Sub-series 2. Miscellaneous Reports, 1926-1949
Scope and Content
The David Spence: Guayule Rubber Project Records contain the personal papers of American rubber chemist David Spence. This collection documents two separate projects, both of which were attempts to establish guayule as an alternative source of natural rubber. The documents from the period 1926-1936 detail experiments carried out under David Spence’s oversight by Intercontinental Rubber Company to determine the quality and yield of guayule rubber. The documents from the period 1941-1946 concern the Guayule Rubber Project, a World War II defense project carried out as part of the Emergency Rubber Project in co-operation with the United States Forest Service, which was a federal effort to produce natural rubber from American grown guayule. Spence served as a consultant on this latter project. The collection is arranged into the following four series:
- Guayule Rubber Project Reports
- Reprints
- Patent Files
- Images
Dates
- Creation: 1926-1949
Sub-series Description
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series consists of fifty-seven files in Boxes 2-6. These files contain reports collected by David Spence regarding the production of natural rubber from alternative sources. Most of the materials in this sub-series pertain to the Guayule Rubber Project during World War II. Smaller amounts of materials regarding Intercontinental Rubber Company’s guayule operation and materials produced by other miscellaneous entities regarding rubber from guayule and other sources (including kok-sagnyz) are also present here.
Reports make up the bulk of the materials in this sub-series. Noticeable amounts of other accompanying materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, government documents, data, graphs, charts, and photographs are preserved here as well.
Repository Details
Part of the Science History Institute Archives Repository
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia PA 19106 United States
215.873.8265
215.873.5265 (Fax)
reference@sciencehistory.org