Read all about Mildred Wirt Benson: The Real Nancy Drew, the biography I'm writing on Nancy Drew's original Carolyn Keene.
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CONTACT E-MAIL FOR JENNIFER FISHER: nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

MWB-HARP:
Mildred Wirt Benson -
Historical Artifacts Recovery Project

MWB-HARP was launched spring of 2025, after historic documents related to Nancy Drew and Mildred Wirt Benson's history were destroyed. Lost to history in one fell swoop!

Back in the 1990s, some of Benson's papers were sold to private collectors - over 30 years ago. Other sales of her papers and other Nancy Drew historical ephemera have gone on over the years in relation to aspects of all of Nancy Drew's history. Its time to rehome these artifacts to archives that can preserve them properly and keep them alive for historians, fans and scholars so they can live their best life! Some are literally crumbling away on aged paper faster than Nancy Drew could solve The Clue in the Crumbling Wall!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

If you (or someone you know) own any historic items (letters, documents, other ephemera) related to Nancy Drew (any and all aspects of her history/Syndicate) and/or Mildred Wirt Benson and her writing career, I’d like to work out an arrangement with you to get copies of everything at the very least but also have you consider donating or selling to archives to preserve these items and make them available for scholars and researchers. Perhaps you are the collector, an associate of them or know of someone - or perhaps you are handling an estate of a collector and are unsure of what to do with memorabilia. PLEASE DO NOT THROW IT AWAY - IT HAS HISTORICAL VALUE!

Please contact me - Jennifer Fisher, MWB-HARP at nancydrewsleuth@aol.com or the PO Box below.

Please consider the following:

1. Donating these items (now or down the road but setting up donation papers now)
2. Making copies of these items to send to archives for a historical record
3. Selling these items to archives.

WHAT ARCHIVES CAN I SELL OR DONATE TO:

There are two prominent archives for papers related to Nancy Drew and Mildred Wirt Benson - the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa and the Toledo Public Library in Toledo, OH. Both have connections to Benson and have the most ephemera and papers related to her life and work and that of Nancy Drew's history as well.

Iowa Women’s Archives
University of Iowa Libraries
ATTN: Anna Holland, Curator
100 Main Library
Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
E-mail: anna-holland@uiowa.edu

Toledo Public Library
Attn: Shelly Rarick, Local History/Genealogy
325 N. Michigan Street
Toledo, OH 43604
E-mail: shelly.rarick@toledolibrary.org

WHERE TO SEND COPIES?

Please mail copies to the addresses above and/or to me below and I will place these with the archives:

MWB-HARP
ATTN: Jennifer Fisher
P.O. Box 511
Higley, AZ 85236-0511

Since starting MWB-HARP and donating my over 5000-piece collection to the downtown Toledo Public Library in 2019, we have managed to acquire by donation and sale quite a few neat items for the archive. Including letters and ephemera related to Nancy Drew but also Benson's own books and series. Original cover art, and some scarce items in the collectibles category plus Benson signed books and items. Fan letters too. Recently we acquired more letters from a collector who had items related to Millie’s Dan Carter series. Also, collector and researcher Geoffrey S. Lapin has signed donation paperwork to donate his entire archive and letters to the University of Iowa Iowa Women’s Archives for the Geoffrey S. Lapin Papers there. It’s collectors and scholars and all of us fans – who will help to preserve this history for future generations and with your help, everyone’s help, I know we can make history in doing this!

HOW ELSE CAN I HELP IF I DON'T HAVE ANY ARTIFACTS BUT WANT TO DONATE FUNDS TO HELP THE ARCHIVES ACQUIRE ITEMS?

THE NANCY DREW FUND:

To support MWB-HARP and the Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection in all ways – acquisitions of scarce items and historical ephemera, advertising, more displays, cataloging, digitizing, and much more, Toledo Library has set up a Nancy Drew Fund and that can be accessed using this link online to donate directly on the Toledo Public Library's website.

Or you send a check payable to Library Legacy Foundation (put Nancy Drew Fund in the check’s memo) to:

Library Legacy Foundation
The Nancy Drew Fund
325 N. Michigan Street
Toledo, OH 43604