Speckled Band records

Collection

Identifier: BC-2026-018

Scope and Contents

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Collection consists of administrative records, correspondence, manuscripts and typescripts, printed ephemera, and audio recordings documenting the history of the Speckled Band, the Boston branch of the Baker Street Irregulars. Administrative scrapbooks include communications and memoranda, meeting agendas and minutes, and event ephemera, such as invitations and programs. Notable correspondents include Max Beerbohm, Adrian Conan Doyle, Christopher Morley, Edgar W. Smith, Rex Stout, and many more. In some cases, files contain copies of original materials; these are identified in the file titles.

The audio recordings include music composed by club member James Montgomery, as well as recordings of members and meetings of Sherlock Holmes societies. Topics encompass the activities and internal operations of Sherlockian societies, the personal lives and interests of their members, and related pursuits, including materials concerning crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers and stage actor William Gillette.

Dates

Creation: 1922 - 2015

Creator

Speckled Band (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Audio recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; if possible, reformatting will be scheduled.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Historical note: Speckled Band

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Founded by Christopher Morley in 1934, the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) was the first literary society devoted to celebrating the life and works of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes (created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Past members of the BSI include Isaac Asimov, Michael Dirda, Neil Gaiman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Vincent Starrett. Inspired by the BSI, the Speckled Band was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1940, and is one of the oldest Sherlock Holmes societies in the United States. Present at the first meeting of the Specked Band in Boston were five people: the founder, James Keddie, Sr. (1883-1942), his son James Keddie, Jr. (1907-1983), BSI chair Edgar W. Smith (1894-1960), Harold Wilmerding Bell (1885-1947), and P.M. (Percival Mason) Stone (1886-1965). James Keddie, Jr. assumed leadership of the Speckled Band in 1943 upon his father’s death.

The Speckled Band met annually and, in its early years, maintained close ties with Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and members of the Boston news media. Membership was by invitation only, and until 1991, the society admitted only men. Its annual dinners, typically held in April, commemorated the month in which characters Sherlock Holmes and John Watson investigated Stoke Moran, the manor featured in The Adventure of the Speckled Band. The gatherings traditionally included a period-appropriate dinner menu, a scholarly quiz, a reading competition, and a sing-along. As of 2026, the society continues to host annual meetings and recognizes outstanding scholarship with awards such as the silver Sherlock Holmes Bowl.

The Speckled Band also irregularly published a collection of Sherlockian writings, starting with The Second Cab (1947), followed by The Third Cab (1960), The Fourth Cab (1976), The Best of the Cabs (1980), The Fifth Cab (1988), and The Sixth Cab (2015), a 75th anniversary edition.

Sources:

"The Baker Street Irregulars (society)". The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia. Accessed July 22, 2026, https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/wiki/The_Baker_Street_Irregulars_(society).

Dahlinger, Susan. The Bootmakers of Toronto. May 5, 2026, https://www.facebook.com/groups/bootmakers/.

Mehegan, David. "Guilt by association: For 65 years, a Boston club has made Sherlock Holmes mysteries a scholarly pastime". The Boston Globe. November 28, 2005, https://web.archive.org/web/20080515194320/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/11/28/guilt_by_association/.

O'Leary, James C. "The Speckled Band of Boston Celebrates 75th Anniversary". The Fourth Garrideb. July 10, 2015, https://fourthgarrideb.com/2015/07/10/the-speckled-band-of-boston-celebrates-75th-anniversary.

Full Extent

8.75 Linear Feet (9 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of the Speckled Band, the Boston chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars, a literary society dedicated to the celebration and study of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes (created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Materials include administrative records, correspondence, manuscripts and typescripts, printed ephemera, and audio recordings.

Arrangement

Arranged in four series: I. Administrative records; II. Correspondence; III. Members' papers; and IV. Other Sherlockian societies' papers.

Provenance

Purchased from Carpe Librum with support from the Wolfe Pack, 2026. According to the vendor, the collection's provenance includes the papers of P. M. (Percival Mason) Stone, James Keddie, Jr., and Daniel Posnansky.

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Ed Price collection of Rex Stout, MS.2018.057, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

John J. McAleer faculty papers, BC.1995.016, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Judson C. Sapp papers and collection of Rex Stout, MS.1996.022, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Rex Stout papers, MS.1986.096, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Speckled Band Collection of Sherlockiana, 1932-1956 (MS Eng 1333.3). Houghton Library, Harvard University.