What is the Brumby Collection?
In the late 1820s, a Lincolnton lawyer named Richard Trapier Brumby set up a private law school at his home, somewhere between Lincolnton and Statesville. Years later, he had become the chair of chemistry, mineralogy and geology at the University of Alabama. According to one source, over the years, Brumby collected a cabinet of 30,000 specimens of minerals, rocks, fossils, shells, etc.
Brumby donated a portion of his collection to Davidson, as Davidson was expanding its offerings in natural science. The collection was housed in Chambers, Davidson's main academic building. However, in 1921, there was a fire and the building, and presumably most, if not all, of the collection was destroyed.
The Brumby Collection is mentioned in the following Davidson-College related materials:
- a November 1942 article from the Davidson College Bulletin, Alumni Journal Issue.
- Shaw, Cornelia Rebekah. Davidson College; Intimate Facts. New York: Fleming Revell Press, 1923.
- Beaty, Mary D. A History of Davidson College. Davidson, N.C: Briarpatch Press, 1988.
The acquisition of the Brumby Collection is also featured in our 19th century Board of Trustee Minutes (digitized and available here).