date: 1970-11-01Story of Nashville, Tennessee 1900-1910 as related in written memoirs and oral history interviews with local residents.
Nashville by Design by Call Number: Special Collections F444 .N28 S25 2009ISBN: 9780984230501Publication Date: 2009-10-01
The Plan of Nashville by Call Number: Stacks HT168 .N3 K74 2005ISBN: 0826514588Publication Date: 2005-01-30The Plan of Nashville is a community-based vision of how the urban core of Nashville should look and work in the 21st century. The purpose is to help the central city hold its place in civic life. Since Nashville assumed a metropolitan form of government - merging city and county - there have been almost a hundred plans that dealt with some aspect of the center city.
Classical Nashville by Call Number: Stacks F444 .N25 C58 1996ISBN: 0826512771Publication Date: 1996-10-31On the occasion of Tennessee's Bicentennial, four distinguished authors offer new insights and a broader appreciation of the classical influences that have shaped the architectural, cultural, and educational history of its capital city.
Location: Special Collections. Ask at reception desk for assistance.
John Thomas McGill Papers
Box 11
File on Vaughn
Stella and William Vaughn Collection
Box 1 - scrapbook
Box 12-13 - correspondence, ledger books
Box 17 - "Vanderbilt Days" by Stella Vaughn
Boxes 19-21 - photographs
Boxes 25-26 - photographs
Waller Project Collection
Box 3 - memoirs by Stella Vaughn
A Half Century at Vanderbilt
January 29, 1948
Miss Stella S. Vaughn's Memories of the Vanderbilt Campus, 1882-1948
- John T. McGill PapersFinding aid for the John T. McGill Papers. Contains subject files on Vanderbilt history topics.
- William and Stella Vaughn Collection InventoryBox by box inventory of the William and Stella Vaughn Collection.
- Waller Project Collection InventoryBox by box inventory of the Waller Project Collection. Contains interviews and memoirs used for the books "Nashville in the 1890s" and "Nashville 1900-1910" by William Waller.
- Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970 (Tennessee) This link opens in a new windowLarge-scale landbook maps which includes information such as outline of each building, the size and shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures, location of windows and doors, street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers. Textual information includes construction details, ownership and building use. Fire insurance maps of Tennessee.
- HeritageQuest Online This link opens in a new windowCollection of genealogical and historical sources, with coverage dating back to the 1700s. Searches U.S. Federal Censuses, genealogy and local history books, Periodical Source Index (PERSI), Revolutionary War records, Freedman's Bank Records, slave records (from either the 1850 or 1860 US Census) including counts of enslaved people by state, and the Memorials, Petitions and Private Relief Actions from the U.S. Serial Set.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowHistorical access to the following newspapers: Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, The Baltimore Afro-American, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Defender, The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Call & Post, The Commercial Appeal, Detroit Free Press, The Globe and Mail, Hartford Courant, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Exponent, Korea Times, Knoxville News Sentinel, Leftist Newspapers, Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Courier Journal, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, The New York Times, New York Tribune, Norfolk Journal & Guide, The Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Tennessean, The Times of India, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
Campus Planning Facilities Library
Contact person: Chris Jones, chris.jones@vanderbilt.edu
Campus Planning maintains historical building records. Contact them for information on access to historical building information.
