Stephen Phillips (left) and James Duncan Phillips

Stephen Phillips (1907-1971)
Stephen Phillips, the only child of Stephen Willard and Anna (Wheatland) Phillips, was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1907. He attended Harvard College as the previous four generations of Phillips men had done before him. He studied history and after graduating in 1929, he hoped to become an archaeologist, but ill health prevented him from doing so.

Like his uncle, James Duncan Phillips, Stephen enjoyed taking home movies and his earliest films were shot circa 1928, while he was still at Harvard. The summer after graduation Stephen and several friends took an automobile trip through the Canadian Rockies, the Northwest, and the Grand Canyon, capturing their adventures on motion picture film. Stephen's European travels included Germany, Paris, and London and after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he spent time in TB sanatoriums in Switzerland in 1931-32

Although he never became the archaeologist that he intended, Stephen's interest in history and historic preservation remained throughout his life. He became a trustee of the Essex Institute in Salem and helped save several historic homes in the city. In his will, Stephen intended his parents' house at 34 Chestnut Street to be opened as a museum. Stephen's wife, Betty, took up the challenge. She opened the Stephen Phillips Trust House to the public in 1973 and ran it for the next 23 years until her death in 1996. Today, thanks to the foresight of Stephen Phillips and his wife, the Phillips House and its collections, including the three film collections, are preserved and made available to researchers and to the 4,000 visitors who are welcomed seasonally every year.

James Duncan Phillips (1876-1954)
James Duncan Phillips, second son of the Honorable Stephen Henry and Margaret (Duncan) Phillips and uncle to Stephen Phillips, was born in San Francisco, California in 1876. He attended Harvard College as had the two previous generations of Phillips men and graduated in 1897 magna cum laude. Less than one year later he joined the publishing firm of Houghton Mifflin Company and worked there until his retirement in 1941.

Mr. Phillips married Nannie J. Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts in 1907, with the wedding taking place in England. They traveled widely both before and after marriage. In the late 1920s Mr. Phillips added home movies of their trips to the photographs and extensive journals that they already kept of their travels.

Due to a serious heart attack in 1936, his business activities became limited. He filled his time with historical research and writing. Numerous articles and books, most of which were about Salem's "Great Age of Sail," were published during the last twenty years of his life.

Onsite viewing of the DVDs by appointment only. The finding aid and usage forms are available online:

• Scope and Content Note
• Biographies
• Processing Notes
• Film Summary by Catalogue Number
• Policies and Procedures for Research
• Research Request Form