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Thomas Claiborne, seated, in masonic attire., Grand Master of the Knights Templar, 1813-1814.

Portrait of Robert Searcy in masonic regalia., Nashville lawyer; Grand Master of the Knights Templar, 1815-1816. Owned Robert ""Black Bob"" Renfro from 1792 until 1801, when the 4th Legislature of Tennessee declared the African American entrepreneur a free man.

Copy negative of painted portrait of George Wilson seated, wearing masonic attire.; Biography included., Grand Master of the Knights Templar, 1840.

Portrait of Robert L. Caruthers (1800-1882) in fraternal [masonic] costume., Attorney General, 1827-1832, Member of the Legislature, 1835, Brigadier-General of Tennessee Militia,1834, Congress, 1841, Supreme Court, 1853, elected Governor of Tennessee, 1863, not seated due to military occupation by the Federal Army.

Letter from Captain Noah Hart of the 10th Michigan Infantry to his wife Emily. Dated September 29, 1863. Noah wrote from Widows Ford on the Tennessee River in Alabama. He was having a "splendid" time bestowing kindnesses upon citizens and fellow soldiers. His regiment, assigned to supply duty, anticipated moving into battle at any time. Hart mentioned his new pistol and a handwritten note on the letter's transcription reads: "Note: for 'first' presentation pistol (or was it one of a pair) see under his name in Index: Corydon Foote's "With Sherman to the Sea." Presentation sword & pistol now (1968) in possession of Clarence Hart M.D. - Major U.S. Army. According to Corydon Foote - soldier Foster stole presentation pistol & threw it into Tennessee River sometime late in Oct, early in November, 1863. After having been 'bucked & gagged' outside Captain's tent for some misdemeanor, he seems to have been a constant thief, fraternizer, opportunist, etc." Foote's book is available in Special Collections, Rebecca Crown Library, Dominican University.

A portrait of George C. Connor wearing masonic attire. One of his garments displays the Eye of Providence (All-Seeing Eye)., Knights Templar Grand Master, 1878.

"The Oyen Collection is a group of designs done by artists and workmen employed by Odin J. Oyen in his decorating business. Ranging from preliminary drawings to finished watercolors, these designs show each of the steps from idea to final painting. Because the Oyen firm decorated almost every possible type of building, these designs give the present viewer a better understanding of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Subject matter and style of execution vary through time and partially depend upon their intended use. The Oyen firm clearly suited the subject of the paintings to the use of the building.” -- Dr. Leslie F. Crocker in “A Catalog of the Oyen Collection,” 1979., La Crosse, Wisconsin, attorney, Nicholas J. Passe, acquired over 100 individual original watercolor designs created by Odin J. Oyen, Leighton Oyen, or the Oyen interior design firm. Passe noted the intellectual and historical significance of these works and offered Murphy Library the opportunity to digitize the items and make them available in the Digital Collections. Murphy Library's Digital Collection Unit incorporated four digital capture techniques to produce these images at resolutions that enable users to view design details. Murphy Library thanks Nicholas Passe for his willingness to allow these items to be digitized and for his appreciation of their significance.

"The Oyen Collection is a group of designs done by artists and workmen employed by Odin J. Oyen in his decorating business. Ranging from preliminary drawings to finished watercolors, these designs show each of the steps from idea to final painting. Because the Oyen firm decorated almost every possible type of building, these designs give the present viewer a better understanding of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Subject matter and style of execution vary through time and partially depend upon their intended use. The Oyen firm clearly suited the subject of the paintings to the use of the building.” -- Dr. Leslie F. Crocker in “A Catalog of the Oyen Collection,” 1979., La Crosse, Wisconsin, attorney, Nicholas J. Passe, acquired over 100 individual original watercolor designs created by Odin J. Oyen, Leighton Oyen, or the Oyen interior design firm. Passe noted the intellectual and historical significance of these works and offered Murphy Library the opportunity to digitize the items and make them available in the Digital Collections. Murphy Library's Digital Collection Unit incorporated four digital capture techniques to produce these images at resolutions that enable users to view design details. Murphy Library thanks Nicholas Passe for his willingness to allow these items to be digitized and for his appreciation of their significance.