The Lynne Templeton Brickley papers consist of research files, correspondence, notes, journals, photographs, family papers, and other materials. They cover her entire lifetime, including growing up outside Chicago, attending Bennett College and Sarah Lawrence College, employment at the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News, her marriage to Boston attorney Richard L. Brickley, her graduate work at Harvard University, her residences and activities in New York, Boston, and most significantly, Litchfield, CT.

After receiving her Ph.D. in 1985, Brickley pursued numerous research projects on a wide range of Litchfield topics as an independent historian, and the bulk of her papers consist of her research materials. She had a particular interest in the history of Sarah Pierce's Litchfield Academy and the Litchfield Law School and conducted extensive investigation into the students and families of the instiutions. Beyond those two ground-breaking institutions, her topical interests included Litchfield families, the African-American and immigrant populations, the Colonial Revival Movement, women's roles and organizations, local architecture and place names, and life during the Victorian Era, among others. It is hard to imagine a topic in Litchfield history that is not represented in some way or another in her research papers.

Brickley was also active in civic and political organizations and her papers document not only her personal involvement but the activities of the groups in general. Among the most extensive and well-documented of those were her long-time memberships in the Litchfield Garden Club and Litchfield Historical Society. She also served on the Litchfield Plan of Conservation and Development Committee (2004-2007) and assembled volumnious reference and position papers as the committee performed its work.

The papers are arranged in two series: Series 1. Research and projects; and Series 2. Personal papers.

Series 1 contains Brickley's massive research files and reflects her historical interests primarily centering on Litchfield.

The papers are arranged in original order as much as possible. Brickley often used parallel filing systems, and materials relevant to a research topic may be found in multiple series.

Series 2. Personal papers includes her correspondence; professional, institutional, and civic activities; clippings; photographs; and other materials. They have generally been arranged by amount of material and their prominence. Brickley did not systematically arrange her files, and the subseries have been organizaed by staff. Files within the subseries are generally in original order, although some papers have been arranged chronologically when no particular order was found.

The first subseries, Desk files, includes the materials removed from Brickley's desk and contain documentation relating to her most recent ongoing activities and correspondence.

The subseries, Personal scrapbooks, consists of three scrapbooks created by Brickley of assorted materials stored in album sheets in three looseleaf binders. The items appear to be of particular importance to her and include correspondence, official documents, clippings, objects, ephemera, photographs, and other items. They are arranged approximately in chronological order and topically, although there is overlap among them. The third scrapbook appears to have been in progress and does not seem to havebeen finished. Original order has been maintained.

The subseries, Correspondence, contains all correspondence not found in other folders. Loose correspondence has been arranged chronologically, and groupings kept by Brickly have been maintained. Much of it documents the various social life of Litchfield, and correspondence that is essentially social in nature such as wedding announcements and invitations, greeting cards, party invitations and the like, has been placed in the Social subseries. Correspondence of a more substative nature will be found in the chronological subseries.

The subseries, Professional and civic memberships, includes all papers related such organizations as the Litchfield Garden Club, Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield Democratic Town Committee, Litchfield Plan of Conservation and Development, Litchfield 300th Committee, and others.

The subseries, Family members, includes all papers related to Brickley, her husband Richard L. Brickley, and their family members, including Lynne Brickley's parents Corinne Flaacke Templeton and Richard H. Templeton.

Other subseries include Lectures and papers, Education, Employment, General topics, Medical, Financial and legal, Clippings, Photographs, Postcards, and Digital materials.

Abbreviations used throughout this finding aid: LFA: Litchfield Female Academy; LHS: Litchfield Historical Society; LLS: Litchfield Law School; LTB: Lynne Templeton Brickley.