Society for Commercial Archeology records

Spanning primarily from 1977-2017, the Society for Commercial Archeology (SCA) documents the activities and business of the organization and provides visual and cultural artifacts about commercial archeology and roadside architecture. With a bulk of the collection from 1977-2008, the collection documents various components of roadside architecture including diners, bus stations, neon signs, historic highways, and other commercial landmarks in the United States. Record types include minutes, financial reports, budgets, publications, pamphlets, postcards, newspaper clippings, articles, agendas, essays, photographs, slides, and correspondence.

The first accessions in 2016-2017 were primarily obtained through former board members Beth Dodd, Mildred Millie O'Connell, Jen Jennings, and Gregory Smith. Their records span the business of the organization such as membership, budget, planning tours and conferences, elections, memorandums, reports and correspondence between board members, and other related topics. Much of the later administrative files were received from Beth Dodd, a former Board member and co-organizer of the 2008 SCA conference in New Mexico. The records reflect her participation in SCA conferences (1998-2002, 2004, 2007-2008), notes from board meetings, her service on the Nomination Committee, and general correspondence. Similarly, a portion of the early organizational records and correspondence are attributed to Millie O’Connell and Jen Jennings, former SCA board members.

A sizeable portion of the collection documents the publication process of the SCA News, the quarterly newsletter, from 1994-1999. Records related to these publications include correspondence sent to then editor, Gregory Smith, essays, newspaper clippings, articles, postcards, and photographs submitted mostly by members for publication. The records provide an insight into what occurred in commercial archeology at the time of publication. Circulated serials of the journal and newsletter can be found at The University of Texas at Austin's Architecture and Planning Library and can be searched through the UT Catalog.

The collection also contains visual and cultural artifacts documenting restaurants, highways, diners, drive-ins, and other related businesses. These artifacts include stickers, business cards, postcards, and pamphlets. Businesses covered include international chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, White Castle, and Greyhound, as well as regional mom-and-pop chains including Rein's, Hilltop Steak House, Bertha's Restaurant & Bar. Information artifacts such as clippings and articles also document the commercial landscape.

The next accession was received fall 2017 from former board member, Michael Bert Bedeau. The organization and compiling of the material can be attributed to Susan Shearer, a former board member from 1980-1988. Records include minutes, agendas, administrative records, correspondence, subject files, and related publications predominately dating from the early 1970s to the late 1980s.