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Ephemera-Memorabilia-Artifacts (EMA) Collection, 1962-2015

The collection contains a variety of print ephemera, memorabilia and artifacts that have been donated by organizations and individuals in the community. These items help bring Columbia’s history alive in a very tangible way. Local businesses, community organizations, educational institutions, health care facilities, all 10 village community associations, and Columbia Association are represented in the collection.

There are items from Columbia birthday celebrations, organizations’ anniversaries and special events, athletic competitions, local political campaigns, business and shopping center openings, and Columbia Association facilities and programs. Buttons, mugs, lapel pins, hats, toys, bumper stickers, shopping bags, paperweights, and ashtrays are the most prevalent items in the cataloged collection. EMA items present in the James W. Rouse Papers include personal items used by Rouse in everyday living and in his business life, as well as awards and plaques that he received over his lifetime. For greater depth on the history and scope of the collection, see the Guide to the Ephemera-Memorabilia-Artifacts Collection.

Digital Collection Note

Of the 367 cataloged EMA items, 268 are unique or representative of items that are very similar, if not identical. Digital representations of these 268 items are found below. Items are grouped by type of object — ashtray, bags, buttons, mugs, etc. To the right of each digital image is a caption identifying the item’s title and date of origin. Items where exact dates of creation are unknown are marked with “n.d.,” indicating “no date.” Some items have been assigned a circa date, marked with “ca.,” to indicate that an approximate year is known. EMA items are cataloged in a database holding additional information fields that describe the physical nature of the item, the provenance when known, and connections between the items and other collections in the Columbia Archives. This information is not available online at present.

Viewing tip: In most internet browsers, zooming in on the document will allow a closer inspection of the EMA item of interest.

To provide additional information on any of the EMA items (particularly dates for undated items) or to ask questions about the digital EMA images or the EMA Collection in general, contact Columbia Archives: Columbia.Archives@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

To donate EMA items to the collection, go to Donating Materials to the Collection.