Topeka — Dr. Karl Menninger's archives, described by one historian as the finest set in the field of psychiatry, have been moved as part of a lawsuit settlement.
The historic documents include rare letters by Sigmund Freud, Florence Nightingale, Margaret Mead and William James.
They were moved just before Christmas with little notice or fanfare from a building near the Menninger Clinic campus in Topeka to the Kansas State Historical Society.
The Menninger Foundation, which oversees the clinic, will retain ownership of the famous archives, which will remain at the state historical society on an annually renewable basis.
Dr. Karl Menninger's daughter and the foundation settled a lawsuit last fall, but the terms were not disclosed. Rosemary Menninger sued to prevent her father's archives from being transferred to the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where the mental health organization had planned to move.
Rosemary Menninger's attorney, Nancy Crawford, said she and her client were "thrilled" that the historical society has agreed to store the archives.
The historical society, meanwhile, will continue to negotiate with the foundation in hopes of gaining title to the archives so that they can be made more accessible to the public, said Pat Michaelis, director of the library and archives division at the historical society.
"It's a valuable collection for documenting the history of the treatment of mental illness, but it also documents the history of Topeka and Kansas and their role in American history," Michaelis said.
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