Collection

Our Collection

The Carolyn White Siegfried and DeFois Hathaway Siegfried Archive Center at Rochester School for the Deaf holds two primary collections: Documents and Audio-Visual records. These two collections include photographic prints, negatives, motion picture films, books, newsletters, and much more. Items in these collections span more than 130 years. Some items date back to the founding of RSD in 1876 and encompass over 100 cubic feet of historical materials.

Our Archive Center is on the second floor of Perkins Hall at RSD and includes an archival storage area, a research room, and a small museum; a second, larger museum is located on the first floor of Perkins Hall.  Our museum areas display an interesting assortment of RSD items, including photographs, dance clothes, old printing equipment, a long hearing tube, wooden ice skates, and many other objects.

Included below is a sample of the subjects our collection covers:

School Programs: Academic Bowl, Adventures in Education, vocational classes, Close-Up, Space Camp, Outward Bound, leadership retreats, PRIDE (supported employment program), RASA@RSD (Rochester After School Academy at RSD), and RSD’s Residential Treatment Program with Hillside Children's Center.

Events: Proms, graduations, spring festivals, school plays, theatre performances, dramatic presentations, anniversaries, awards, foreign trips, and historical events.

Sports: Basketball, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, softball, physical culture, boxing, and wrestling.

People: Alumni, Board of Directors, Deaf presenters, Deaf Artists in Residence, Founders, Superintendents, Staff / Teachers, Helen Keller, and Alexander Graham Bell.

Student Organizations: Yearbook Club, Student Council, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Jr. NAD, Lambda Phi Phi, and the Optimist Club.

RSD Campus: Buildings and dorm life.

Rochester Method of Communication

Classes: Cooking, sewing, carpentry, printing, biology, and dance.

The center is open to members of the RSD community, researchers from academia as well as interested individuals from the private sector.

Research may be conducted by appointment only. Since the archive center operates with part-time and volunteer staff, hours are limited. Please contact the archive center at least two weeks in advance of your desired visit and describe the nature of your inquiry to arrange a time.

Contact us

Rochester School for the Deaf
Archive Center, Perkins Hall
1545 St. Paul Street
Rochester, NY 14621
E-mail: [email protected]