William F. Groves Photographs, 1888-1942

Title: William F. Groves Photographs, 1888-1942

Predominant Dates: 1897-1910

ID: P 135

Primary Creator: Groves, William F. (1878-1973)

Extent: 0.1 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The William F. Groves Photographs are comprised of one series: 1. Photographs, 1888-1942. The photographs are arranged in the order assigned during the collection's preliminary processing.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The William F. Groves Photographs consist primarily of portraits of Groves' OAC classmates and of OAC electrical engineering students from the classes of 1909 and 1910. Other photographs in the collection include a reproduced lithograph of the F.A. Horning Mill; a series of panoramic photographs taken from a forest fire lookout shelter on Marys Peak near Corvallis, Oregon; and an interior image of what is believed to be the Bovill (Idaho) Opera House. A portrait photograph of his sister, Edna, is also included. Most of the photographs held in this collection are mounted.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

William Franklin Groves, also known as Frank William Groves, was born on March 17, 1878 to William Frank Groves and Emma Keziah (Horning) Groves in Corvallis, Oregon. After William and Emma’s wedding in 1865, William Groves took over operation of Emma’s father’s mill, the F.A. Horning carding mill (carding is a process by which raw wool is brushed, sorted, and rolled to prepare it for spinning). The mill closed in 1900 due to competition from large factories in the area that were able to produce ready-made wool more quickly by using machinery that combined the processes of carding, spinning, and weaving.

William Franklin Groves graduated from Oregon Agricultural College in 1897 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He stayed in Corvallis for the rest of his life, working as both a horticulturist and firefighter. In 1910 he purchased and expanded the home of his maternal grandfather, Frederick Augustus Horning, and continued to maintain the property, which was across town from the original site of the mill and farm. In 1973 the farmland was designated as a Century Farm by the Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program (the land had been in the Groves family since Horning’s 640-acre donation land claim in 1850). Upon Horning’s death, the land was split among his 11 children; William Franklin Groves assumed responsibility of his mother’s 70 acre inheritance, continuing to use the land to cultivate prunes, apples, and walnuts.

In the 1930s, Groves took an interest in the management of Marys Peak summit and successfully campaigned for the use of public funds to purchase the previously privately owned summit and open it for public use. He subsequently volunteered on a commission to further the development of Marys Peak as a site for recreation for nearly 20 years.

William Franklin Groves never married but cared for his mother Emma and sisters, Lillie May, Jessie Willete, and Edna, throughout their lives. William Franklin Groves died on August 18, 1973 in Corvallis.

More Extent Information: 18 photographs; 2 boxes, including 1 oversize box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: This collection was received by the former University Archives in the 1960s or 1970s.

Related Materials:

The OSU Special Collections and Archives Researcher Center holdings contain numerous collections documenting the student experience at Oregon Agricultural College at the close of the 20th century, including the Robert H. Gellatly Photograph Collection (P 074), the Sydney Trask Photograph Collection (P 096), the W.J. Gilstrap Papers (MSS Gilstrap), the William L. Pate Collection (MSS Pate), the Sorosis Literary Society Records (RG 046), the Clarence L. Bump Papers (MSS Bump), and the Chester L. Proebstel Collection (MSS Proebstel).

Collections relating to the study of Engineering in general, and Mechanical Engineering more specifically, include the College of Engineering Records (RG 062), the Mechanical Engineering Department Records (RG 213), the Mechanical Engineering Department Lantern Slides (P 229), the Oregon Agricultural College Engineering Association Records (RG 040), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Oregon State College Student Branch Records (MSS ASME).

Preferred Citation: William F. Groves Photographs (P 135), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before December 3, 2015. This finding aid has been updated to reflect current arrangement and description best practices.

Groves, William F. (1878-1973)

Bovill Opera House (Bovill, Idaho)
Fire lookouts--Oregon.
Groves, William F., 1878-1973.
Marys Peak (Or.)
Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
Oregon Agricultural College. Class of 1910
University History
Wool-carding.

Panoramic photographs.
Photographic prints.