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Guide to the Edwin W. Small Papers

This finding aid describes the Edwin W. Small Papers, part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.

Collection Overview

Collection Number: HFCA 3642
Accession Number: HFCA-00451
Creator: Small, Edwin Williams (1907-1974)
Title: Edwin W. Small Papers
Dates: 1938-1956
Extent: 0.2 LF
Language of Materials: English

Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized.

Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open to research use.
Conditions Governing Use: Some of the reports and other reference materials in this collection were not produced by the NPS and may not be in the public domain. See https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en. See also the NPS general archives copyright & restrictions information.
Provenance: Transferred from Salem Maritime National Historic Site (now Salem Maritime National Historical Park) to the NPS History Collection in September 1975. The collection was originally donated to Salem Maritime National Historic Site by Carmen Small.
Processing Note: This collection was processed by Mikaela Wilson in May 2026.

Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: Edwin W. Small Papers (HFCA 3642), NPS History Collection
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Related Materials:

Biographical Note

Edwin Williams Small was born December 21, 1907, in Goshen, Connecticut. He began his studies at Yale University in 1926, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930. After working in the insurance field, he decided to pursue graduate studies in history. He received a certificate in secondary education from the Department of Education, State of Connecticut in 1932 before returning to Yale. He earned a Master of Arts in History in 1935, writing his master's thesis on the origins of conservation in New York State and the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

In June 1935 Small joined the National Park Service (NPS) as an associate historian. Working in Springfield and Boston, Massachusetts, he conducted field investigations and prepared reports on historical assets in state parks as part of the NPS Emergency Conservation Work (ECW). From 1936 to 1938 he performed historic site survey work and other historical work related to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He worked in Washington, DC as an associate historian from January to March 1936, before moving to the new regional office in Boston. Eventually, this office moved to the Custom House in Salem, Massachusetts, which was one of the main buildings included in the new Salem Maritime National Historic Site (SAMA) when the park was established in 1938. In March 1937 Small became acting superintendent of the Derby Wharf National Historic Site Project. He was appointed superintendent of the newly established Salem Maritime National Historic Site in February 1938. He emphasized restoration of the Custom House and Derby House rather than the wharves, citing that these properties had more historical and architectural value in comparison.

In March 1943 he was called to active duty for World War II and commissioned as a lieutenant in the US Navy. During his war service he worked for the Office of Naval Records and Library and was responsible for compiling bureaus’ administrative history, use and security of some classified materials related to WWII, as well as the inventory and storage of war relics transferred to his unit. He was discharged in April 1946 as a lieutenant commander. Small resumed his position as superintendent of SAMA in July 1946. From November 1947 to June 1953, he also served as coordinating superintendent for Adams National Historic Site. He married Carmen Rich in 1953.

In February 1956 he resigned from the NPS to become an official on the Boston National Historic Site Commission. In this position he worked as a research scholar and authored reports that surveyed historical resources in Boston, resulting in the creation of Minute Man National Historical Park (MIMA) in 1959. He was the acting project manager for MIMA from July 1960 through February 1961. Small noted that there were difficulties getting estimates for land acquisition during this time, and that he feared if MIMA wasn't created, that the area would fall victim to growing suburban construction. It took two years to establish the proposed boundaries for the park, with Small stating that Congressman McCormick and President Kennedy played significant roles in funding and pushing along legislation.

In 1961, Small became superintendent of MIMA and remained in that position until March 1965. Afterwards, he became a project coordinator for the Boston Historic Sites Project at MIMA, where he focused on addressing questions and concerns of historians in the area while also ensuring regular meetings of the MIMA Advisory Committee and recommending individuals for open positions.

In 1966 Small became superintendent of SAMA in March. He remained superintendent until November 1968. On January 26, 1969, Small was designated as an assistant to the Northeast Region Director Lemuel “Lon” Garrison in the New England Field Office.

Small officially retired from the NPS in July 1970 but was immediately reemployed as a collaborator to continue working as an assistant to the regional director. In 1971 Small remarked that his time with the NPS was coming to an end and he planned to work with MIT Press in his retirement. Despite his long tenures as superintendent, he primarily regarded himself as a historian.

In addition to his work with the NPS, Small was a member of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities, Essex Institute, Peabody Museum, East India Marine Society, and the Goshen Historical Society. He was also a trustee of Public Reservations in Boston, Massachusetts.

Small died March 4, 1974, at age 66.

Sources

Chase-Harrel, Pauline, Carol Ely, and Stanley Moss. Administrative History of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Boston: Boston Affiliates, Inc. 1993. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-I29-PURL-gpo84491/pdf/GOVPUB-I29-PURL-gpo84491.pdf.

“Edwin W. Small,” Find A Grave. Accessed May 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63530194/edwin-w-small.

Edwin W. Small Papers, (HFCA 3642), NPS History Collection.NPS Oral History Collection, (HFCA 1817), NPS History Collection. Small, Edwin W. “Salem--- A Pioneer in America’s Sea Commerce” The Regional Review volume 1, no. 1 (1938). Accessed May 2026. https://npshistory.com/newsletters/regional_review/vol1-1f.htm.

Superintendents of National Park System Areas,” Historic Listings of NPS Officials, NPS History. Last modified April 2016. Accessed May 2026. https://npshistory.com/publications/tolson/histlist7.htm.

Zenzen, Joan. Bridging the Past: Minute Man National Historic Park Administrative History. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 2010. https://npshistory.com/publications/mima/adhi.pdf.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and employment records related to Edwin Small’s NPS career (1938-1956). Personnel records include Small’s resume, position descriptions, correspondence related to transfers and promotions, paystubs, bonds, and performance ratings. Personal and informal correspondence also includes memoranda related to his positions, as well as materials related to his WWII service and personal correspondence with numerous NPS and non-NPS individuals. The official correspondence includes reference questions regarding SAMA properties, state property acquisitions regarding the Derby House and Custom House, historical research and surveys, the SAMA museum collection, communication with various superintendents, and official business travel are also included. Notable individuals mentioned include Arthur E. Demaray, Melvin Weig, Francis S. Ronalds, Narcissa Chamberlain, Charles Porter, and Louise DuPont Crowninshield. Noteworthy organizations include the Peabody Museum, Society of Architectural Historians, National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings, amongst others.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Container List

BOX 01
Folder 01: Correspondence, Official Service, 1938-1954
Folder 02: Correspondence, Personal & Informal, 1945-1956
Folder 03: Correspondence, Personnel, 1935-1956

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Tags: boston national historical park, minute man national historical park, salem maritime national historical park, nps history, nps history collection, hfc, archives, archives finding aid, museum collection, civilian conservation corps

Boston National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historical Park

Last updated: August 26, 2026