Father John J. Griffin: A Life Through Photography
June 24, 1859 - November 16, 1921
Introduction
The life story of Father Griffin shines a light on different avenues of history. One can understand science and technology, world traveling, the priesthood, and even camp counseling through his life. His importance as a figure comes from the lives he touched, and the institutions he changed. In this exhibit, we venture to illustrate Father Griffin's life and the effect he had on the world around him.
The Man of Many Homes
From an early age, Father Griffin (1859-1921) was accustomed to moving to new places and calling them home. After moving to Massachusetts from New York, Father Griffin would leave for college in Ottawa, Canada. Griffin would remain in Canada for multiple years, only to return to America for his Ph.D. and professor positions in Maryland. Although he would remain to teach in Maryland for thirty years, he split his time between Notre Dame College of Maryland and Catholic University. When away from academics, Father Griffin devoted his summers towards running a summer camp for boys, Camp Namaschaug, in New Hampshire. Father Griffin’s life and career gave him homes in all these places.
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Birth - Corning, NY
John J. Griffin was born on June 24, 1859, to Jeremiah and Mary Griffin, a young immigrant couple from Ireland. Griffin was their first and only son. The couple would later have three daughters, Mary (b. about 1862), Margaret (about 1866), and Ellen (about 1868).
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Early Years - Lawrence, MA
John and his family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts when he was very young. While in Lawrence, John attended the public school system where he excelled academically. He graduated high school in 1878 with honors.
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College Years - Ottawa, Canada
After graduating high school, Griffin crossed the border to attend the College of Ottawa (now University of Ottawa). Griffin studied for a bachelor of arts which he earned in 1881. He then continued his studies at Ottawa, earning a master of arts degree two years later.
Griffin remained in Ottawa to pursue his calling as a Catholic priest and was ordained at the Ottawa Diocesan Seminary in 1885. He also taught classes on physics and chemistry between 1886-1890.
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Return to New England - Cambridge, MA
After Griffin was ordained as a priest, he spent a short time between 1886-1887 as an assistant priest at St. Mary's Church. He also taught classes at St. Thomas Aquinas College at this time.
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Earning his Doctorate - Baltimore, MD
In 1890 Father John Griffin moved to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Johns Hopkins University, where he would work towards his Ph.D. Griffin studied under famed chemist, Ira Remsen while at Johns Hopkins. In 1895 Griffin earned his doctorate degree in chemistry with a subordinate degree in mathematics and physics.
Griffin also taught classes at St. Joseph's Seminary and Notre Dame College of Maryland, which began his longtime affiliation with the latter.
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Expanding Horizons - Washington D.C.
After earning his Ph.D., Dr. Griffin took a job teaching at Catholic University in Washington D.C. Dr. Griffin was the only chemistry professor at Catholic university for much of his time there. Students from the time recounted Father Griffin as a "regular guy," someone who could both have fun and engage in academic pursuits.
Griffin served as dean of the chemistry school. He oversaw four Ph.D. dissertations and twenty master dissertations during his tenure. He also created a chemistry museum and was integral in the United States government's development of a chemical weapon called Lewisite during the First World War.
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Making a New Home - Baltimore, MD
While Dr. Griffin spent half of his time teaching at Catholic University, he spent the other half teaching about 40 miles north at Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore, an all-girls school. Like at Catholic, he was the only chemistry professor at Notre Dame, where he chaired the department.
At Notre Dame, Father Griffin was loved for his passion for photography. He engaged students with his famous illustrated lectures, which showed slides of countries and regions across the globe. He also took some of the earliest photographs of the campus and its students.
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Camp Namaschaug - Lake Spofford, NH
During Father Griffin’s summers away from teaching, he devoted his time to Lake Spofford, New Hampshire. There, Father Griffin ran a prosperous summer camp called Camp Namaschaug for boys. Until Father Griffin’s death in 1921, parents would send applications for their children directly to Father Griffin to seek his approval for admission. Parents hoped to send their children as the camp was known for development, whether it be in reading and writing or physical improvement, and even promptness and discipline.
Young boys experienced adventures at Camp Namaschaug. Some of the activities included going on hikes, camping outside, swimming in the lake, and of course, reading and writing. All of these events were under the supervision of John Griffin. After his death, Dr. Griffin left all the proceeds of the camp to the Sisters of Notre Dame College of Maryland.
The Scientist
For over thirty-five years, Father Griffin used his knowledge of chemistry and the sciences to teach the younger generation. Starting in 1895, after receiving his master's degree at the College of Ottawa in Canada, he began teaching at the same school in a class on Elementary Physics. After five years of teaching, Griffin traveled down to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland to earn his doctorate in chemistry with subordinate degrees in physics and mathematics. He earned his Ph.D. in 1895, and receive professor positions at both Notre Dame College of Maryland and Catholic University.
As a scientist, Father Griffin conducted many experiments and tests with his students. During his time as an academic Father Griffin was contracted by the United States government to research chemical weapons. He stumbled upon a gas later named lewisite in an incident that almost took his life and the life of a colleague.
Notre Dame of Maryland
While he taught at two different schools, Father Griffin had a special relationship with Notre Dame of Maryland, the all-women's Catholic college in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the only chemistry teacher at the school when he joined the faculty in 1895. He served as the sole chemistry professor at Notre Dame from his first class until his last at the college.
By all accounts, Father Griffin was beloved by his students and colleagues. The diary that the sisters kept, called the Notre Dame Chronicle, includes many favorable references to "Father J.J." as he was affectionately called. The Chronicle includes mentions of his generosity. The sisters noted that Griffin saved the school money by taking photographs to send to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. These photographs were some of the earliest taken of the college. Father Griffin even donated a new boat for the students to enjoy on the college's lake and paid for the school's fireworks celebration on the Fourth of July in 1897.
He was also famous for his special interest lectures. He talked about science and general interest subjects, but the favorites were the illustrated lectures series, discussed in further detail in "The World Traveler." He was also known on campus for his experiments and passion for photography. He was friendly with Cardinal Gibbons, the archbishop of Baltimore, who came to the campus on numerous occasions. When Griffin died in Baltimore in 1921, he laid in state at the college's chapel for days, and his funeral was attended by students, faculty, and friends in the clergy. He left the proceeds from Camp Namaschaug to the Sisters of Notre Dame in his will.
Camp Namaschaug
No matter where he was, Father Griffin was always ready to take pictures and establish memories. One of the places he made sure to document with his camera was Camp Namaschaug. While running the camp, Father Griffin used his camera to photograph the campers wherever they were, whether that be the woods, swimming in the lake, or somewhere else. Occasionally, he would even have a picture of himself taken. All of the pictures he took show the history that took place at Camp Namaschaug.
Below is a compilation containing some of Griffin's slides of Camp Namaschaug.
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The World Traveler
Aside from teaching chemistry to his students, Father Griffin also took pride in his illustrated lectures. Griffin gave these illustrated lectures on different countries showcasing the land, people, and culture. From everywhere from Japan to Rome, Father Griffin had dozens of pictures to immerse his students and colleagues. These lectures amazed viewers because of the clear and colorful images used in the slides. Father Griffin may have taken many of the photographs showcased in his expansive slide collection found in the Loyola Notre Dame Library Archives. He could also have purchased them without traveling to these various countries and regions.
This map showcases all of the places Father Griffin had slide photographs of. Whether or not he went to all these locations is unknown.
This map chronicles the many places Father Griffin toured in his illustrated lectures. Zoom in and out of the map to see the locations.
Here are three digitized versions of Father Griffins slides on Japan, Rome, and Constantinople (Istanbul):
Japan and the Japanese
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Rome the Eternal City
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Constantinople (Istanbul)
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Conclusion
Father Griffin was a renaissance man living in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was a thinker, a scientist, a businessman, an artist, and a teacher. His story illuminates us to life in at this time, and to the unique life of Father John J. Griffin. His story is integral to institutions like Notre Dame of Maryland and to the lives he touched.
About
This digital exhibit was made by Joseph Seminara and Christopher Linfante in April 2021. It was created as a part of the Loyola Notre Dame Library (LNDL) Archives collection on Father John J. Griffin's personal papers. This online exhibit accompanies a physical exhibit of Father Griffin's various photographs, items, and papers located at the LNDL Archives. Father Griffin's contributions to Notre Dame of Maryland make him an important figure in the school's history, and we hope to illuminate his life and personality through these collections and exhibits.
