Request This Item

Clement I. and Mary O. Gaskill Collection

2 boxes, 4 oversize boxes (7 linear feet)

(1956 – 1982)

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier 2000.003
Creator(s) Ralph and Gaskill, Incorporated
Acquisition

Donated to the Nabb Research Center in 2000 by Clement I. and Mary O. Gaskill. 
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by Samuel Stevens, August 2019
Related Materials None
Separated Materials

Oversize Drawer:

Series 2: Ralph and Gaskill, Inc. Rennovation Blueprints, 1956-1957

Oversize Boxes: 

Series 3: Scrapbooks
Abstract

This collection contains publications, blueprints, and scrapbooks of Clement I. and Mary O. Gaskill. The records relate to Ralph and Gaskill, Inc., a retail menswear store was located in Salisbury. The collection includes advertising and trade publications related to menswear, as well as store administrative records. The store advertised their "Name Brand" products heavily, and the materials include examples of print ads from brands such as Botany 500 suits, Stetson hats, and Haggar clothing.

Administrative History

Ralph and Gaskill was a menswear retailer in Salisbury founded in 1933. The store underwent rennovations from 1956-1957. The store was located at 110 West Main Street in Salisbury in 1960, after existing at three previous smaller locations, and later moved to the original Salisbury Mall in the 1970s. The store specialized in, and heavily advertised, their "Name Brand" stock of national brand name products, including Botany 500 suits, Stetson hats, and Haggar apparell among other items. Ralph and Gaskill had print, radio, television, and billboard ads thoughout the Delmarva region. The store closed the 1980s. 

Scope and Content Note

Series 1 contains national publications and newsletters sent to Ralph and Gaskill from the Menswear Retailers Association. 

Series 2 is made up of store records. It includes work schedules from the 1970s and 1980s, information on sales from the 1970s and 1980s, and records of the store remodelling from 1956-1957.  

Series 3 consists of the scrapbooks assembled by Ralph and Gaskill from 1959 to 1963. These scrapbooks are oversized and contain advertisements, promotions, industry trade publications, and photos of the store. Two of them, the 1960 and 1963 books, are still in their original bindings and require more extensive preservation work. The 1959 scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, advertising, and magazine clippings. They arranged in chronological order by different seasons such as Christmas,  Fathers' Day, and "Back to School." The 1960 scrapbook has newspaper clippings of ads, clothing tags, and other information on the store from that year. The 1961 scrapbook has the same types of matierials as the previous books.The 1963 scrapbook contains print ads, photos of billboards, radio ad copy for WESR, and television copy for WBOC-TV. Employees' participation in Salisbury civic organizations such as the Elks and Lions clubs, as well as others, are also documented. This scrapbook also highlights the Ralph and Gaskill "name brand" clothing initiative, highlighting their stock of national brand products.  

Arrangement Statement

Series 1: Newsletters and Publicatons 

Series 2: Store Records 

Series 3: Scrapbooks 

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Advertising
    • Business
    • Fashion
  • Corporate Names
    • Salisbury Advertiser Newspaper
  • Location Terms
    • Salisbury (Md.)

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Box 1: 

  1. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1972 
  2. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1973
  3. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1974
  4. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1975
  5. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1978-1979 
  6. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1980 
  7. Series 1: Menswear Retaiers Association Newsletter, 1981
  8. Series 1: Menswear Retailers Association Newsletter, 1982 
  9. Series 2: Work Schedules, 1975
  10. Series 2: Work Schedules, 1980
  11. Series 2: Work Schedules and Sales Reports, 1980-1981
  12. Series 2: Work Schedules, 1981-1982 
  13. Series 2: Staff Meeting Minutes, 1971-1972
  14. Series 2: Staff Meeting Minutes and Inventories, 1973
  15. Series 2: Staff Meeting Minutes, 1974-1975 
  16. Series 2: Administrative Records, 1979-1980 
  17. Series 2: Personal Sales, 1972
  18. Series 2: Personal Sales, 1974 

Box 2: 

  1. Series 2: Remodelling Plans and Correspondence 1956-1957
  2. Series 2: Remodelling Blueprints and Drawings, 1957
  3. Series 2: School Mailer, 1968
  4. Series 2: Newsweek "How to Keep Your Man Well-Dressed" Sales Idea Kit, 1968
  5. Series 2: Sales Training Book, 1974-1976
  6. Series 2: Plan of Sales and Purchase, 1980 
  7. Series 2: Sales Figures and Plans, 1979
  8. Series 2: Inventory Forms, 1980
  9. Series 2: "The Retail Salesman's Handbook of Selling Strategies," 1973 
  10. Series 2: "The Wool Story...From Fleece to Fashion," 1969

Box 3 (oversize):  

  1. 1959 Scrapbook 

Box 4 (oversize): 

  1. 1960 Scrapbook (bound)

Box 5 (oversize): 

  1. 1961 Scrapbook 

Box 6 (oversize):

  1. 1963 Scrapbook (bound)

Box 7 (oversize): 

  1. Scrapbook covers, 1959 and 1961 

Box 8 (oversize): 

  1. Scrapbook, 1958
  2. Newspapers, 1950s-1970s

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None