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The 17th-20th Century Correspondence and Documents consists of letters, documents, and various forms of correspondence relating to notable names and celebrities from between 1618 and 1981.

The Degen Resource Room has an extensive historic playbill collection. The collection consists of playbills of productions from all over the world beginning in 1873. The Degen Resource Room is continuing to catalog this massive collection, so the entire scope of this collection cannot yet be assessed. However, it is estimated that we hold one of the premiere playbill collections in the nation. As cataloging continues to take place, we will be able to ascertain the extent of this very special and unique collection.

The Degen Resource Room holds a large collection of blueprints of shop construction drawings and stage designs. This collection encompasses stage designs for Broadway and off-Broadway productions, touring theatrical productions, prestigious awards shows and television set designs. Currently, over 750 set designs have been cataloged with an estimated 500-750 more to be assessed.

This collection relates to Eleanor Gifford who served in the special services and her brother Elliott T. Gifford who served as an Aerographer's Mate in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Elliott T. Gifford was killed in action on board the USAT Dorchester when it was sunk on February 3, 1943 by a German submarine. This collection contains documents, newspaper clippings, German event posters, radio transcripts, letters, and photographs predominately from Eleanor M. Gifford.

This collection contains newspaper articles on the movie industry in Florida from 1898 to 1980. Topics include the film industry in various Florida cities and film companies in Florida. Dr. Nelson wrote a dissertation entitled, Florida and the American motion picture industry 1898-1930. Other topics pertinent to the collection include: film companies, film studios, Tallahassee, motion picture companies, New York, Winter Haven history, Gainesville, Clearwater, Florida Keys, Ocala, Palm Beach, women directors, technicolor, Florida film history, Jacksonville, Tarzan, Florida Senate, New Port Richey, silent comedies, Florida House of Representatives, Florida culture, Tampa newspapers, Miami, Florida banking, newsreels, St. Petersburg newspapers, hurricanes, minoritized individuals, Black people in Florida film, Orlando, Palatka, theaters in Florida, Hollywood, Coral Gables, St. Augustine, Stuart, Civil War in film, governors, Cypress Gardens, Marianna, Pensacola, Panama City, Fort Lauderdale, Ormond Beach, Florida history, broadcasting, Burt Reynolds, Cuba, silent film industry, interviews with people in the Florida film industry including Billy and Arline Bletcher, Lucy Bowden Haughton, Sidney Vaughn, Bender A. Cawthen, Harold Haliday Costain, Glen Lambert, Jack Levin and Lucille Hardy Price, actors, animation, Canadian film, directors, comedy, horror, science fiction, musicals, westersn, film libraries in Los Angeles, Florida pornography films, Los Angeles Film Teachers Association, Japanese film, publicity stills of actors and actresses, and movie law. Contains MSS 86-21; MSS 88-2; MSS 89-16.