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This collection contains photographs from the 1880s to the beginning of the 20th century of Central Pennsylvania College students, faculty, facilities, and grounds.

These lantern slides were produced by Rev. Fred W. Solver around 1930 to be used for a lecture about individuals and places associated with the Evangelical more Church. less

Albright Collegiate Institute was established in Myerstown,PA, 1895, and was re-chartered as Albright College, 1898, and remained in Myerstown until 1928 when it then moved to more Reading, PA, merging with Schuylkill College. less

Schuylkill Seminary was established in Reading PA in 1881, moved to Fredericksburg in 1886, then returned to Reading in 1902. It was renamed Schuylkill College in more 1923, and merged with Albright College in 1928. less

This collection contains commencement documents, photos, booklets, and other materials pertaining to the history of the Altoona Area School District.

This collection is a digitized copy of the book Architecture—Practical and Theoretical by the Beezer Brothers (1894). The Beezer brothers (Louis and Michael J.) were famous more architects who originally set up their firm in Altoona, PA where they built many homes, but then moved on to Pittsburgh and eventually Seattle, WA. less

This collection contains historic reports and surveys from the Blair County area.

This collection contains oral histories of the Blair County region of Pennsylvania. The interviews pertain to events that happened in Blair County or stories of Blair more County residents. less

This collection contains photos documenting the history of Central Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.

The Charles McCollester Collection contains both physical times and textual items spanning from 1877 to 2018 with an emphasis on the 1980's into the 2000's. The more collection's subjects vary from Pittsburgh steel and union history, the founding of the Battle of Homestead Foundation, Monsignor Rice, and Pennsylvania historical markers. Though the collection focuses primarily on the state of Pennsylvania, much of the collection has national significance as well. less

The Mark Fallon Collection is a labor related collection held by the Battle of Homestead Foundation Archives. The collection focuses primarily on the Mon Valley area more with specific interest in local history. The collection includes photograph slides, newspapers, research material, projectors, and photographs. The collection is primarily made up of photographs and slides. less

A collection of selected newspaper clippings concerning B.F. Jones Memorial Library and the surrounding area.

Materials include papers and documents related to the discussion and foundation of the local school district, its curriculum, faculty members, school board activities, goals and achievements. more Early class photos are included as well as the continuing development of the district up until the court mandated merger with several surrounding districts which created the Woodland Hills School District. less

This collection includes yearbooks from Bishop McCort High School (1966-1998), Central Catholic High School (1926-1960), Ferndale Area High School (1929-1998), Greater Johnstown High School (1901-2003) and more Westmont-Upper Yoder High School (1928-2002). less

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was originally formed as a town in 1800. The city has experienced three major floods throughout its history and later became the site of more the Cambria Iron Company. In the 1860s, the Cambria Iron Company was the leading steel and iron producer in the United States outproducing larger steel and iron companies in bigger cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. This collection contains a corpus of books that highlight the historical significance of Johnstown. less

The Homestead Newspaper Collection consists of scanned microfilm of various newspapers from the Steel Valley between 1881 and 1979. Titles included are: The Local News, The more Homestead Times, The Mirror, The Homestead Eagle, The Daily Messenger, Penny Shaver, The Messenger, and The New Daily Messenger. These papers circulated in Homestead, Munhall, Whitaker, Mifflin Township, Six Mile Ferry, Hays Township, Brown's Station, and Squirrel Hill in the city of Pittsburgh. less

American Marketplace chronicles the development of the industrial expansion of the United States following the Civil War, and the parallel emergence of the consumer products reflecting more the prosperity that came with 19th and 20th Century manufacturing.  The 669 titles reflect many well-known companies in industries such as agriculture,shipping, the railroads, and the early automotive and aviation trades.  Along with the manufacturer’s catalogs are period consumer products as illustrated in mail-order, retail and merchandise catalogs. less

Pittsburgh’s heritage is strongly rooted in iron, steel, mining and related industries. This section of the Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection is a compilation of more almost two dozen 19th and 20th Century journals about mining, manufacturing, and the state-of-the-art technical developments of their day used by our region's businesses and industrial researchers. Through this collection, we strive to preserve the culture, heritage and knowledge of our region's industrial past, while enhancing the public's understanding of what made Pittsburgh the "Workshop of the World." less

Complementing the original Iron & Steel Collection, the Iron & Steel Photographic Collection features individual images of places and personalities intrinsic to Pittsburgh's development as the more world's leading producer of iron and steel.  Photos include Titans of Industry such as Charles Schwab and Andrew Carnegie as well as mill workers, trainmen, secretaries, and Iron Puddlers. The collection also includes mill fronts, railroads and the factory floor. less

Pittsburgh’s heritage is strongly rooted in iron, steel, mining and related industries. The Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection is a digital compilation of books, journals, more photographs, trade catalogs, and related literature. Through this collection, we strive to preserve the culture, heritage and knowledge of our region's industrial past, while enhancing the public's understanding of what made Pittsburgh the "Workshop of the World." less

This collection contains primary resources about Carnegie's bequests along with supporting explanatory text, that teachers will be able to use a part of their curriculum.

Paper on the ‘Life of Col. Samuel Miles’ in his own handwriting covering his life from 1739 – 1802. Colonel Samuel Miles (soldier, business entrepreneur, and more public servant) made his mark in Pennsylvania history serving the province and state and the city of Philadelphia, creating the iron industry in Centre County, PA, and founding the town of Milesburg, PA named for his family. He died in 1805. less

Photo album put together by John Blair Linn (1831 – 1899) consisting of 72 black and white images of his immediate family, his extended family, and more his friends from his days in Lewisburg, PA, and Bellefonte, PA. less

Approximately 150 handwritten letters and notes by Colonel Samuel Miles related to his business activities in Pennsylvania. Dates range from February 1802 to November 1805. Colonel more Samuel Miles (soldier, business entrepreneur, and public servant) made his mark in Pennsylvania history serving the province and state and the city of Philadelphia, creating the iron industry in Centre County, PA, and founding the town of Milesburg, PA, named for his family. He died in December 1805. less

Bellefonte has been home to seven governors, five of whom were Governors of Pennsylvania. This collection features correspondence, documents, and manuscripts of their authorship as well more as other artifacts connected to their respective terms of office. The collection is held by Centre County Library & Historical Museum. less

Original handwritten version of John Blair Linn's trip with new transcription; each of the 19 objects collected on the battlefield, with a description of what the more object shows or represents (and its connection with the John Blair Linn journal) with explanatory notes giving the other story, and with transcriptions of letters (with proper recognition of the original creator). less

The family of Henry Keller were residents of Boalsburg, Pa. in the 1800's. Sophie Keller, daughter of Henry and Margaretta (nee Schneck), is significant because of more her participation in a graveside remembrance at the Boalsburg, PA cemetery in Oct. 1864 that blossomed into an annual memorial day event now held in May. Collection covers sixty-two letters from 1837 to 1893 associated with the life of family members, including Margaretta's kin, with many in the Civil War timeframe. less

Compositions on abstract concepts created by a young Mary E. D. Wilson of Bellefonte, PA and written while attending the Lawrenceville Female Seminary in New Jersey more circa 1851 and 1852. Concepts include: twilight, intemperance, ignorance, falsehood, liberty, peace, sad and dreary, friendship, sunset, evening, childhood, night, love, the importance of a well-spent youth, the life of man, sadness and mirth, and home. Also includes daguerreotype and B&W photographs of Mary E. D. Wilson and several of her report cards from the school. less

History of the Miles-Potter-Humes House in Bellefonte, PA from 1815 to the present and of its owners through photographs, other images, and documents.

This collection was created by Alexander W. Scott (1926-1999) a Cheltenham principal and resident for many years. The 771 images (originally slides) show the people, homes, more and neighborhoods of the Cheltenham communities in Montgomery County. The photographs are categorized around multiple themes and the descriptions were written by Mr. Scott and are copied verbatim from his Index. less

The six letterpress books of West Chester resident A. D. Sharples document his many business and philanthropic interests, and a number of letters also include news more of the Sharples, Paschall, and Darlington families.  The volumes cover the years 1899-1900 and 1905-1915. Alfred D. Sharples was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 23, 1844, the son of Mary A. Paschall and Philip P. Sharples.  In 1863, A. D. married Rachel Roberts, daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth Roberts, and they had six children, including Elizabeth (Bessie), Henry, Mary, and A. Roberts. Sharples began his career farming, but being known for his accounting skills, he was persuaded to become the accountant for the Philadelphia and West Chester Railroad.  In 1880, when he lost that position after the railroad was sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad, he re-opened the brick making business begun by his great-grandfather William Sharples in 1801.  Sharples Brickworks is the business with which most people connect him.  While still involved in brick making, he also audited financial records for other businesses, including the Denney Tag Company, the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of West Chester, and the borough of West Chester.  In 1907, Sharpless put the Brickworks business up for auction. In addition to his professional work, an elder of the Birmingham Friends Monthly Meeting, Sharples was a trustee of the Quaker’s Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and helped to overseer the Friends’ George School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He was also involved with the Friends’ Boarding Home of West Chester, the West Chester Friends’ Burial Company, and was named executor of a number of decedents’ estates.  A. D. Sharples died on October 19, 1919, at his home on Dean Street. less

This digitized diary of Abigail Speakman opens with entries from November 1871 spanning several pages. Nothing further is recorded until July 1882, introducing the bulk of more the volume which describes a trip by Speakman to Scotland and England. Abigail Speakman, known informally as Abbie, was one of eight children, born on May 17, 1842, to Nathan (1791-1860) and Ann Thomas Speakman (1797-1874) at their family home at Brandywine Summit in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Speakman spent most of her adulthood in Wilmington, Delaware, and traveled widely in the United States and Europe. In the 1920 census, Speakman was living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as a boarder with the M. B. Hickman family. That same census lists her occupation as “editorial contributor to a magazine.” Speakman died in West Chester in her 90th year on January 22, 1932. She is buried in Concord Friends Cemetery, Concordville, Pennsylvania, where her family were members of Concord Friends Meeting. Speakman did not marry. The earliest entries in the diary reference the last days and death of Speakman’s mother along with other family news including the efforts of her brother Edward to save the inventory in his bookstore in Chicago during the fire in October that year. Entries regarding a trip to Scotland and England begin July 1, 1882; subsequent entries are rarely dated, and the descriptions end while Speakman is in London, around July 20. She wrote about shipboard life, including comments on other passengers, dealing with seasickness, and the celebration of the Fourth of July. The group was in Glasgow on July 13, and visited the Highlands, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Melrose. There is also a quick visit to York before proceeding to London. Speakman comments on places visited; the varying quality of the tour guides; her impressions of the landscapes; a run-in with beggars on the return from Dryburgh Abbey and the noise of Covent Garden. A number of items are laid into the volume, including several cyanotypes, one of which was taken aboard ship. Printed material laid into the volume includes a list of passengers on the ship S.S. Circassia; a list the tour group of which Speakman was a member; advertisements for several hotels; track charts of Anchor Line steamships, and some engravings of places visited. Dried plants are attached to some pages. Also laid into the volume are writings which are possibly drafts of travel articles, including one that describes Speakman’s visit to Dryburgh Abbey. The volume closes with an undated article describing a trip by steamship on the St. Lawrence River from Kingston, Ontario, to Quebec. less

The diary of Chester County travels undertaken by Thomas L. Montgomery (the “Dragon”), John Thomson (“St. George”), Edward J. Nolan (“General Wheeler”), and Clarence Kates (the more “Cherub”) consists of 79 scanned pages and dates from July 8-15, 1899.   In the journal, the men refer to themselves by the nicknames indicated in the parentheses above. Thomas Lynch Montgomery (1862-1929) was a librarian.  He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his parents were Catherine Gertrude Lynch and Oswald Montgomery.  He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1884 and worked as librarian at the Wagner Free Institute of Science prior to his 1903 appointment as State Librarian.  After retiring from that position, he became the librarian and corresponding secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  He also served as a trustee of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  His first wife was Brinca Gilpin; after her death he married Susan Kelm Savage, the widow of William Lyttleton Savage.  He was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and in 1899, the Montgomery family either owned or rented a farm in Green Hill, Chester County. John Thomson (1835-1916) was also a librarian.  He was born in England in 1835 and married Mary Ann Faulkner, a poet and hymn writer.  They had a number of children and immigrated to the United States around 1881.  He was the private librarian for Jay Gould (railroad magnate and financier in New York City) and for Clarence H. Clark (banker and property developer in Philadelphia), and he produced printed bibliographies of the libraries of both these men.  Thomson then became head librarian of the Free Library of Philadelphia and oversaw the opening of its first branch at the Wagner Free Institute, where Thomas L. Montgomery also worked. Edward James Nolan (1846-1921) was a physician and librarian.  His parents were from Ireland, and he was born in either Ireland or New York, as indicated in different census records.  In 1862, he became library assistant at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, but then studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  In 1867, he returned to the Academy as librarian and remained there until his death in 1921.  In 1909, his history of the Academy was published and the diaries of his European travels were reported to be held by the American Catholic Historical Society. Clarence Sears Kates (1870-1922) was born in Philadelphia, the son of Julia May Smith and Horace Nicklen Kates.  After graduating from Episcopal Academy and the University of Pennsylvania (1889), Kates married Mary Avil, and they had two sons.  Kates had an interest in farming/agricultural enterprises and forestry, and he was a friend of forester Gifford Pinchot.  He was a member of a number of organizations, including the Pennsylvania State Grange, the Rural Progress Association of Pennsylvania, Chester County Farmers Club, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the Corn Exchange National Bank, the University Club, the Undine Barge Club (one of Philadelphia’s rowing clubs), and the Philobiblian Club (a group of book lovers). In the early 1900s, Clarence Kates purchased the old Coxe farm in Glen Loch, West Whiteland Township, Chester County, and there worked to establish a model farm.  He named the property Swedesford Manor and remodeled the old house to resemble Haddon Hall, a distinguished house in England.  He joined the local St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.  After the Reverend Charles Wesley Shreiner established the Church Farm School for boys on an abandoned farm in Glen Loch, Kates, a trustee of the school, worked with the students to clear the land.   After Kates’ death in 1922, his farm was rented by the school. The travel diary begins with the men meeting at Dr. Montgomery’s Glenwood Farm, in Green Hill, north of West Chester.  Along the way, some observations are made about landscape and plants, and places where they ate or lodged.   However, much of the diary is used to record snippets of their discussions.  They also document fantastical tales about some of the people they meet.  For example, a beautiful waitress in Parkesburg is said to be the daughter of Aida and Rhadamas (characters in the opera Aida).  In another tale, two workers (with Irish names and accents) at the Falls of French Creek are supposedly the twin sons of a German prince. They spend their first night in Downingtown, where they attend a baseball game.  On July 9, they travel through Loag’s Corner, over Welch [sic, i.e. Welsh] Mountains, to Springfield [i.e. Elverson], through St. Mary’s and Knauertown, and lodge that night at the Falls of French Creek [now St. Peters Village].  After visiting the granite quarry there, they drive to Honey Brook.  On July 11, they travel through Parkesburg, Cochransville, and Russellville, and spend the night in Oxford. Their travels on July 12 take them through Lewisville, Landenberg, Avondale, Toughkenamon, and Kennett Square.  They view Cedarcroft, the home of Bayard Taylor, but not liking the hotel in Kennett, they return to Toughkenamon for the night.  On July 13, they travel to Chadds Ford, but find that students from Drexel Institute have taken all the rooms, so they proceed to Wilmington, Delaware, for the night.  While there, they take a trolley to Brandywine Springs Park, a nearby amusement park. On the 14th, they eat lunch in Chadds Ford, where they see artists drawing costumed models.  These are students of Howard Pyle, although he is not mentioned by name.  After lunch, they pass the Birmingham school and the new county alms house, and spend the night in Coatesville.  Their journey ends on July 15 with their return to Glenwood Farm. Several typed transcriptions of the original diary were commissioned by Mrs. Thomas L. Montgomery in 1930.  A few passages from the original, however, were not included.  The locations of the original diary and the other typed copies are not known.  The entirety of this transcript, which also includes photographs of the four men, is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The digitized papers of Charles J. Pennock consist of a small number of letters, most by or addressed to Charles J. Pennock; two bird log books; more a manuscript copy of a bird book by Charles L. Bonaparte; and a notebook of geology notes. Materials date from 1791 to 1927, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1860 to 1927. Charles John Pennock was an ornithologist who lived most of his life in Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Pennock was born to a Quaker family in 1857, the son of Deborah Yerkes and Samuel Pennock. He was married twice, and had two sons and two daughters. He was a tax collector, magistrate, and businessman in Kennett Square, but his chief love was for birds. Pennock collected specimens and took notes on the birds he spotted around Chester County. He was a member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, serving as president 1901-1903; the American Ornithologists’ Union (A.O.U.); and the West Chester Bird Club. He also studied birds in Delaware and was named its state ornithologist. He amassed a significant collection of books about North American birds, and his collection of birds and eggs was given to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. After attending an ornithological meeting in Philadelphia on May 15, 1913, Pennock did not return home. Police were alerted and a search for him was instigated, but he was not located. However, in 1919, Dr. Witmer Stone, curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, believed that notes various ornithologists were receiving from a John Williams in St. Marks, Florida were similar to notes Pennock had written. Stone’s suspicions were enough aroused that he alerted one of Pennock’s relatives, Dr. Richard J. Phillips. Phillips journeyed to St. Marks to investigate and discovered that John Williams was indeed Pennock. With his identity discovered, Pennock returned to his wife in Kennett Square and died there in 1935. less

This collections represents all extant records of the Chester County Board of Relief from 1861 through 1865. The Chester County Board of Relief was set up more by the Act of May 15, 1861 P.L. 749, entitled "An Act to Create a Loan and to Provide for Arming the State" to aid local families of Civil War soldiers. Funded by state appropriations, its members included the County Commissioners and Court of Common Pleas Associate Judges. Township boards of relief were set up individually without legal precedent when townships felt the County Board did not meet the need for aid. Townships could petition the Board to assist their families although the Board did not always agree to help and the township boards assisted families without assistance from the county. The materials in this collection document the actives of the Board of Relief and provides detailed information on the families who sought its assistance. This collection is divided into four record series: account books, applications, correspondence, and administrative records. A full index to the account books, applications, and correspondence can be found here: https://www.chesco.org/1702/Board-of-Relief-1861-1865. less

This selection of digitized diaries by David Evans dates from 1835 to 1879. In these diaries, Evans notes his early studies in school; his experiences as more a teacher, farmer, and surveyor; his interests in geology, botany, and history; his attendance at Quaker and Anti-Slavery Society meetings; and the daily lives of his family and friends. From the late 1830s to the early 1850s, many of Evans’ entries provide names and details of aid he provided as a member of the Underground Railroad. There is also one volume by David’s brother, Josiah Evans, dating from March to December 1838, which documents Josiah’s time in Ohio. Early entries describe the passing environs en route to Ohio, and, once there, focus on daily life, visits with family and friends, and his attendance at Quaker and Anti-Slavery Society meetings. David Evans was born in 1818, the son of Nathan and Zillah Maule Evans of Willistown Township, Pennsylvania and died, age 80, on July 4, 1898. He had one brother and four sisters: Josiah, Catharine, Anne, Elizabeth, and Mary. Evans married Eliza W. House on March 21, 1861. Eliza died, most likely of breast cancer, in 1875, age 45; David did not remarry. Although young family members resided with David and Eliza, the couple was childless. In addition to living in Willistown, Evans resided in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a town he helped develop from the 1860s into the 1890s. Primarily an off-and-on school teacher and a farmer, Evans followed many interests, including his Quaker faith, the abolition of slavery, reading, farming, surveying, temperance, architecture, traveling, and rock formations. He was a member of the Willistown Library and the Willistown Literary Society. In March 1853, Evans was elected to a three year term as a Willistown Township school director. Six years later he was appointed township auditor. As a businessman, Evans operated a lumber yard. He wrote in his diary that he had “commenced business in the line of lumber coal feed flour etc. at the W. Chester Intersection R.R. January 1, 1866.” In Willistown, David Evans, with his father, Nathan, was part of a network of sympathizers who organized stations in the Underground Railroad. Additionally, he was involved in the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, serving as a delegate after the organization had been re-established in 1837. Even though Evans was a staunch abolitionist, he refused to serve in the Union army, instead registering as a conscientious objector. less

The digitized diary of Elizabeth Passmore consists of 382 scanned pages and dates from January to December of 1891. Found within the diary are descriptions of more her daily life, including family affairs, social engagements, housework, education, and religion. Elizabeth Broomell Passmore (1839-1932) was born to John and Esther Moore Hambleton Broomell of Upper Oxford Township. After teaching school in Upper Oxford, Elizabeth married George Birdsall Passmore in 1862. Together, they had 8 children, Hanson, Louella, Ellen, Andrew, George, Norman, and two children who died in infancy. George Passmore was an educator who taught for several years in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and Rising Sun, Maryland before moving to Oxford Township where he established George B. Passmore and Sons, a coal, coke, and wood supply business. Both George and Elizabeth were actively engaged in the temperance and abolition movements, and after the death of her husband in 1890, Elizabeth became increasingly engaged in progressive efforts on the behalf of women’s suffrage, temperance, abolition, child welfare, and education. For over twenty years, Passmore was a board member of Swarthmore College, and she served fifteen years as a manager of the Chester County Children’s Aid Society. In addition, she served as President of the Oxford Public Library and was a working member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. The diary covers Passmore’s lamenting of her husband’s death and her memories of their life together. She also documents her daily activities, including visits with family and friends, Society of Friends meetings, and volunteer meetings and events in the community. Many diary entries include quotes and selections from published writers and poets. The entirety of the Elizabeth Broomell Passmore Diary Collection, which consists of 40 bound volumes and dates from 1891 to 1930, is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The digitized account book of Ennion Cook consists of 256 scanned pages and dates from 1798 to 1836. Found within this volume are Cook’s financial records more as a school teacher, including student boarding fees, firewood purchases, and guardianship accounts. The back of the book also includes account records for the Birmingham Society of Friends’ burying grounds. Ennion Cook (1773-1841) was born to Stephen and Margaret Williams Cook in London Grove Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A teacher by profession, Cook moved to Birmingham Township, Chester County in 1798 and was a prominent member of the Quaker community. Cook married Agnes Garrett in 1800, and, in 1802, began teaching in the four-sided school house located next to the Birmingham Meeting House. He later taught in the Octagonal Schoolhouse (known as Harmony Hall), a building recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1808, Cook was appointed Librarian of the Birmingham Library, which operated out of his residence, and within the year, also began serving as the sexton of the Birmingham graveyard. Cook’s account book includes an index of 89 names followed by detailed account records that list individual items purchased and amounts paid. Typical charges to account holders include school supplies, boarding fees, clothing, shoes, firewood, tuition, and tutoring fees. A listing of Agnes Cook’s boarders from 1798-1822 is provided on pages 111-112, and a record of eight personal bond purchases is listed on page 123. In the back of the book, Cook kept separate entries relating to his role as sexton of the Birmingham graveyard from 1809 to 1834, and these entries include account records for individual plot purchases and the amounts paid. The entirety of the Ennion Cook Account Book Collection is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

This collection contains 11 volumes of writings and additional manuscripts, ca. 1793-1818, composed or transcribed by Halliday Jackson. These manuscripts primarily relate to his observations on more Seneca Native American life, some of which were later published in Civilization of the Indian Natives or, a Brief View of the Friendly Conduct of William Penn Towards Them in the Early Settlement of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Marcus T. C. Gould; New York: Isaac T. Hopper, 1830). Of Irish heritage, Halliday Jackson (August 31, 1771 - February 9, 1835) was a member of the Society of Friends who lived in New Garden, Pennsylvania and later moved to Darby, Pennsylvania. As a missionary, Jackson instructed on various pursuits. From 1798 to 1800 and at other times, he took part in Quaker missions to the Seneca Native Americans, which were organized by the Indian Committee of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. More specifically, between September 1 and October 4, 1806, Jackson traveled to Seneca settlements in western New York to inspect farms, fields, and mills that he and his fellow Quakers had earlier helped the Native Americans establish. In addition, while residing in Darby the 1820s, Jackson, a temperance advocate, served as secretary of the Darby Association for Discouraging the Unnecessary Use of Ardent Spirits. On March 18, 1801, Jackson married Jane Hough (May 23, 1775 - December 28, 1830) and together they had 12 children, including a son also named Halliday, who was a published author and poet. Following Jane’s death on June 13, 1833, Jackson married Ann P. Paschall (1792 - 1874), a Quaker minister born to Samuel and Mary Price Gibson of Darby. Halliday Jackson and his first wife are buried at Darby Friends Cemetery. The Chester County History Center also has two volumes of diaries kept by Halliday Jackson, 1793-1794 and 1810-1834. Other Halliday Jackson papers are at Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College (See: https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/5182haja) and Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections (See: https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/hcmc-950-101). less

This digitized selection from the Jean Kane Foulke papers measures 1.4 linear feet and dates from 1850 to 1955, with the bulk of the materials dating more from 1900 to 1920. Found within the scanned papers are correspondence, notes, news clippings, and printed materials related to Foulke’s work as a suffragist, community service leader, and organizer supporting the homefront during World War I. Correspondence and printed materials highlight Foulke’s work as a suffragist leader. From 1913 to 1920, Foulke sat on the board of both the Women’s League for Good Government and the Equal Franchise Society of Pennsylvania. She also served as chairwoman of the State Federation of Pennsylvania Women’s committee for rural women. Materials include internal organizational memoranda, membership form letters and mailings, printed ephemera, and 1920 election campaign materials. In addition, Foulke was actively involved with public health issues in Chester County, as documented by correspondence and printed material covering smallpox vaccinations, consumption, a scarlet fever outbreak, and the West Chester sewage system. Materials also document Foulke’s work with The Grange, Acorn Club, Chester County Historical Society, and College Club. Additional folders focus on women’s contributions to the war effort during World War I. These materials document the Women’s Land Army’s efforts to counteract food and farm labor shortages, women’s war work/labor, and other local safety and educational campaigns. The entirety of the Jean Kane Foulke papers is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

This digitized volume is a copy of John Churchman’s survey work of the Nottingham Lots. The location of the original is unknown. Gilbert Cope, a Chester more County, Pa. historian and genealogist, obtained access to Churchman’s personal papers and copied the volume from 1868 to 1873. John Churchman (1753-1805), a native of East Nottingham Township, Chester County, Pa., was a noted 18th-century surveyor and cartographer. Together with other members of his family, he is credited with compiling this volume recording information about the Nottingham Lots. For many years, Churchman held the official post of surveyor for Chester, Delaware, and parts of Berks and Lancaster Counties, Pa. In addition, he was a self-taught scientist, investigated magnetic phenomena in determining seafaring longitude, and was a member of the Society of Friends. Because Churchman eventually deviated from the Quaker “path of simplicity” and became involved in such assorted business activities as real estate investments and mining, he was dismissed from the Nottingham Monthly Meeting. Churchman’s publications include Variation Chart or Magnetic Atlas and a map of the Delmarva Peninsula (1778), which he dedicated to the American Philosophical Society. Churchman corresponded internationally; visited Copenhagen, Denmark, London, England, and St. Petersburg, Russia; and was elected to membership in the Royal Society of Arts (U.K.) and the Imperial Russian Academy. Churchman died at sea as he sailed home to America, having earlier suffered illness in London. The Nottingham Lots, consisting of 18,000 acres, were originally located in Southeastern Pennsylvania. They were created in 1701 by William Penn, who wanted both lands he could control and a settlement along the border separating Pennsylvania and Catholic-friendly Maryland. Penn's original tract was divided into 37 lots, each approximately 500 acres. It is believed that prospective owners made their selections by drawing lots; hence, the use of that descriptive word. Eventually, property ownership was disputed by Penn and his descendants and by Maryland’s Lord Baltimore and his descendants, chiefly over the location of the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northern border of Maryland. Much of this volume of 306 pages records handwritten text and precisely drawn maps relating to ownership of the Nottingham Lots, including owner’s names, lot locations, surveying data, and information dating from 1681 to 1875. Additionally, there are six other informative sections in the volume: - List of Nottingham Warrants (owners by surname) (pp. 128-149) - Contributors to Lancaster Meeting House (1759) (pp. 218-219) - Newlin Township (deeds, surveys, landowners, etc.) (pp. 242-248) - East Bradford Township (landowners) (pp. 251-254) - 4th Battalion, Chester County (1776) – militia list, etc. (pp. 292-299) - Chester County landowners (pp. 300-306) This volume was once part of the Gilbert Cope Historical and Genealogical Collection at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. In November 1952, it was deaccessioned and transferred to the Chester County History Center. Evidence suggests that prior to 1921, the volume was in the possession of two West Chester residents, William B. McCullough and Slater Russell. In addition to Churchman’s surveys, the digitized material includes a 16 page index of landowner names and locations mentioned in the surveys. Related records on the Nottingham Lots can be found at the Chester County Archives. less

The digitized reminiscences recorded by John Hill Brinton consist of five volumes (three original and two typed transcripts) and date from 1856 to 1868. Found within more the collection are descriptions of early Chester County people, places, and historical events dating back to the late 1600s. John Hill Brinton (1811-1893) was born in Thornbury, Pennsylvania on June 2, 1811, the son of Thomas Hill and Catharine Odenheimer Brinton. He attended Strode’s Academy, West Chester, Pennsylvania and Germantown Academy in Philadelphia. Brinton then studied law for three years with William H. Dillingham and was admitted to the Chester County bar on October 6, 1832. He practiced law in West Chester, and was the oldest member of the county bar at the time of his death. Active in politics and a self-identified Jacksonian Democrat, Brinton was a compelling speaker. Though he was never elected to office, he was appointed Deputy Attorney General—the equivalent of District Attorney—for Chester County, serving from April 1847 until July 1848. Brinton was also a local historian interested in his family genealogy, as well as early Chester County history. In 1873, he traveled to Europe in part to learn about his family’s origins. Additionally, beginning in the 1840s, he interviewed Chester County residents about their families and recorded their memories about the county’s past. Brinton died, aged 81, unmarried and childless, after a brief illness on February 5, 1893. The collection consists of three handwritten volumes and two volumes of transcriptions that document the history of Chester County, Pennsylvania from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s through the reminiscences of residents interviewed by Brinton. After Brinton’s death, the original manuscript was held by the Ogier family for many years before being returned to the Brinton family at which point handwritten indexes were added. In 1915, Francis D. Brinton underwrote the manuscript’s typed transcription and the two volumes of transcripts were bound by Fahr and Johnson of Philadelphia in 1950. The only typed index is in the first transcribed volume, leaving readers to refer to the original manuscript volumes for handwritten indexes to Book 2 and Book 3. Book 1 is described by Brinton as “Conversations held with old people respecting former times—some of them relatives, some of them friends, some acquaintances—and residing generally in Chester and Delaware Counties and Birmingham and Thornbury Township.” The volume begins with a 23 page index followed by 240 pages of Brinton’s handwritten synopses. These recollections include many members of the Carr, Darlington, Dilworth, Downing, Hickman, Hoopes, Mendenhall, Sharpless, and Taylor families. Brinton notes that these conversations were recorded as soon as they took place, though in cases of multiple conversations with single individuals, manuscript notations were consolidated into a single record. Topics discussed include the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Brandywine, the growth and development of Chester County, the changing appearance of the county’s land and trees, house and road construction, Quaker meetings, family genealogies, local mills, property ownership, politics, legal precedents, and etc. In addition, Brinton family members and the building, renovation, and general appearance of the 1704 Brinton House are discussed at length. Book 2 begins with a 32 page index followed by 231 pages of handwritten recollections, which cover topics similar to those in Book 1. In addition, Brinton records his visit to Europe, which he undertook in part to trace his family’s history and origins. Book 3 begins with a 14 page index followed by 174 pages of notes. The first section, “Notes of Conversations held by me with old inhabitants about the early settlement in Penn’s Colony,” covers events relating to Chester County’s earliest European inhabitants. The second section, “Some account of William Brinton one of the early settlers in Penn’s Colony of Pennsylvania and of His Descendants,” is an essay on the life of William Brinton, who settled in America in the 1600s. less

The two digitized diaries of Lewis White Williams consist of 102 scanned pages and date from July to August of 1857. Found within the diaries are more descriptions of geologic formations, plants, animals, rivers, and minerals sighted during a wagon road survey of the southwest commissioned by the U.S. Government and under the command of Lt. Edward Beale. Lewis White Williams (1804-1873) was born to Richard and Martha Good Williams in East Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A teacher by profession, Williams was also a well-regarded expert in local geology and mineralogy, and was one of the earliest members of the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Sciences. In amassing mineral samples for his personal collection, Williams traveled widely at home and abroad, arranging personal expeditions to all fifty states and territories, as well as China and Japan. In addition, Williams is credited with discovering corundum deposits near Unionville in Newlin Township, Chester County. A variety of Serpentine gemstone, named Williamsite, is also named for him. In 1857, Williams was appointed by President Buchanan’s administration to join a survey expedition organized by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale to reconnoiter a wagon trail from New Mexico to California. As the Assistant Geologist and Naturalist for the “Camel Expedition,” White was tasked with noting the geologic formations encountered during the expedition, which used 77 camels to carry gear to Fort Tejon, California. Upon the successful completion of the survey, the Beale Road was used by the U.S. Army and settlers traveling west, and portions of the route’s corridor have been incorporated into Route 66 and Interstate 40. The first diary notes the expedition’s departure from the Gulf city of Indianola, Texas on June 6, and covers the group’s first 35 days of northwest travel to Leon Springs, Texas, just north of San Antonio. Entries in the second diary cover the expedition from July 15 to August 12 as the surveyors continued towards Las Cruces, New Mexico, and ends on Day 63 when the party passes through Albuquerque, New Mexico. In both volumes, Williams notes the daily activities of the camp, miles traveled per day, and the distinct geologic and botanical features of the rivers and valleys the group travels through. In addition, he includes notes on fossil and native plant specimens, local news, Native Americans, and individuals the party encounters during the journey, including rangers and local townspeople. The entirety of the Lewis White Williams Diary Collection is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

This digitized volume contains the meeting minutes of the Liberty Cornet Band dating from 1920-1932 and 1937, and includes the names of appointed officers and members more of the band. The Liberty Cornet Band was an African-American musical group established in 1867 in West Chester, Pa. The band enjoyed a lofty profile in Chester County and the surrounding counties where they headlined concerts, performed at parades and sporting events, serenaded residents in surrounding communities, and played at Republican Party rallies and other political gatherings. Three prominent restaurateurs, Moses Hepburn, 1832-1897 (Magnolia House), Charles Burns, 1855/56-1917 (Burns’ Great Oyster House), and James Spence, 1843?-1925 (Spence’s Restaurant), were early band leaders. At its high point in January 1912, the band counted 50 members. In addition, the band performed farther afield, including Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic states. In 1897, the band was invited to take part in William McKinley’s presidential inauguration ceremony, and in 1901, it played at Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration. The band also gave benefit concerts, such as one in 1880 for the widow Abbey Smith of Media, Pa. In 1901, showing its patriotism, the band played at two events celebrating the return of American soldiers, including three African-Americans, from the Philippines and Cuba following the Spanish-American War. Not unexpectedly, the band enjoyed a banner reputation among West Chester’s African-American community. In an 1888 newspaper article, a reporter wrote, “West Chester yesterday belonged to the colored people, it being the date of the Liberty Band’s picnic.” The Liberty Cornet Band was active from its founding in 1867 to at least 1931. As with many organizations, the band had its ups and downs, adding members in good years and losing members in challenging times. For example, in August 1889, a significant number of members left to follow a religious revival; the band subsequently had to reorganize. In the 1920s, membership dropped from fifty to number in the thirties. The organization’s records reveal that there were no concerts or other activities, except practice sessions, after 1931. Undoubtedly, the depression of the 1930s contributed to the band’s collapse, as one member noted in 1931 that “we need to do something worthwhile immediately because of the critical condition of the band.” By 1937, the band in all likelihood folded. In February of that year, due to lack of funds, its officers authorized the disposal of its property at West Chester’s Masonic Hall. In addition to documenting specific motions and actions taken by band members, the volume records paid membership dues/fees, voting results, plans for future performances, mention of committee reports, personnel issues (i.e. fines to band members), administrative costs, performance venues, and concert ticket sales/costs. An index to the band’s cash accounts is listed on the verso of the front cover, and these cash account inventories include the band’s monthly receipts and expenses. Noted band members in this volume include the following three Presidents: Alfred Bowman (1923), Jacob Milby (1924-1930), and Herman Ray (1930-1932). William H. Burton, a teacher at West Chester’s Gay Street School and later a professor at Cheney University, served as the band’s Secretary from 1927 to 1932. less

The three diaries kept by Phebe Ann Sharpless (now digitized) span 1849 to 1855, a time when Sharpless was in her twenties. Phebe Sharpless was born more August 16, 1829, the daughter of Samuel Sharpless (1804-1872), a farmer, and his wife, Abigail Garrett Ashbridge Sharpless (1808-1857). Phebe Sharpless had two younger brothers: Thomas Ashbridge Sharpless (1831-1875) who married Margaretta Tucker Evans; and Theodore Sharpless (1835-January 18, 1870). The family resided in East Goshen township and later in West Chester. They attended Goshen Friends Meeting. Phebe Sharpless died in the home of her nephew, Clarence D. Sharpless, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. In the diaries, Sharpless records family news, plus thoughts on her Quaker faith and practice as well as issues of the time including temperance, abolitionism, women’s rights, and the death penalty. She wrote about a talk by William Lloyd Garrison and her support of the African colonization movement in August 1851. As she approached her 25th birthday, Sharpless wrote about her thoughts on marriage for herself and whether other marriages were happy. Domestic activities such as cleaning, sewing (including quilting with her mother and some embroidery work), baking, and other food preparation are discussed. Much of this was Sharpless’s responsibility because her mother was in poor health, and she notes that girls (some immigrant, primarily Irish, and some African American) were employed at times in the household. Sharpless also planted and tended vegetable and flower gardens. She wrote about her appreciation of nature, opining that cutting down forests seemed to lead to milder winters and that native wildflowers were dying out. She attended lectures on a variety of subjects including a series on physiology which she found informative and useful. Leisure time was spent reading (Jane Eyre and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are mentioned), drawing (a small pencil sketch of a flower is in volume 3), attending concerts and picnics, visiting art exhibits, and shopping in West Chester and Philadelphia. Visits to family in Philadelphia and Wilmington are noted, along with travel to New York City, Maryland, and Cape May, New Jersey. The earliest diary is a small paper-bound volume, “Lipman’s Diary” with pre-printed dates. Regular entries ended in 1850, but the following family deaths were noted at the end of the volume: Sharpless’s aunt Hannah G. Ashbridge in 1860, her grandmother Phebe Garrett Ashbridge in 1870 and her brother, Theodore, also in 1870. The second and third diaries were blank volumes. The second volume includes poems written by Sharpless between 1856 and 1876. The third volume includes a partial index in the front of the volume, referencing entries in that diary. less

This digitized selection of eight diaries from the Sheeder Family Account Books and Diaries measures 0.5 linear feet and dates from 1870 to 1879. Found within more the diaries are entries documenting Anna Mary Sheeder’s life and daily routines on her family’s farm in East Vincent Township. Anna Mary Sheeder (1854-1943) was raised on the Sheeder family homestead in a community originally known as Sheeder Postoffice and later referred to as Red Hill. The farm was founded by Sheeder’s grandfather, Frederick Sheeder (1777-1865), an immigrant from Germany who arrived in Pennsylvania at the age of 16. In 1799, Frederick Sheeder purchased a plot of land bordering French Creek and began farming land that would be passed on to Joseph Sheeder, J. Frederick Sheeder, and Anna Sheeder. The diaries cover Anna Sheeder’s life as a young adult from age 16 to 25. During this period, Sheeder completed high school, attended West Chester Normal School (now West Chester University), and, following her graduation in 1874, worked as a schoolteacher for several years. From 1888 to 1901, she maintained the Sheeder farm account books and would eventually oversee the operation of the family farm, which specialized in dairy cattle. Diary entries are intermittent and limited to no more than a page a day—for some periods, there are entries every day interspersed between gaps of months or even seasons. Topics include the weather, chores, leisure activities, teaching, notable events in her daily life, and a summer vacationing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Some notable events include seeking employment at a mill, choking on a raw oyster, beginning a star quilt, romantic interests, disciplining students, and the death of an acquaintance. The entirety of the Sheeder Family Account Books and Diaries is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

These three digitized memorandum books belonged to Timothy Kirk, born circa 1786 in West Marlborough, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He married Orpha Strode (or Stroud) (1796-1875) on more April 5, 1821, and they had three children: Amy Thomas (1823-1898) who married John Chandler); Benjamin Pennock (1829-1901) who died in Kennett Square; and Morris C. (1832-1903). The Kirks were Quaker. Kirk was a wheelwright in West Marlborough township, and the three memorandum books include content from both his business and personal life. The first book, labeled House Expenses, has entries dated 1821-1827. Expenses recorded include the purchase of a variety of food items, wages for household help, stove blacking, fodder, hay, and pasturage for cow, soap, candles, rent, indigo, pewter sand, and other assorted charges. Although Kirk was listed as a wheelwright in census records, work records show that in addition to making wheels, he made bookshelves, yokes, balls for casters for chair legs, tool handles, wheelbarrows, coffins, rockers for cradles and chairs, wash boards, a washing machine, and other items. He also repaired wagons and sleighs, sharpened tools, worked on a candle stand, and recorded charges for boards, scantling, planks, and lumber. The volume includes miscellaneous notes, such as charges for schooling of William Pyle; notes naming females whom he employed; pasturage of a cow; and memoranda about financial notes. The second volume, labeled Book of Memorandums, spans 1823-1832. Most of the book records the details of specific financial notes, listing from whom a note was received, the amount involved, and the bank on which the note was to be drawn. The remainder of the volume records a wide range of information, including births, marriages, and deaths; a lists of people who worked for the Kirk family or who boarded with them; heights and weights of children (his own and others); and mathematical formulae and measurements. Agricultural records include pasturage of a cow; measurement of a potato top; notes about bees; smoking meat; planting crops, and rental of his Dearborn wagon. Kirk kept a record of schooling for Milton Jackson, and a record of the items bought for Jackson’s “freedom suit,” suggesting that Jackson had been an apprentice (pages 2 and 43). An account of people bled (p. 35) suggests that Kirk himself (or someone in his household) was doing the bleeding; the list includes given names for some while others are recorded as “Black man” or “Black girl.” Page 45 includes a question posed to Abraham Lower (followed by his answer) regarding Quaker orthodoxy. The third book of memorandum spans 1832-1840. Content is similar to that in volume 2, including records of financial notes, plus marriages, and deaths (with cause often listed). The death of Jacob Hendershot (noted on page 22) includes commentary on the Thomasonian medical practices of the attending practitioner summoned by Hendershot. Also found are recipes for a burn ointment, shoe blacking, and sour drops. Occurrences such as snowfalls, a meteor shower, a solar eclipse, and the arrival of locusts are recorded. Some house expenses, primarily for food, are found near the end of the volume along with cow pasturage notes. Kirk also recorded the births of his three children (on the inside of the back cover); weight of most of the family members; and statistics about a ship being built in Philadelphia. less

The digitized diaries of Walter Finney consist of three volumes with accompanying typed transcripts and date from 1778 to 1786. The diaries document Walter Finney’s observations more and notes during his service in the Revolutionary War, and as a witness to negotiations with Native American tribes after the War. A typed transcription of each diary, which adheres to Finney’s grammar and spelling, has been scanned and is included at the end of each volume in the collection. For ease of use, the order of scanned pages from the original diaries follows the same order presented in the typed transcripts. Walter Finney was born in New London, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1748, the son of William (1701-1751) and Jean Stephenson Finney (1706-1751). Except for his military service during the Revolutionary War and immediately afterward, he resided on and cultivated his family farm in New London. According to Chester County and its People, by Wilmer W. Thomson, Finney was active in pre-Revolutionary War activities, including a meeting at the Chester County courthouse on December 20, 1774 “for the purpose of choosing a committee to carry into execution the association of the Continental Congress.” The following month he was appointed to a provincial convention in Philadelphia that recommended both the making of salt peter, a component of gunpowder, and the insuring of a proper supply. Eventually, Finney himself learned how to make salt peter and taught others how to do so. Walter Finney enlisted in the American revolutionary army as a Lieutenant, then rose to Captain and Major. As his diaries record, he spent his wartime service in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and several southern states. He suffered a head wound and was captured by the British and served his incarceration on a New York prison ship. After the war, Finney joined the State Society of the Cincinnati, a fraternal and hereditary organization founded in 1783 to commemorate the Revolutionary War. Following the Revolution, Finney seems to have taken part in treaty negotiations with Native Americans who had sided with the British. Once home in New London, Finney was a ruling elder of his Presbyterian Church, was named a director of the New London Library Company, and pursuant to the Pennsylvania constitution of 1790, Gov. Thomas Mifflin appointed him an associate justice of the Chester County Court on which he served until his death. Finney married Mary O’Hara, and together they had two sons, Walter Jr. and William. Finney died on September 17, 1820 and is buried at Thunder Hill Cemetery, also known as the Finney Family Burial Ground, in New London. Joseph Lee Boyle, a military historian who worked at Valley Forge Historical Park for more than a dozen years, transcribed the first two volumes of Finney’s diaries and published them with commentary in New Jersey History, vol. 121, nos. 1-4, 2003, pp. 23-81 and South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 98, no. 2, 1997, pp. 126-152. less

The digitized copybook of William Darlington consists of 170 scanned pages and dates from 1845 to 1851. Found within the bound volume are handwritten ink-on-paper transcriptions more of Darlington’s outbound correspondence to family, friends, acquaintances, institutions, and businesses. William Darlington (1782-1863) was born to a Quaker family near Dilworthtown, Chester County and spent his childhood on his family’s farm. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a medical degree, Darlington served as a surgeon on a merchant ship for several years before returning to Chester County to practice medicine. A prominent member of the community, Darlington served as a major in the War of 1812, was the president of the Bank of West Chester for thirty-three years, and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms (1815-1817 and 1819-1823). After studying medical botany under Professor Benjamin Smith Barton at the University of Pennsylvania, Darlington continued to nurture a lifelong interest in botanical studies. In 1826, he published Florula Cestrica, a catalog of the plants native to West Chester, and that same year, was one of ten original members to establish the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Sciences. In 1837, he published an expanded volume of his catalog, Flora Cestrica, which contained a complete classification for every known plant in Chester County. Other works of note include Agricultural Botany (1847) and Memorials to John Bartram and Humphry Marshall (1849). The copybook covers Darlington’s outbound correspondence from 1845 to 1851. Correspondents include his sister, Jane Hough, and friends in the community, including the Batchelder and Jeffrey families. With these correspondents, Darlington shares thoughts on his family, women’s interest in science, and appreciation for condolence letters received upon the death of his son. A significant portion of correspondence relates to Darlington’s interest in botany, including detailed descriptions of plant specimens and their classification, and the exchange of printed publications with other botanists, plant collectors, and naturalists. Frequent correspondents include Dr. F. Boott, Anna Maria Collinson, Asa Gray, and H.W. Richardson. Additional correspondence to institutions and businesses relate to personal accounts, invitations to speak, society memberships, and other academic topics. The William Darlington Letterpress Copybook is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center. less

The two digitized diaries of William Riley Blakeslee consist of 538 scanned pages and date from January 1862 to December 1863.  Found within the diaries are more accounts of his service in the Civil War, including personal accounting records, daily events, travels between camps, and visits to Coatesville. William Riley Blakeslee (1822-1909) was born to Benjamin and Sophia Lane Blakeslee in Springville Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.  After receiving his medical degree, Blakeslee moved to Coatesville, Pennsylvania where he practiced medicine as a surgeon and general physician.  Blakeslee was married three times and left seven children.  As a well-known figure in his community, Blakeslee was known for his house and gardens, and for opening one of the first drug stores in Coatesville. During the Civil War, Blakeslee served as a surgeon with the 115th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers from October 1861 until his discharge in March 1863, and returned to service from July to August 1863 in the wake of Gettysburg.  After the war, he continued practicing medicine in Coatesville and was employed as a surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad for over fifty years. The first diary notes Blakeslee’s arrival at Camp Constitution in Camden, New Jersey in May 1962, and documents the regiment’s travels to various locations in Virginia, including Fort Monroe, Harrison’s Landing, Centerville, northern Virginia, and Fredericksburg from June to December of 1862. Entries in the second diary describe marches near Falmouth, Virginia in January, and activities at Camp Muhlenberg and Camp Cook from July to August of 1863.  Blakeslee’s entries for 1863 provide greater description and details regarding fellow officers, daily news, events, and visits back to his home in Coatesville.  In addition, entries dating from September 9 onward include recollections and notes of daily activities from the previous year. less

These two digitized diaries were kept by William W. Heed (1843-1927) of West Chester, Pennsylvania, while he served in the armed forces during the Civil War. more Stationed first in Annapolis, Maryland, and then at the War Department in Washington, D.C., toward the end of the conflict, Heed was an office clerk and copyist in both locations. Heed was born in West Chester to Samuel Stryker Heed (1815-1867) and Christiana Walter Heed (b. 1824). A lifelong resident of the town, Heed was educated locally, and at the age of fifteen, he worked in the printing shop of the Village Record newspaper. When the Civil War broke out, Heed enlisted in the Union army. He was captured by the Confederates and jailed in Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. After his release, Heed took a position in the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C. Heed also served as a clerk for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for one session. These two volumes document the activities and to a lesser extent the thoughts of Heed during his service. Instead of entering passages on the specified day in his diary, Heed may have organized his thoughts and written his entries at a later time. Such a pattern of composition would account for the legibility of his handwriting and explain why all the daily entries exactly fit the space allotted for them. That habit is also evident in that Heed began to chronicle the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on the day Lincoln was shot (10:15 pm on the evening of April 14, 1865) along with other related shootings. Heed could not have heard of these events until the following day at the earliest. The diary entries are chiefly matter-of-fact observations recorded by Heed during his service as a Union soldier. Interspersed among his entries are comments about the progress, or lack of progress, of the war effort. On January 21, 1864, Heed wrote, “It is rumored the Rebels are about to attack Knoxville again,” and on February 4, 1865, after learning that the Confederates continued to want nothing short of separation, he said “The war is now to be prosecuted with redoubled energy.” Additionally, he recorded what later came to be important milestones, including his entry on March 6, 1864: “Gen. Sherman has invaded Georgia, making a very bold and daring movement through the interior of the South.” On November 2, Heed wrote that Sherman had captured Atlanta. On April 9, 1865, Heed mentioned that news had been received of the surrender of General Lee’s army to General Grant. Heed concluded, “Peace is beginning to show itself.” Heed was interested in the politics of the time. As elections occurred, he mentioned voting for both national and state offices. On June 8, 1864, he recorded that the Unionists had nominated Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson for President and Vice President respectively, and later that year, on August 30, that George B. McClellan and George H. Pendleton had been chosen for the same positions by the Democrats. On November 8, the Lincoln-Johnson ticket prevailed. William Heed preferred living in Annapolis over Washington, commenting on the dirt, dust, and climate of Washington. He often traveled back to Annapolis to visit his friends and former haunts. There were things in Washington that Heed would never see in Annapolis, including baseball games. On August 27, 1865, he wrote: “Tomorrow we are to have a grand Base Ball match between the Athletics of Philadelphia and Nationals of this city. The game is attracting considerable attention among all classes.” The following month Heed said Washington would host the Philadelphia team and the Atlantics of New York City for the national championship. Things in Annapolis that Heed would never see in Washington included a fleet of Russian ships anchored near the Naval Academy preparing to winter locally. Heed describes the many times he attended the theater in Washington, including Grover’s Theater, the Oxford Hall of Music, and performances at Ford’s Theater which included Christy’s Minstrels, Maggie Mitchell in “Pearl of Savoy,” Edwin Booth in “Richard III,” Mrs. Bowers in several appearances (a French play entitled “Camille,” “Audley’s Secret,” and “The Day After the Wedding”), actors Frank Drew and Susan Denin in three brief presentations, Edwin Forrest in “Macbeth,” and John Clarke in “The Streets of New York.” Lastly, beginning on April 14, 1865, Heed chronicled the assassination of President Lincoln and related shootings with references to J. Wilkes Booth. The following day Heed states “Never did I witness a day of such unrivaled sorrow.” Heed then chronicled Lincoln’s funeral procession to Springfield, Illinois, mentioned the death of Booth in Virginia, and incorrectly claimed that Jefferson Davis had been captured in Georgia wearing one of his wife’s dresses. After the war, in 1870, Heed married Emma Keffer, the daughter of a Civil War veteran. They had two children, Edna (1873-1973) and Helen (b. 1884). Later in life, Heed operated a hat store on West Gay Street in West Chester and also wrote a column of reminiscences for the Daily Local News entitled “By-Gones Retouched.” In addition to his column, Heed worked into his 80s as a proofreader for the Daily Local and claimed he was the first man in West Chester to write shorthand. A traveler and outdoorsman, he took several trips to the West Coast and had a summer residence in the Pocono Mountains. Around the age of 82, Heed was injured when he slipped on ice. Heed died in West Chester and is buried in Oaklands Cemetery in West Goshen Township. less

This collection contains images of limited edition, hand-printed linocut holiday cards that were made by folk artist Mary Hamilton who lived and worked throughout her career more in Clarion County, was well-known in the area, and made many contributions to the culture in Western Pennsylvania. She made these holiday cards annually for over 20 years and sent them to close personal friends. Dr. Charles Marlin, a friend of the artist and recipient of the cards, donated the original cards that show the evolution of Mary Hamilton's work. less

Minutes of the Town Council of the Borough of Conshohocken, Volume 1, July 1850 - March 1874 Collection.

The Fox Chapel Area High School's yearbook "Renard," published every year since 1961, is an essential window into the daily life and times of the six more municipalities in the school district. The yearbooks also offer a valuable visual record of local students for genealogical research. less

The development of Fox Chapel Area from a quiet, detached farm community to bustling suburb can be clearly seen in the history of Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox more Chapel, Indiana Township, O'Hara Township, and Sharpsburg. Cooper-Siegel Community Library is in a unique position to collect and digitize historical ephemera because this area does not contain a historical society (as of May 2024). The Library has accumulated and still does accumulate historical materials from the area--centennial brochures, church festival booklets, Friends of the Library publications, borough history booklets, and the like that, if not digitized and made available online, may disappear forever. This collection reflects the Library's collecting and digitizing efforts of history for this service area. less

Archival photographs documenting the priesthood of the Most Reverend Joseph McShea, Bishop of Allentown.

The Blough missionary letters and diaries from China are an invaluable resource to those researching Church of the Brethren history, along with those scholars studying the more Western missionary endeavor in China in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They enhance other collections of Western missionary documents, such as those housed at Yale Divinity School, the Union Theological Seminary, and Harvard University. In addition, the letters and diaries of Anna Blough provide information about Chinese people and events that may not be available in China, as well as offering general information about life in China at that time (1913-1922). Anna V. Blough was born in 1885 near Waterloo, Iowa. She was baptized into the Church of the Brethren in 1989, and later attended Mt. Morris Academy and Bethany Bible School. In 1913 she sailed for China, where she served as a missionary at the Pingding station until her death from typhus on May 9, 1922. Blough's service was part of the broader Church of the Brethren involvement in China, which began in 1906 when Daniel Long Miller traveled there for the General Mission Board to investigate possible sites. He stopped at Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shanghai; after returning home, he made his report to the board. In the fall of 1908, the board sent George and Blanche Hilton, Frank and Anna Crumpacker, and Anna Horning to China to begin the church's missionary work. After speaking with missionaries of other denominations, devoting themselves to prayer, and studying the Atlas of Missions by H.P. Beach, they selected Shanxi Province as their mission field. The Crumpackers opened the first mission station in Pingding on May 25th, 1910, and the Hiltons opened a second station in Zuoquan in June 1912. The Brethren missionary presence in China ended in 1951 following Mao's rise to power. less

The Church of the Brethren Photograph Collection consists of more than 500 mostly black and white photographs of meeting houses and churches in eastern Pennsylvania, historic more sites, gravestones, portraits and nursing homes associated with the Church. The photographs date from the 1890's to the present. A subset of the collection includes images from 200 glass-plate negatives dating from 1890 to 1915. These photographs were taken by J.G. Francis, a leader in the founding of Elizabethtown College and a minister of the Church of the Brethren in eastern Pennsylvania. less

Welcome to the Elizabethtown College: Historic Images Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. This collection consists of ca. 3000 mostly black and more white photographs documenting the history of Elizabethtown College from its founding. The College was founded by the Church of the Brethren in 1899 and as been an important institution in the area since that time. In the early years, the people depicted were often not only imporatnt to the College's history, but they were also noted figures in the Church of the Brethren, an important religios group in the history of Eastern Pennsylvania. The Brethren movement migrated to Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1710. The movement spread westward and southward over the next 200 years. There is an especially strong concentration of people associated with the Church of the Brethren in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. less

Elizabethtown College was founded by members of the Church of the Brethren, one of the original "peace churches" to spread from Europe to the United States. more This peace pamphlet collection contains pamphlets that focus on peace issues and conscientious objectors' movement. Pamphlet dates range from 1775 to the 1970's. less

This collection of audio-only interviews show the impact that COVID-19 had on businesses, local government, the healthcare sector, educational intuitions, non-profits, and houses of worship. Community more leaders were invited to the library and asked to give their perspectives on the early days of the pandemic, their emergency response, the strengths and weaknesses of the Erie Community, and the lessons learned. less

This collection contains maps of Erie County, PA. which have been scanned from the collection at the Erie County Public Library's Heritage Room. We have selected more maps that are not readily available elsewhere online through places like The Library of Congress or the National Archives. less

This collection contains maps of Erie County, PA. which have been scanned from the collection at the Erie County Public Library's Heritage Room. We have selected more maps that are not readily available elsewhere online through places like The Library of Congress or the National Archives. less

This collection of newsletters and newspapers includes activities, events, meetings, and news for Erie's LGBTQ community from 1992-present. This publication included titles such as: Erie Gay more Community Newsletter, Erie Gay Community News,  Erie Gay News, and Womynspace/Womanspace Newsletter. less

One of the Erie area's earliest, substantial newspapers, The Erie Gazette was printed and published by Joseph M. Sterrett. It was printed weekly and had a more republican slant. less

These booklets are the annual and biannual reports for the Erie Public Library. They date back to 1899 when the library opened to the public. Some more include reports for the Erie Public Museum which, for a period of time, was located in the Erie Public Library building. less

Grand Army of the Republic: Personal War Sketches of the Members of Strong Vincent Post No. 67 is a two volume collection of large format single-page more biographies. Each sketch is an interview with a Civil War veteran that provides enlistment information, service locations, and injury and/or discharge information. These unique accounts comprise an invaluable record of Erie County’s role in the Civil War. This collection was made possible through a collaborative effort with the Hagen History Center and was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Historical and Archival Records Care Grant program. less

The Agentur Records Collection consists of 72 volumes of handwritten ledgers, indexes, logs, reports, and letter books spanning the years 1847 to 1947, recording the efforts more of the German Society of Pennsylvania’s Agency to help needy German immigrants and Philadelphia residents of German origin. The collection contains valuable biographical information for local history, social history, labor history, immigration research, and genealogy. less

Johann Heinrich Keppele was born in 1716 in the village of Treschklingen, in what is today's German state of Baden-Württemberg. In 1738, at the age of more 22, Keppele emigrated to America, arriving in Philadelphia, where he settled, and after beginning as an innkeeper, became a prosperous merchant and importer. In 1741 he married Anna Catharina Barbara Bauer (1725-1774), who was born in the village of Meckesheim, in Baden. They had 15 children, of whom 5 daughters and 4 sons survived into adulthood. Henry Keppele was a successful and well-known butcher, innkeeper, merchant, ship owner, and real estate entrepreneur. Keppele was also a one-term member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and an active member of St. Michael's and Zion Lutheran Church. On 26 December 1764 he was one of the co-founders of the German Society of Pennsylvania, dedicated to helping German immigrants; and he served as its first president, from 1765 to 1781. Keppele died in Philadelphia on June 1, 1797. The Henry Keppele family record book, written in Keppele's own hand, contains biographical information about himself and his family, including a list of his children, with their birth, death, and marriage dates. This is followed by copies of 8 poems in English, in a different hand, copied ca. 1839-1843. The book contains many blank leaves at the back. The Henry Keppele Geburtsregister is approximately 100 pages long. It begins by recording family information similar to what is contained in the Keppele family record book. The remainder and bulk of the book contains prayers and poems written by Keppele. The last entry is from November. 10, 1794, 3 ½ years before his death in June 1797. less

Miscellaneous papers of Lutheran clergyman Henry Melchior Muhlenberg from his later years, including two versions of a memorandum in his hand concerning St. Peter's Lutheran Church more in Barren Hill, Pa. (1774-1783), three letters addressed to him (1782-1786), and a copy of a marriage certificate signed by him (1771). less

This collection consists of the daily German language newspaper "Der Demokrat". Variant titles are: Philadelphia Demokrat, Philadelphia Demokrat und Anzeiger der Deutschen, and Philadelphier Demokrat. It more merged with the Morgen Gazette to form the Gazette-Demokrat. This collection includes issues for 1838-1876 with some missing years and issues. The years 1877-1907 were digitized separately and can be viewed at: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102409452/Home less

This newspaper was edited & published by Hermann Burckhardt & Georg Rottenstein, May 1838-?, then by Georg Rottenstein alone. Not to be confused with Der Demokrat, more 1839-1918. less

This collection contains items from the German Society of Pennsylvania's archival holdings related to Philadelphia-based German-American singing societies of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Items more include: souvenir programs, recordings, correspondence and sheet music. less

The Pamphlet Box Collection/ Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf consists of nine annual reports, from 1883, and one for each year from 1917-1924 inclusive. It also more includes five copies of the student newsletter, Mount Airy World, with two copies from 1912, one from 1913, one from 1917, and the last, from 1921. Together, these annual reports and newsletters document the statewide importance of the Institution; both faculty and students came from all over Pennsylvania to work and study there. The collection also documents the increased importance of women at the Institution, in their roles as faculty and staff members, and as committee members working in association with the Institution's Board of Directors. less

The collection includes various annual reports, programs, letters, financial information, newspaper clippings, and ephemera documenting the history of the African American community in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood more and vicinity, from circa 1868-1939, and the roles of women in the following organizations. Includes materials associated with the Union Mission for Colored People, the Industrial School for Colored Women, and the Colored Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans Home. less

This collection contains photographs relating to African American history in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Included are topics such as: Abolition Hall, Camp William Penn, Woodmont, individuals, and more cemeteries. One of the photographs is a close up of an oil portrait of the county's first African American doctor, Dr. Daniel A. Wilson. The portrait and all of the photographs are maintained at the Historical Society of Montgomery County, PA. less

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Collection includes documents, memorabilia, photographs, and publications related to the history of the university in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Photographs will include more students and employees, events, and campus buildings. less

This collection contains historic documents about the James V. Brown Library of Williamsport, PA, including Annual Reports and minutes from Board of Trustee meetings.

Welcome to the Keystone College 1868- Present Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. This collection contains materials pertaining to the history more of Keystone College from its inception as Keystone Academy in 1868 as the first higher educational institution in Northeast PA. less

Welcome to the Keystone College 1868- Present Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. This collection contains documents and photos of the more Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson who grew up locally and attended Keystone Academy. less

Lancaster Public Library has teamed up with Hempfield School District, McCaskey High School, and Lancaster Catholic High School to digitize yearbooks from all three institutions. Digitized content more covers yearbooks from 1988 and older. All content is public domain and can be reused and utilized by the public freely. less

This collection consists of Lancaster City and County residential and commercial directories, 1843-1900. These directories provide valuable information regarding the population of Lancaster City and County, more as well as the growth and development of the community and the evolution of Lancaster commerce and industry. less

Welcome to the Lancasterhistory.org's Lancaster County City Directories 1901 - 1914 Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. This collection consists of more Lancaster City and County residential and commercial directories, 1901-1914. These directories provide valuable information regarding the population of Lancaster City and County, as well as the growth and development of the community and the evolution of Lancaster commerce and industry. less

Welcome to the Lancasterhistory.org's Lancaster County City Directories 1901 - 1914 Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. This collection is the more third and final piece of our project to digitize Lancaster City and County directories. The first two pieces are already on AccessPA. These nine directories include directories from the small towns of Lititz and Columbia. These directories are useful to those researching family history and the development of communities over time. Advertisements in these directories are also valuable. less

Lancaster's Examiner and Herald was published weekly in Lancaster, Pa., during the middle years of the nineteenth century. By digitizing the years 1834 - 1872, patrons more are provided with a view of politics and events of this tumultuous period from a liberal political slant, providing balance to the more conservative perspective of the Intelligencer-Journal, which was recently digitized by Penn State. less

Lancaster's Examiner and Herald was published weekly in Lancaster, Pa., during the middle years of the nineteenth century. By digitizing the years 1834 - 1872, patrons more are provided with a view of politics and events of this tumultuous period from a liberal political slant, providing balance to the more conservative perspective of the Intelligencer-Journal, which was recently digitized by Penn State. less

This collection contains issues from 1877 to 1936 of the Lititz Record and from 1937-2001 of its successor, the Lititz Record Express.

The New Holland Clarion was published weekly in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from 1873-1984. The newspaper provided the local news, world and regional news, information more on social events and businesses, and historical sketches of New Holland. The New Holland Clarion is segmented into 3 collections: The New Holland Clarion 1873-1890 Collection, The New Holland Clarion 1891-1910 Collection and The New Holland Clarion 1911-1950 Collection. less

The New Holland Clarion was published weekly in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from 1873-1984. The newspaper provided the local news, world and regional news, information more on social events and businesses, and historical sketches of New Holland. The New Holland Clarion is segmented into 3 collections: The New Holland Clarion 1873-1890 Collection, The New Holland Clarion 1891-1910 Collection and The New Holland Clarion 1911-1950 Collection. less

Welcome to the Loch Haven University of PA 1877 - 2008 Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents.

Lycoming College and its predecessor Dickinson Seminary have served the central region of Pennsylvania since 1812. The school carries a historic connection to the Methodist Church more and was associated with Dickinson College in the early years. The alumni magazine under various titles began in 1913 and includes information on the campus, student activities, alumni activities and accomplishments, and academic programs. less

Our Historical Documents Collection features a monograph of the college's history from its beginnings to 1955 and manuscripts of importance to the colleges almost two-hundred year more history. less

The Lycoming College Campus - Past and Present collection is an exhibit of photographs depicting the buildings and grounds of the campus from its earliest days more as the Williamsport Academy to the present Lycoming College campus. An effort has been made to show the transformation of the campus through the years, respecting the legacies of the past and acknowledging the changes that the future requires. This collection also honors the individuals from whom several of the buildings were named, by displaying their photographs, if possible, and short summaries of their significance in the lives of their families, their communities, and the college. less

The Lycoming College Collection begins after the accreditation of the Williamsport Dickinson Seminary and Junior College as a four year college. It is a growing collection more that chronicles the evolution of this small liberal arts institution, and will include photographs, annuals, catalogs, event programs, alumni newsletters, and promotional material. Student life is represented in publication and information concerning organizations and activities. Continuing in the tradition of the forerunners of the college, a rich musical, theatrical, and artistic environment is documented. Athletics also figure prominently in this collection. An expanding collection of faculty and presidential papers have been contributed, along with records from the libraries, Archival items include assorted artifacts, numerous photographs, and a collection of scrapbooks spanning forty-five years. less

Williamsport Women: Voices, Images, Actions Source material related to the history of women in Lycoming County from Lycoming College, the Lycoming County Historical Society, and the J.V. more Brown Library.  Documents selected highlight the history of local women in volunteer and reform organizations, education, the arts, the workplace, and private lives. The first part of the collection will cover the time period 1875-1925. "This material will have national, perhaps international, significance as it relates to women's history and studies during a time period when there is a scarcity of materials about women's contributions to local communities. All three cooperating facilities are very limited in staffing and available hours, so the materials will reach users who either cannot physically come to the collections or did not previously know of their existence. This collaborative project is funded through an LSTA grant. less

Lycoming College and its predecessor, Dickinson Seminary, has served the central region of Pennsylvania since 1812. The school carries an historic connection to the Methodist Church more and was associated with Dickinson College in the early years. At this time, the collection represents the digitization of 16mm films showing moving images of buildings and events on campus from 1930-1960. less

This digitized collection of eighteen student publication spans the life of the College from its inception as the Dickinson Seminary, through its years as a junior more college, to its present standing as a four-year undergraduate institution. It provides a graphic picture of campus life from the mid-1850's to 2004. The most current issues will be added shortly. These publications vary widely in their content and presentation styles. Student efforts at publishing works to be distributed to the campus began in the form of a literary magazine, and changed to simple mimeographed newsletters, an "underground" newspaper, and finally to our present conception of student coverage of campus events with editorial comments on issues affecting their lives. less

The Voices of Lycoming Collection includes audio files of speakers in Clarke Chapel. These public addresses give listeners a first-person view of significant people and events more in the life of the college. less

This collection contains material originating from and telling about Williamsport Dickinson Seminary Junior College and Preparatory School. Although spanning almost two decades, from 1928 through 1947, more the collection is modest in size. The publications, annuals, catalogs, alumni newsletters and promotional material, are well represented and provide a wealth of information about the school, the faculty and the students. Evident from the collection is a rich musical and social atmosphere. Athletics and official events are also well documented. Reflecting world history, two significant events in the life of the Junior College occur as a result of World War II. Almost one- third of the collection centers around the school's involvement with the war effort. The institution of two different military training programs are chronicled here. Records of accreditation from a junior college to a four year institute are included, which was also influenced by World War II and the resulting return of military personnel desiring to pursue opportunities for higher education. A small part of the collection consists of items not specifically produced by the college but most likely accumulated by staff or faculty, enhances the portrayal of the time period, less

The Williamsport Dickinson Seminary Collection traces the first eighty years of the school's extensive history. Documented here is the early struggle of the founding of the more school, with more prosperous years ensuing as attendance increased and the facilities expanded. The significance of the Methodist Church in the establishment and the continual funding of the school is evidenced. Records exist from six of the eight presidents that helped mold the young school. Events, both social and official, are well represented. Music played a very important role, as is apparent from the many recital playbills in the collection. Also very significant in the life of the students were the many societies and organizations, especially three of the more prominent organizations, the Belles Lettres Union Society, the Gamma Epsilon Society and the Triparite Union Society. Catalogs listing both students and faculty provide further glimpses of life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Items not specifically related to Williamsport Dickinson Seminary, such as a newspaper announcing President Lincoln's assassination and magazines covering the coronation of King George V, were most likely collected by faculty or staff, and are included to enhance the portrayal of the time period. less

Millgrove School District operated out of a schoolhouse in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania from about 1860 to 1956. The house was torn down in 1967. It was more part of a collection of schoolhouses that served the different villages of Bushkill Township, until the township joined Nazareth School District in 1950. Millgrove was named after the nearby Aluta Mill, and was built on land donated by Paul Siegfried, Adam Heckman, and Daniel Schlabach. These documents, including recordings of district trustees meetings, daybooks of expenses from those who worked in relation to Millgrove, and some photographs and ephemera, covers the years 1848 to the last recorded reunion of Millgrove students and teachers in 1985. less

Millgrove School District operated out of a schoolhouse in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania from about 1860 to 1956. The house was torn down in 1967. It was more part of a collection of schoolhouses that served the different villages of Bushkill Township, until the township joined Nazareth School District in 1950. Millgrove was named after the nearby Aluta Mill, and was built on land donated by Paul Siegfried, Adam Heckman, and Daniel Schlabach. These documents, including recordings of district trustees meetings, daybooks of expenses from those who worked in relation to Millgrove, and some photographs and ephemera, covers the years 1848 to the last recorded reunion of Millgrove students and teachers in 1985. less

The Nazareth Band and Drum Corps performed on August 6, 1939 at the New York World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. Nazareth town residents were invited along more at discounted train and fair entry ticket prices. This collection consists of the original correspondences between the Nazareth Merchants Association and the Special Events coordinator of the 1939 New York World's Fair. It also includes fair memorabilia, such as souvenir stickers and Greyhound transportation brochures, fair advertisements and pamphlets, and train tickets to and from the fair. This collection highlights a small community's involvement in one of the biggest events of the twentieth century. less

The N.H.S. Chronicle was a literary and news magazine published by the students of Nazareth High School in Nazareth, Pennsylvania beginning in 1914 and ending at more an undermined date before 1920. It was the first consistent student publication within the Nazareth Area School District, succeeded by the school yearbook and later the Blue & White Standard. It contained prose and poetry, short articles about school happenings, humorous quotes, alumni news, and reviews of other student publications from local schools. It also functioned as a precursor to the yearbook, as it published the names and photos of graduating seniors during June. less

The N.H.S. Chronicle was a literary and news magazine published by the students of Nazareth High School in Nazareth, Pennsylvania beginning in 1914 and ending at more an undermined date before 1920. It was the first consistent student publication within the Nazareth Area School District, succeeded by the school yearbook and later the Blue & White Standard. It contained prose and poetry, short articles about school happenings, humorous quotes, alumni news, and reviews of other student publications from local schools. It also functioned as a precursor to the yearbook, as it published the names and photos of graduating seniors during June. less

Newspaper clippings chronicling the lives of area Servicemen and women during World War II and the Korean Conflict.

On the evenings of May 31 and June 2, 1998, tornadoes swept through Southern Somerset County, shocking local residents with the occurrence of such an unusual more weather event in this region of southwestern Pennsylvania. The tornadoes left significant destruction to the community of Salisbury and surrounding rural areas in their wake. That summer the Springs Historical Society recorded oral histories with six families who resided in or near the paths of the tornadoes. Working in partnership with the historical society, the Meyersdale Public Library digitized these histories, originally recorded on cassette tape, in an effort by both organizations to better preserve and share the stories they hold. less

As part of a larger statewide effort, in 2018 the Meyersdale Public Library undertook a project to document and compile a list of known African American more burials in Somerset County. Staff and volunteers in the library's Pennsylvania Room combed state death certificates, online gravestone memorials, newspaper obituaries/articles, and additional local publications to determine as many African Americans laid to rest within this rural county as possible. The number ultimately reached nearly 350, though library researchers theorize it is substantially higher. In subsequent years the Pennsylvania Room has gained access to over 900 county death records kept from 1893 through 1905. Staff and volunteers plan to also review these records for documentation of additional African American burials. Thus this collection remains a work in progress, with updated information to be made available over time. less

This collection includes photographs and correspondence pertaining to Captain Will Judy, a famous son of Garrett, Summit Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Born in 1891 and raised more in this small coal town, Judy was a direct descendant of a Revolutionary War Patriot. Upon graduating from Garrett High School, he attended Juniata College, from which he graduated with honors both as a student and an athlete. Obtaining a degree from Chicago's Hamilton College of Law in 1915, Judy volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1917 and spent a year in France, where he earned the silver star and attained the rank of Captain. After the war he practiced law and began a publishing company in Chicago. A renowned expert on dogs, he judged dog shows all over the world, wrote many books, and founded the magazine "Dog World," published still today. Maintaining ties with his hometown, Captain Judy organized an "Old-Timers Reunion" which for decades drew large crowds back to Garrett every Labor Day weekend. Judy remains known today for the time , effort and money he contributed to numerous historical causes in Garrett. less

Before the southern Somerset County community of Meyersdale was incorporated as "Meyersdale" on February 19, 1874, it was known as "Dale City." On May 2, 1870, more a petition to incorporate the borough of Dale City - signed by 43 inhabitants of the villages of Meyers Mills, also known as Fairfield; Coaldale, also known as Olinger Survey; and Beuchley's Survey - was presented to the Somerset County Court of Quarter Sessions, which decreed the incorporation on September 20 of that same year. Ensuing disagreements over the town's name eventually led to the 1874 incorporation of the Borough of Meyersdale. In celebrating the town's Sesquicentennial anniversary 150 years later, the Meyersdale Public Library is sharing notable pieces of its history, including a Dale City ledger dating 1870 to 1885 and the Meyersdale Centennial book published for the community's 100th anniversary celebration in 1974. less

In June of 2022 a patron of the Meyersdale Public Library lent to its Pennsylvania Room a copy of a 1939 Garrett High School yearbook and more granted the library permission to digitize the publication, tilted "The Memoir." This was the first time library staff had seen a yearbook from this particular school, which opened for public education in 1908 and served children in the small southern Somerset County community of Garrett and surrounding areas until its closure in 1974. Pennsylvania Room volunteer Linda Marker digitized the yearbook and several other items pertaining to the school's history contained within the library's collections. Library staff are hopeful of acquiring and digitizing other yearbooks and memorabilia from this school in an effort to better represent its nearly seven decades of history. less

Founded by Civil War Veteran Luther A. Smith in 1878, the Meyersdale Commercial was published weekly each Friday morning. This collection, containing issues of the Commercial more from 1881 through 1912, is housed as part of the Meyersdale Public Library's microfilm collection and was digitized by library staff and volunteers. Scattered issues of this same newspaper, dated between March 1913 and September 1929, can also be found freely available inside the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive. The Commercial collection available inside that historical online repository was saved from being forever lost by former Meyersdale librarian and local historian Marguerite Cockley, with the hard copies of the newspaper she lovingly preserved being filmed and digitized as part of a 2018 library grant project. less

With the Pennsylvania Maple Festival Board of Directors' permission, the Meyersdale Public Library digitized nearly 400 35mm slides documenting the Pennsylvania Maple Festival from the late more 1950s through the 1980s as part of its 2018 Scan PA project. The festival is a Somerset County tradition dating back to 1948. Each spring it attracts thousands of visitors from throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states to the small community of Meyersdale, where they learn about the rich history behind the county's maple production industry. Again working in conjunction with the festival board, the library also digitized additional 35mm slides of past festival activities later discovered by the board. Now totaling nearly 500 digital images, these photographs, captured by amateur volunteer photographers, help tell the story of a community celebration which in 2022 is celebrating its 75th year. less

The Meyersdale Public Library photograph collections contain approximately 2,000 photographs. From the total collection, about 320 will be selected for digitization based on the selection criteria. more The photographs that will be selected for online display are significant because they provide a broad overview of life immediately before, during, and after the Progressive Era in the Allegheny Mountains region (mostly Somerset Co., PA & northern Maryland). The photographs capture families & individuals both in portraits and in natural settings, military men, coal mines, mills, railroads, transportation, education, and African American families. Our photographs have been used in Somerset Magazine and in the book "Allegheny Passage Companion, Guide to History & Heritage Along the Trail" by Bill Metzger. Accessibility to the collection will be enhanced because the images will be searchable online. Currently the photographs are accessioned on paper but are not included in our library catalog. Digitization would allow users easy & free access to historical photographs that would otherwise essentially be hidden in a closet. less

Incorporated in 1871, the Borough of Casselman is today a remnant of its former self. Named in 1864 for its location along the banks of the more Casselman River in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, southern Somerset County, the area was titled "Turkey Bottom" by William Penn's agents in its original land grant. The village grew following the opening of a nearby mine in 1901. Further growth came with the opening of additional mines in the 1920s. At that time Casselman was home to a Baltimore & Ohio Railway station, post office, hotel, two-story schoolhouse, church, rooming house, meat market and two parks. Another school, company house and store stood in neighboring Darbytown. less

Incorporated in 1857, the Borough of Rockwood was significantly boosted by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line running through the town - most specifically its passenger more service. When that passenger service declined with the advancement of the automobile, so, too, did Rockwood's population and economy. Today people primarily travel through the town along the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage hiking and biking trail which runs between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, Maryland. This collection chronicles Rockwood's earliest days and will in time include Rockwood Borough Council Minutes, 1910-1925; Rockwood Justice of the Peace Records, 1900-1904; a Wolfersberger Store (the town's first store) ledger; the Rockwood House hotel guest book; and photos of early businesses, including the B&O Railroad Station. less

These 18 photographs are part of a larger Meyersdale Public Library – Photograph Collection. The photographs selected for display as part of that larger PA Photos more and Documents collection are significant because they provide a broad overview of life immediately before, during and after the Progressive Era in the Allegheny Mountains region (mostly Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and northern Maryland). These 18 photographs in particular - part of a larger glass negative collection housed within the library's archives - portray African American families and individuals in portraits, natural and workplace settings, and also within the town of Meyersdale itself. A significant African American community lived, worked and worshiped in Meyersdale during the late 1800s and through the first several decades of the 20th century. less

The Johnston Bender Family Collection combines photographs, letters, scrapbooks, and business records of two families--the Rev. Elias S. and Anna (Odell) Johnston family of Altoona and more Salisbury and the Fred W. and Malinda (Miller) Bender family of Springs. Johnston served as a Lutheran minister in Cambria, Adams, and Somerset Counties from the 1860s to the 1920s. In Salisbury, son Robert H. worked in stores, as a trolley conductor, and the owner and editor of the "Somerset County Star," Salisbury's newspaper. Robert's wife, Caroline (Smith), wrote letters to her daughter every week on Salisbury society, chores, illnesses, and changing times from 1910s-1940s. Fred W. Bender, a Mennonite (later Church of the Brethren), operated a small country store and post office ten miles away. Despite the pressures of a conservative Mennonite society at the time, his children grew up with progressive attitudes and succeeded in business with Bender Shoe in Somerset and Bender Implements in Meyersdale and Somerset. The Bender daughters attended college, played music, and worked with business and their own. When Louise Johnston and "Hike" Bender married, their combined history created a window into the lives of neighboring towns and families with different backgrounds. less

Gideon D. Miller (1862-1941), a Mennonite minister, shifted from his family's woodworking traditions to metal. He started with his patented steam traction engines shipped across the more US and Mexico for the 20th Century Mfg. Co. With his refusal to let the US Government use his designs for the military and increasing use of gasoline over steam, he shifted to items such as coal cars, animal feeders, and maple sugaring tools and equipment. With his sons Dwight and Myron, G. D. began Miller Machine Works in Springs in 1917. Several collections encompass original blueprints, photographs, advertising, and artifacts. less

William Wagner, a cooper of Salisbury, Somerset County, worked on farms in the 1870s and then bought a farm near West Salisbury (Elk Lick Township) in more 1882. With experience in coopering and a sugar grove on property, the family started a maple sugar business that continued until 2017 with son Joseph and Jennie (Russell) and then with their four daughters. Wagner’s was an integral part of a community of farms and maple producers as the Wagner sisters, Thelma, Leona, Mildred, and Dorothy (married Robert Jeffrey), managed the farm with parents and resident farm helpers. Dorothy's children, Dale and Sue, continued the family legacy on the farm. Their products were featured at festivals, Pittsburgh department stores, and across the country. The collection spans the late 1800s to the 2000s including the Wagner, Jeffrey, and Russell family materials. The collection includes over 2,000 images, photo albums, archives, and over 500 artifacts. less

The Meyersdale Public Library dates back to 1938, when the Meyersdale Woman’s Club, under the direction of Frances Livengood Imler, appointed a committee to plan for more the establishment of a free community library. This small library opened on May 16, 1939, above the Meyersdale Republican newspaper office. A total of 139 35mm slides detail the library's history, along with the 1984 construction and May 11, 1985, dedication of its current building. The Meyersdale Public Library has digitized these slides, in addition to the seven pages of script containing the captions and talking points for their presentation, delivered on May 30, 1985, to raise awareness of its long-standing importance to the community. Today the library continues to grow, providing vital services to children, families, seniors and the area's Amish population. Especially well known for its collections focusing on the region's history and family genealogies, its Pennsylvania Room annually attracts visitors from across the nation as they seek to utilize these resources. less

This third collection from the Milanof-Schock Public Library includes the yearbooks from the Donegal High School. It includes 32 yearbooks, ranging from 1955 to 2000. These more yearbooks give our community members a look into its historic past for the members of the Donegal High School. less

This first collection will encompass the yearbooks that the Milanof-Schock Public Library currently has from the East Donegal Township High School. It includes 8 yearbooks between more the years 1942 and 1952. These yearbooks give our community members a look into its historic past for the members of East Donegal Township. less

"Hotel Hershey Highlights" was a weekly newsletter distributed from May 5, 1934 through April 28, 1951. "Highlights" covers a time period during which no local newspapers more were published, shedding light on fascinating portions of Hershey, PA history such as the Great Depression and World War II. less

Hershey News, published from 1953 until 1964, reported news and events throughout the Township of Derry, Pennsylvania (informally known as Hershey). A small town newspaper, there more were many local citizens featured in not only news stories, but also in recognition of special occasions. When a request is made for information about the events and activities of The Hershey Company, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, Hersheypark, Hershey Trust Company, Milton Hershey School, Derry Township School District highlights and events, and the reactions of local citizens to community events during this period, Hershey News is the first resource consulted. No other resource fully documents the spirit and atmosphere of this community. In addition, this business and recreational community, established by Milton S. Hershey, is of specific interest to sociological, business, and political science researchers, as well as residents and their descendants. less

Welcome to the Montgomery County Community College's Betzwood Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. In the first decades of the motion picture more industry Montgomery County was home to one of the largest film studios in the country. Siegmund Lubin owned and operated the Betzwood Studios along the banks of the Schuylkill River, a three hundred acre site complete with filming, production, and distribution centers. As on of the earliest film moguls, Siegmund Lubin has both regional and national significance. He was a technical innovator whose many contributions to the industry helped propel film to its position atop the entertainment industry. The collection contains film stills, publicity, correspondence, trade journals, slides, and glass plate negatives among other items. Using CONTENTdm in tandem with Worpress Blog site, the college seeks to tell the history of this important but forgotten player in film history. less

Welcome to the Montgomery County Community College's Montgazette Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. The Montgomery County Community College's Brendlinger Library is more digitizing the student newspaper, The Montgazette from the years 1967-1980. The paper covered not only College news but local, national, and international events. Digitizing the paper will ensure the long term survival of a valuable part of the College*s history, and making the images available on the internet will allow for greater access to the papers than currently exists. less

Cascade Park is a former amusement park which now serves as a recreational nature park; it is located 2 ½ miles from downtown New Castle in more Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. This collection contains materials in various formats related to Cascade Park and the Old Timer’s Picnic – an event that has taken place annually at the park since 1907. Included in this collection are the following items: - Cascade Park souvenir booklet circa 1915 containing photos of the park. - Photos and postcards of Cascade Park circa 1915. - An invitation card to a ladies event at the park from 1912. - Old Timer’s Picnic souvenir books from 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, and 1915 which include photos of notable citizens of New Castle, Cascade Park, and the city of New Castle. - A button/pin from the 1910 Old Timer’s Picnic with a photo of the Shenango Bridge. - An invitation card for the 51st Old Timer’s Picnic in 1958. The location of the park was originally part of Donation Lands set aside for veterans of the Revolutionary War. Two hundred acres were given to Robert McWilliams who, circa 1816, constructed a gristmill and dam in what was then known as Big Run Falls. Col. Brinton purchased over 70 acres of the land from McWilliams in 1891. He re-named the area Brinton Park and added a dance platform and amusements, including a steam-powered merry-go-round, to attract residents to the already beautiful environment which features natural waterfalls. The spot was a popular place for fishing, swimming, picnics, dancing, and other recreations of the time. In 1897, the New Castle Traction Company (later Penn Power) purchased the park, installed streetcar tracks for accessibility and renamed the area Cascade Park in reference to the natural waterfalls. Due to declining attendance and the resulting financial loss, Penn Power transferred the title to Cascade Park in perpetuity to the city of New Castle in the early 1930s. Since its opening, Cascade Park has been home to a number of amusements including: rides, midway games, baseball fields, restaurants, horseshoe and bocce courts, outdoor theater productions, swimming pools, a lake for boating, fishing, swimming and ice skating, picnic areas, zoological gardens, and a bathhouse. It also boasted the largest dance pavilion in Pennsylvania, built in 1898, which still stands today. By the early 2000s, the swimming pool had closed, the lake had dried up, and the amusements had been removed. From the 1970s to today, various local non-profit organizations from around the city have been integral in repairing and maintaining the site and assisting in its transition back to a natural park. Cascade Park remains a popular nature recreation area and offers picnic areas, playground areas, food stands, hiking trails, a dog park, and is the host to a number of community events which occur throughout the year. less

Publications of historical significance about New Castle and the surrounding Lawrence County area.

This collection contains a selection of various directories from 1872-1899 (not exhaustive), covering the Mahoning, Shenango, and Beaver valleys, as well as Lawrence County and the more City of New Castle. less

This collection contains City of New Castle directories covering all years, 1900-1910.

This collection contains City of New Castle directories covering all years, 1911-1918 (not exhaustive).

This collection contains City of New Castle directories covering all years, 1921-1928.

This collection contains yearbooks from New Castle High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1913-2012. Ne-Ca-Hi was published from 1913-1961, and Pergodian has been published more from 1962-present. less

A selection of photographs and video clips from the New Castle Public Library's 100th Anniversary celebration, October 21, 2010.

This collection contains yearbooks from Laurel High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1964-1992. Some years are missing.

This collection contains yearbooks from the Lawrence County Area Vocational Technical School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1970-1992. Some years are missing.

This collection contains yearbooks from Mohawk Area High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1962-1991. Some years are missing.

This collection contains yearbooks from Neshannock Township High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1961-2006. Some years are missing.

This collection contains yearbooks from Shenango Area High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1930-1994. Some years are missing.

This collection contains yearbooks from Union Township High School, located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1944-1980. Some years are missing.

This collection includes a series of black and white photographs of buildings and streets throughout New Cumberland, advertisements from businesses circa 1900, and several issues of more Town Topics, a newsletter published in early 1900. less

A collection of photographs and postcards of churches in New Cumberland, PA., featuring historic buildings in black and white. The collection also includes a couple of more church service programs and photographs of turn of the 20th century church groups. less

Photographs and postcards depicting various organizations, such as the town band and women's clubs, and employee groups, like the Buttorff and Kline carpet factory workers.

Several issues of Town Topics newspaper published in New Cumberland (1905 and 1907). Clippings and photocopies of clippings from 1881-1889, featuring New Cumberland residents and businesses more in local newspapers, probably The Morning Call and The Observer. Clippings are from a scrapbook. less

"NC Hi" was a magazine published several times a year by the students of New Cumberland High School, beginning in the fall of 1927. Each edition more generally contained a feature story, thoughts from the Editor, sports news, school news, jokes, black and white photographs, and illustrations. Advertisements for local businesses are placed throughout the magazines.     less

Photographs of New Cumberland during the Flood of 1936 which occurred March 18-20, 1936 when warmer weather caused the winter's heavy accumulation of snow and ice more to melt. Situated along the banks of the Susquehanna River and bordered by the Yellow Breeches Creek, New Cumberland experienced extensive flooding from the east and the south. less

Photographs of the New Cumberland Public Library and library functions, as well as some flyers and documents from library programs, primarily from 1975 on.

Photographs of various occasions celebrated by New Cumberland, including the 1906 Old Home Week and Geary Celebration, World War I Homecoming, and the dedication of the more John Geary White state historical marker. less

This collection includes photographs and letters left by the Benjamin estate, primarily from the early 1900s. Mr. Benjamin grew up in northern Pennsylvania and moved to more the Harrisburg area in the 1930s to head the PA Farm Bureau. He and his wife Muriel left their home to the borough of New Cumberland to be used as the town's library. The materials provided here provide a snapshot of rural American life in the early 20th century. less

This collection includes photographs of school buildings, students, and teachers; scanned programs from school performances or athletics; and miscellany related to student activities.

This collection contains scanned images of scrapbooks from individuals and organizations related to New Cumberland. Themes vary from book to book. One scrapbook more contains statistics and news articles about the New Cumberland baseball team that participated in the Twilight League during the 1940s. Another is a series of photographs from the Disciplinary Barracks at the New Cumberland Army Depot from the mid 1950s. Future additions will include scrapbooks from the Women's Civic and Junior Civic clubs, among others.

This collection of photographs from around the 1960s showcases the academics, student life, and other experiences of staff, faculty, and students at the Williamsport Area Community more College. less

This collection includes photographs from the Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972 that completely destroyed Survey offices, lab equipment, and the library.

This collection focuses on the heritage of African Americans in the Johnstown region.

Started in 1923, the Johnstown Branch of the American Association of University Women has been supporting women's issues and improving the lives of women and girls more in the Johnstown region. The collection contains minutes, newsletters, and photos of the branch since its earliest dates. less

This collection contains photographs from Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and other vacation locations visited by the Bailey Family in the latter part of the 19th and 20th centuries. more less

This collection contains photographs, military records, and items connected to the Beaverdale Public Library.

Items contained in the collection of the Beth Sholom Synagogue in Johnstown, Pa. Also contained are items from Rodef Sholom, the town's first synagogue.

This collection houses the various types of business licenses (taverns, eating houses, etc.) issued by the Cambria County Government in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In the Johnstown neighborhood of Cambria City are located five historical, ethnic churches. In 2009, the Altoona/Johnstown Diocese closed four of the churches and renamed the more fifth church. Each of these churches has celebrated a centennial and one has celebrated a quasquicentennial. Before the churches were de-sanctified, each one was photo-documented and a description developed to explain the location and history of realia contained in the church. In addition, print materials were digitized related to each church (e.g. church newsletters, event flyers, bulletins.) The ethnicities of the churches were German, Slovak, Irish, Polish/Hungarian, and Croatian. less

As part of the 150th commemoration of the Civil War, the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has digitized a diary and personal letters associated with Cambria County more soldiers who fought in the war. The Quartermaster for General Grant’s army in the west wrote the letters from 1852-1865; the letters have not been transcribed and are only available in .jpg format. less

This collection houses items relating to the educational institutions of the Cambria county area. This includes k-12, higher education, and technical schools.

This collection includes scans of immigration declarations registered in Cambria County from 1835-1991. Information includes name, place of departure, country of origin, and age.

This collection features items collected from the public that focus on the immigrant and ethnic heritage of Cambria County.

The Conemaugh School of Nursing opened in 1892 as a response to the need created by the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889. It became fully accredited more in 1918 and has been graduating students ever since. Items in the collection include yearbooks, minutes, and artifacts such as uniforms and class projects. less

In 1900, there were 34 sanatoriums in the United States. By 1925 there were 536. The Cresson Sanatorium was one of the earlier sanatoriums and provides more a record of life at an institution at a time of heightened health concerns and spread of tuberculosis. The Cresson Sanatorium was located in the mountain near the present-day town of Cresson in Cambria County. The "San" as it was known, was in existence from 1913 and 1964 and treated people diagnosed with tuberculosis. Some patients stayed or years, while others who died there were never reclaimed by their families and are interred in a nearby hillside. The items in this collection have been gathered from persons who were patients at the San or who had relatives who were patients there. Most materials were gathered at part of a centennial commemoration of the Cresson Sanatorium. less

This collection contains all items connected to the history of Dale Borough.

This collection contains items relating to the iron, coal, and steel industry in Johnstown.

This collection features the logbooks and other records of the Johnstown Area Fire Departments.

This collection contains photographs, postcards, scrapbooks, letters, and personal memorabilia connected to the Klahre family.

This collection contains photographs, postcards, scrapbooks, connected to boroughs and townships in Northern Cambria County and Northern Cambria Public Library.

On May 31, 1889, the breaking of the South Fork Dam caused the single greatest natural disaster in the history of the United States: the Great more Johnstown Flood. It is the personal accounts and rare photographs of the survivors which are the focus of this project. Published in 1889, many of the selected texts are no longer in print or available for public access. less

This ongoing collection consists of finding aids created for the archival holdings of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (1827- ). Included are guides to historical materials such more as the PHS minute books, administrative records, and PHS initiatives and programs for events including the Philadelphia Flower Show and Philadelphia Green. Finding aids also cover the extensive image file collections, glass slides, and ephemera connected with the activities of the Society. less

This collection is comprised of images created sometime between 1928 and 1950 by Philadelphia photographer, Ida W. Pritchett. A 1914 graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Pritchett more received her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, and held an appointment at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York where her work focused on pathology and bacteriology. She left the Rockefeller Institute in 1930 to pursue a professional life in photography. In 1928, Pritchett's photograph titled the "Luminous Globe" was included in the Royal Photographic Society's Annual Exhibition. Following on, she exhibited her work in the 1930 International Photographic Exhibition, Tokyo, and the Philadelphia International Salon of Photography sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As a working photographer, Pritchett provided photographic illustrations for various publications, for example, "A Viking Drinking Cup--Birch Knob" for inclusion in Sir Wilfred Grenfell's The Romance of Labrador. With her friend, Marjorie LaMonte Thompson, she co-published a book of photographs documenting the buildings, interior spaces and grounds of Bryn Mawr College. Pritchett retired in the early 1950s and she and Thompson divided their time between their homes in Haverford and Sandwich, New Hampshire until her death in 1965. This digital project is supported in part by a 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) grant. less

James Lawrence Dillon (1859-1942) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants James and Annie Eleanor Dillon. His mother died when he was 4, and his more father when he was 11. In 1886, James married Mary Beck Fisher. They had two children, Florence Hazel Dillon Jacoby (1887-1986) and Theodore Fisher “Jack” Dillon (1890-1979). James Dillon was proprietor of a successful photography business in Philadelphia, James L. Dillon & Co., Inc, Photographers, located at 1017 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Among other subjects, Dillon’s photography company documented many architectural projects in and around Philadelphia including churches, private residences, banks, government buildings, cultural institutions, commercial enterprises, factories, and area hospitals. The business continued after his death (April 6, 1942) at least into the 1960s. This lantern slide collection of approximately 277 images, mostly executed in the 1920s, captures another, more artistic side of Dillon’s photography. Images in this collection include many plant portraits, fruit and flower studies, garden images, friends and family in gardens, and Philadelphia views such as Logan Square, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmount Park and the Wissahickon. The collection also contains views of the William Hinckle Smith garden in Bryn Mawr, the Widener estate Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park, and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Views of national parks in the United States and Canada and images of the Bermuda Islands are also represented. Many of the lantern slides were produced using the Autochrome Lumière color photography process, giving the carefully composed images a luminous beauty and dream-like quality. The lantern slide collection was given to PHS McLean Library & Archives by Dillon family descendant Ginger Hankins in 2021. This digital project is supported in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) grant. less

Jay Veeder Hare (1878 -1953) was born in Schodack, New York. He attended the Peirce School in Philadelphia and graduated from Temple University Law School. He more began his long career with the Reading Company in 1897 as a junior clerk who rose through the ranks, retiring from the railroad in 1945 as secretary and treasurer of the Reading Company, parent company of the Reading Railway System. He wrote the first in-depth history of the Reading Company. He was an avid gardener and a founder of the Trevose Horticultural Society in Trevose, Pennsylvania, where he lived at Hareacres with his wife Jean (Weber) Hare and daughters Jean and Nancy. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s executive council from 1929 to 1949. Mr. Hare gave many illustrated lectures on plants and gardens based on his extensive world travels. He obtained lantern slides from commercial photography houses such as Williams, Brown & Earle and the William H. Rau Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; T.Takagi Photo Company in Kobe, Japan and T. Ikeda in Tokyo, Japan; Lévy et Neurdein Réunis in Paris, France; and Arxiu Mas in Barcelona, Spain. His lectures were supplemented by his own photography. The collection is strong in images from Japan, Italy, Spain, the United States and Switzerland, with representation from Bermuda, England, Ireland, France, Monaco, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa. The images, many of which are hand-colored, depict typical or famous gardens, well-known city parks, tourist views of areas of spectacular natural beauty such as waterfalls and picturesque coastlines, as well as individual plant portraits. Many of the gardens and much of the landscape have changed significantly in the past 100 years or have disappeared entirely. For example, the views of Japan include chrysanthemum festivals, Japanese gardens, flower arranging for tea ceremonies, tea gardens, farmers picking tea leaves, and men, women and children in traditional Japanese dress – all evoke a time that no longer exists. In addition to an avid interest in gardens and plants, Jay V. Hare was also a birder and member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. The lantern slide collection was given to PHS McLean Library & Archives by daughter Nancy Veeder Koltes in 2008.This digital project is supported in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) grant. less

The Joseph Ascenzi Collection consists of 64 color and black-and-white glass lantern slides, most were produced by the J. Horace McFarland Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Williams, more Brown & Earle Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between approximately 1920-1940. Many of the Williams, Brown & Earle slides focus primarily on trees in-situ and include images of Sycamores, Poplars, and Oaks among others. In addition, the William, Brown, & Earle slides contain images from three series titled “Spring’s Awakening” featuring woodland plants, “Botany,” and “A Summer’s Ramble.” The J. Horace McFarland slides in the collection typically center on foundation plantings around entryways and corner plantings around suburban houses. The collector, Joseph M. Ascenzi, is the horticulturist and president of Laurel Hill Gardens (Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia). This digital project is supported in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) grant. less

This collection documents the history of the Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia founded in 1953 by noted horticulturist, activist, author and educator Louise Bush-Brown. The images more depict the earliest collaborative efforts of the Association, neighbors, garden clubs, and settlement houses who worked together to green and beautify neighborhoods and vacant lots throughout the City beginning with the first garden block on Mercy Street sponsored by St. Martha’s Settlement in Southeast Philadelphia and the now lost Ken-Watt Court a collaboration with the storied United Neighbors Association in 1953 to its partnership with the Penn State Extension to establish the first demonstration garden in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia in 1965. Louise Carter, born in 1897, graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women in 1916. After a variety of jobs, Carter came back to the school in 1924 as their director. In 1925, she married James Bush-Brown, the school’s landscape design instructor. Louise Bush-Brown went on to direct the school for 28 years, retiring in 1952. She was an integral part of the school’s success. She also authored and co-authored several books with her husband, most notably America’s Garden Book written in 1939. In 1953, she founded the Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia, and won the National Recreation Award for the Neighborhood Garden Project in 1959. Later, in 1967, she was invited to the White House to speak at the Natural Beauty and Citizen Participation Conference about her work. She died in 1974. The formal perennial gardens at the Ambler Arboretum are named in her honor. This digital project is supported in part through a 2020 NEH Cares Grant, National Endowment for the Humanities. less

This collection consists of documentation related to the Philadelphia Flower Show from 1829 to the present including tickets, advertisements, posters and high-quality photographs to exhibits and more promotional events. Some of the images include buildings that no longer exist, such as Philadelphia's Commercial Museum and Civic Center. less

The Garden Club of Philadelphia was established in 1904 by Mrs. J. Willis Martin and Miss Ernestine Goodman to promote an interest in gardens, their design, more and management. The garden club held meetings, conducted horticultural research, attended lectures, and participated in civic endeavors. In 1913, several members of the Garden Club of Philadelphia joined with several women from other local gardening associations to form the larger Garden Club of America. This collection, comprised of more than 300 views on glass, most hand-tinted, focuses on individual private gardens in and around Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The images provide unique documentation of gardens that are either “lost” or have been significantly altered during the last half of the 20th-century and include multiple views of the estate gardens of Andalusia, Stenton, Highlands, and Ludington among many others. This digital project is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. less

The noted scholar, horticulturist, and landscape architect John Caspar Wister (1887-1982) focused on eastern Pennsylvanian climate and ecology through his work as first director of both more the Tyler Arboretum (Media, Pennsylvania) and the Scott Arboretum (Swarthmore College). This collection, comprised of more 400 views on glass, most hand-tinted, illustrated Wister's popular lectures, which he delivered to garden club members, college and university audiences, and horticultural societies in Philadelphia and throughout the United States from 1920s through the 1930s. The slides depict approximately 100 sites--primarily Philadelphia public and private gardens, parks and landscapes, and individual views of plant specimens. Geographically, the slides feature the American East and West, with Europe represented by Switzerland, Germany, France and England, and includes an unattributed subset devoted to China, Japan and Hawaii. This digital project is supported in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. less

This collection is comprised of photographic images documenting designed landscapes both private and public in and around Philadelphia. Digitized materials include early-twentieth century views of private, more public, and corporate gardens documented in the collection of the Society of Little Gardens of Philadelphia. In addition, the PHS Collection Portfolios document the activities the Rittenhouse Square Flower Market as well as materials connected to the School Gardens Movement in Philadelphia through the Perla A. Matthews photograph collection. Included are photographs taken by noted Canadian photographer Clara Sipprell (1885-1975) and Philadelphia photographer, Ida W. Pritchett of the Alba B. Johnson estate “Castana,” in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.  In addition, are the images of Edge Hill, the estate of Samuel W. Morris that depict the gardens designed by landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman (1869-1950) and photographed by "Mrs. Gillingham" [Mrs. C. Stratton Howe Gillingham] and Mattie Edwards Hewitt (1869-1956). This digital project is supported in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. less

This collection contains items related to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf's main campus located in the Mount Airy section of Northwest Philadelphia from 1892-1984. This campus more was a spacious, 33 acre location that served deaf and hard-of-hearing students from all over Pennsylvania. less

Visit all the collections available from the Pennsylvania State Archives. Below are a few highlights from the Pennsylvania State Archives collections.

This collection of approximately 29,000 postcards from the 1880s to the 1970s includes images from across the U.S. and all 67 Pennsylvania counties and highlights cities, more towns, buildings, local businesses and industries, parks, and scenic and street views. Additional images include business and industry advertising, highways, states, and foreign countries. less

This is a collection of posters of varying size, color and medium pertaining to the U.S. and Pennsylvania from before the start of the Civil War more Period to the present. Subjects include business advertising, public announcements, broadsides, political cartoons, campaign posters, World War II, world travel, and civic duties. Manufactured for many different businesses, institutions, and government agencies, the artwork is by famous, obscure, and unknown commercial illustrators. less

This collection includes historical glass plate negatives documenting daily life of staff and residents of Polk State School in Venango County, Pennsylvania. In the early 20th more century Polk Village included resident cottages and dormitories, industrial school classrooms, auditorium, gymnasium, hospital, bakery and kitchen, power plant, farm and orchard. Images show grounds and facilities, interior and exterior views of buildings, staff and residents, school activities, celebrations, games, athletic teams, plays and performances. less

A selection of historic photographs, documents, and ephemera from the archival collections at Peters Township Public Library. These primary source materials document changes within Peters Township more from the late 1800s through the 20th century. less

This collection contains oral histories conducted as part of Peters Township Public Library's Life in Peters Township: An Oral History Project. Interviews with long time Peters more Township residents took place in 2003 and 2004. less

This collection contains yearbooks from Peters Township High School, located in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and includes The Planet (1944), Crest (1945), and Ember (1946-2018).

Peters Township News was a weekly newspaper published by the Peters Township Chamber of Commerce. This collection includes an incomplete run of issues dating from February more 1958 to April 1959. less

Peters Township News Progress was a weekly newspaper covering Peters Township and nearby communities. For a time, it served as the official newspaper for Peters Township more and the Peters Township school district. This collection includes an incomplete run of issues from 1959 to 1970. less

Folklore of the Schuylkill Canal, by John B. Bowman and other items relating to local history. The Bowman title is a collection of memories recorded by more the author about Schuylkill Haven, the Schuylkill Canal, and other areas and people in Schuylkill County in the 1870s and 1880s. less

The Schuylkill Navigation Company was incorporated in 1815 for the purpose of making the Schuylkill River navigable. In the State Archives of Pennsylvania Manuscript Group 110 more there are copies of the legislative acts, minute books, correspondence, reports, and other documents of the company from 1815 until 1947 when the property was contributed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the 1947 report Appraisal Schuylkill Navigation Company Canal for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a "Brief History Of The Property To Be Appraised" is included. The "canal" or navigation system was constructed between Port Carbon and Philadelphia and covered a distance of 108 miles. Harry L. Rinker in his book, The Schuylkill Navigation: a Photographic History, points out that this "canal" was more properly a "navigation system" because it consisted of 18 dams, 23 canals which covered 57.73 miles, 120 locks, 17 stone aqueducts, one 450 foot long tunnel, 50.50 miles of slack water pools, 23 canals covering 57.73 miles, and 31 houses for toll and lock keepers when it was completed in May 1825. After 1825 efforts to improve the navigation system were ongoing, so the above number of structures changed over the years. There are photographs of some of the dwellings still in existence in 1947 in the Appraisal Schuylkill Navigation Company Canal for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Schuylkill Navigation Company collection at Reading Area Community College also includes drawings of reach profiles, canal boats, bowstring bridges, mechanical parts and scows. less

Although Reading Area Community College's Wes Fisher Piano Sheet Music Collection includes sheet music from the late 1800s to the 1970s, this digital collection only includes more items that should be in the public domain based on their publication date. less

This collection contains postcards that show images from around Berks County. The list of categories includes advertisements, attractions, exhibits, bridges, dams, buildings, businesses, clubs, organizations, hospitals, more bodies of water, scenes, and many more. The postcards range in date from approximately 1900 to 1950. less

Saint Francis University Student Newspapers from 1927-2006

Prime Minister of Peru from 1959-1961, and Minister of Finance in 1959. Miriam Kropp Beltran worked for IBM from 1939-1943, and for the US Department of more State in Washington, DC and Lima, Peru from 1943-1945. After her marriage to Pedro Beltran she joined his work on La Prensa, a daily newspaper in Peru. The papers detail the lives of the Beltrans, reflecting events in which Pedro Beltran was imprisoned by the government for his work at La Prensa, as well as his time as Minister of Finance and Prime Minister. The couple traveled the world and had well known friends in the US including the Rockefellers, William Buckley and Randolph Hearst. The papers are interesting, rich in detail and have great research value. This collection ties into the labor movement and the issues of freedom of the press. The Jesuits at Saint Joseph's College and later University had a great interest in Central and South America and SJC and SJU sent students to live in villages and work with the people of various countries in Latin America. Dennis Comey, S.J. was a famous labor arbitrator at SJC who advocated for workers' rights, including migrant workers. The Food Marketing program and International Relations division had ties to South America. less

The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy holds a special place in the history of North America, having been founded in 1821 as the first college of pharmacy more in the region. Over the years, the institution has stayed true to its mission of providing high-quality education to students seeking to make a difference in the sciences, health professions, and related fields. Alumni include John Wyeth, Joseph P. Remington, William Procter, Josiah K. and Eli Lilly, all of whom have left a lasting impact on pharmacy practice and related industries to this day. It is worth noting that Susan Hayhurst, class of 1883, was the first woman to graduate from the College, paving the way for generations of future female graduates. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy's rich history is reflected in this collection of artifacts that showcase its involvement and engagement in the ever-evolving field of pharmacy. These objects include early certificates and diplomas, portraits of significant figures, and other PCP memorabilia. Additionally, there are academically related items like PCP formulas, botanies, chemicals, and prescriptions made and used by PCP members for their research, training, and professional advancements. Finally, the collection boasts student-life-related items such as College flags, fraternity and club objects, and commemorative photographs. Overall, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy's collection stands as a testament to the school's legacy and continued commitment to shaping the future of pharmacy. less

The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy holds an extensive and unique collection of medicinal products and prescriptions from across the Philadelphia region beginning in the mid-nineteenth century. more Visible on each bottle in the “Philadelphiana” collection is a label or embossment explicitly indicating a Philadelphia-based address or the city's name. The bottles and medicines displayed here were sold by Philadelphia-based pharmacists and druggists or manufactured in local plants and laboratories. This collection showcases Philadelphia’s rich history of independent pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical manufacturing. This collection of Philadelphia-based bottles and medicines illustrates several threads in the history of pharmacy: the evolution from individually- and family-owned operations in the mid- and late nineteenth century to corporate, globalized production and distribution by the end of the twentieth century; the interweaving of pharmaceutical manufacturing with that of other trades, such as the construction and garment industries; and the persisting embeddedness of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy education in pharmacy expertise in the region. less

Amos A. Yeakel was born February 26, 1843, in West Greenville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania and died June 25, 1912, in Vineland, New Jersey. The diary is more a two-volume pocket diary written during the American Civil War between August 19, 1862, and March 14, 1865. It covers the entire period of Yeakel’s service in Company G, of the 145th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Following his mustering into service, the diary deals with Yeakel becoming a soldier, including a prolonged time in a military convalescent camp and a military hospital where he suffered from a vague collection of non-life-threatening illnesses that nonetheless kept him from front line duty for nearly a year. He is then re-mustered into service and is involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the war at various skirmishes and battles, including Spotsylvania Court House and Petersburg, during Ulysses S. Grant’s Spring campaign of 1864. Yeakel was taken prisoner on June 22, 1864 at Petersburg and spent his time as a prisoner in the notorious Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter) prisoner-of-war camp and other Confederate prison camps. He talks about the terrible ordeal of being held prisoner under appalling conditions, where a number of his comrades died died from malnutrition and disease. Yeakel managed somehow to survive this ordeal, and the diary ends as he is finally paroled in a prisoner exchange in early 1865. less

An extensive midwifery manuscript (Hebamme Büchlein) in the archive of the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center, penned between the years 1770-1819, is attributed to Rosina Heydrich, more a midwife and member of the Schwenkfelder community in the Upper Perkiomen Valley. This unique manuscript served as both a birth register and a compendium of specific remedies, treatments, and recommendations for women’s health. The largest and most significant portion of the text is devoted to listing the dates and names associated with 1,739 births to which she dutifully attended, detailing the breadth of five decades of service to the community as an experienced lay practitioner of obstetric medicine. less

The following cased images consist of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes in the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center’s photograph collection. The people are a cross-section of middle-class more men, women and children of mid-19th Century, mostly from the Pennsylvania-German milieu of northern Montgomery County and the adjacent counties of Berks, Bucks and Lehigh. The collection is also a good representation of young and old, men and women, Schwenkfelder and non-Schwenkfelder families and individuals. The oldest known person photographed is Susannah Yeakel Schultz who was born in 1782, the second-to-last year of the Revolutionary War and she died in 1861, the first year of the Civil War. The youngest known person is Charles Samuel Wieand, who was born in 1848, the final year of the Mexican-American War and died in 1919, the final year of World War One. less

Lackawanna County has many different towns, townships, cities, and boroughs.  This collection gives histories of how those places developed.  Most of the books in this collection more are centennial projects. less

The Century Club of Scranton is a women's club that was founded in 1911 by prominent women of Scranton.  During the long history, which continues today, more the club hosts a variety of games, programs, and socials for the women in the area.  This collection contains scrapbooks, and bulletins starting in 1911.  The club has had many famous Americans as guests in its doors. less

This is a collection of cookbooks mostly dating from the 1960's and 1970's.  They are all from Northeastern PA and contain many ethnic and cultural recipes. more less

This collection contains police photographs taken at the time of police booking for the Scranton Police Department from 1903-1909. Contains information about their arrest and the more arresting officer(s). less

Funded by a grant from the Scranton Area Foundation, this collection contains streaming video of over 50 readings by nationally renowned poets such as W.S. Merwin, more Gary Snyder, Robert Bly, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. These poets visited the Scranton from the late 1970's through the 1990's and were filmed as part of the Friends of the Scranton Public Library Poetry Series. The collection also includes posters. less

From Lace Makers to Coal Miners contains photos, books, church records, and brochures of what life was like in the Lackawanna Valley from 1866-1920.  The photos more show prominent men of the time. These were bankers, rail owners, coal company owners, and members of the clergy.  There are programs from symphony orchestras, and books about coal mining and lace making. less

A collection of very early photographs of the library from 1893. There are also documents of the history of one of our buildings, the Silkman House. more less

Karl and Ralph Strohl owned and operated the Nay Aug Amusement Park for nearly 70 years. These photos are from their personal collection.

Funded by a grant from the Willary Foundation, this collection contains letters, books, paintings, photographs, and other artifacts from the era when the Lackawanna Valley emerged more from its agrarian beginnings to become an industrial center that powered the torn nation's war effort. Contributing agencies include the Scranton Public Library, the Lackawanna Historical Society, the Steamtown National Historic Site, and the Anthracite Heritage Museum. This collection relates to Scranton's early history and its importance in politics and history of the United States. less

In 2009 Gene Giancini was cleaning out a building on the West Side of Scranton. His family had operated a business in the building for 60 more years, and he was in the process of selling it. He found, stacked in the corner, old photos of Christmas window displays from Household Outfitting Company, 306-314 Lackawanna Ave. less

A collection of Sewickley, Pennsylvania and Quaker Valley region historic images and documents from the history collections of the Sewickley Public Library.

A representative sampling of valuable items on Abraham Lincoln in the State Library's collection that have been digitized to commemorate the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009. Items more include the address of Honorable Edward Everett at the consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19, 1893 with the dedicatory speech of President Lincoln; and the hanging of the Lincoln conspirators in Washington DC in 1865. less

This collection includes incomplete runs of the Ambler Gazette from 1897 to 1919, that are held in the State Library of Pennsylvania. This is a weekly more newspaper that reports news from multiple communities in Montgomery County. The local news reported in the paper is, in many cases, the only record of the development of the southern half of Montgomery County. less

Materials by and about Benjamin Franklin from the State Library collection digitized in commemoration of his 300th birthday.

A collection of Pennsylvania county, township and borough histories. Includes atlases and plat maps of the state, county, townships, cities, and boroughs.

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Elizabethville, Pa. Began in 1893; ceased Jan. 7, 1972. Merged with: Williamstown times, and: Millersburg sentinel, to form: more Upper Dauphin sentinel. Run may have issues missing. less

A weekly newspaper from the small community of St. Mary's, Pa. Ceased in 1915. Run may have issues missing.

A selection of documents on the battles of Fort Necessity and Braddock's Campaign, along with background on French and English relations as well as their interactions more with the Native American tribes of the northeastern colonies in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Originally digitized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Necessity. less

Selections from the State Library of Pennsylvania’s vast collection of works in the German language and about the Pennsylvania German communities of the state of Pennsylvania. more less

This collection contains photos, reports, and other information related to a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the building of the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg.

A Whig newspaper from Harrisburg, which merged with the Telegraph in 1853, temporarily forming the Pennsylvania telegraph and Whig State journal.

Photographs and historical documents from the 350 year history of the State Library of Pennsylvania.

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Waynesboro, Pa. Each issue includes section: Blue Ridge Zephyr. Run may have issues missing.

The major Lancaster paper of the time period.  After merger with the Lancaster Journal, it was known as the Intelligencer and Journal from October 08, 1839-December more 21, 1847, before resuming its original title.  Scattered issues from 1833-1852. less

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Lebanon, Pa. Ceased in 1901. Merged with: Star (Lebanon, Pa.), to form: Star-advertiser (Lebanon, Pa.). Run may have more issues missing. less

The major Lewistown, Mifflin County paper of the time period. In 1843 it changes to this name from the Lewistown Republican, and Mifflin County workingmens' advocate, more then to the Republican. Issues from 1840-1844, though not all issues are present. less

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Mapleton Depot, Pa. Published every Saturday. Run may have issues missing.

A paper from the small community of Marietta, Pa., which was famous for religious tolerance and abolition advocacy. Issues from September, 1833-January 22, 1835, though not more all issues are present. Running title is the Marietta advocate, though some issues are also headed Advocate. less

A paper from the small community of Marietta, Pa., which was famous for religious tolerance and abolition advocacy.  Issues from Feb. 27, 1827-Jan. 08, 1830.  Paper more was known as the Pioneer and Country Advertiser from 1826 to Sept. 22, 1827(?), as the Marietta Pioneer from Sept. 29, 1827-Sept.26, 1828, and as the Pioneer from Oct. 3, 1828 to its apparent cease in 1834.  Run may have issues missing. less

A paper from the small community of Marietta, Pa., which was famous for religious tolerance and abolition advocacy.  Issues from January 06, 1883-December 27, 1890.  Run more may have a few issues missing. less

A paper from the small community of Marietta, Pa., which was famous for religious tolerance and abolition advocacy. Issues from May 15, 1858-May 05, 1860. Run more may have a few issues missing. less

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Mercer, Pa. Began in 1865. Ceased in Jan. 1887. Continues: Whig and dispatch. Merged with: Mercer Republican (Mercer, more Pa.), to form: Dispatch and Republican. Run may have issues missing. less

Items include a report on the 1907 Dar Mine Disaster relief efforts; the Twin Shaft mining disaster investigation, 1986, Early Indian history along the Susquehanna River, more Problem of the Irish in America speech, 1886, American Freeman, 1867. less

The Mt. Pleasant Journal began publication in 1873 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

This collection contains miscellany from various exhibitions and expositions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania bulletin is the official gazette of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It contains notices, regulations and other documents filed with the Legislative Reference Bureau and more supplements the Pennsylvania code. less

Pennsylvania Capitol Centennial Collection Historic descriptions, explanations, and illustrated visitors' guidebooks to the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of more the dedication of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building. less

Items related to the care, management and supervision of natural resources in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management. General and specific topical texts more in the natural and industrial sciences, such as paleontology and engineering. less

Contains reports of Pennsylvania State Agencies such as the Annual Reports of the Eastern and Western State Penitentiaries from the 1800's - early 1900's; Reports of more the State Quarantine Board 1896, 1899; Reports from the Bureau of Mines, Reports of the Committee on Lunacy, late 1800's; Proceedings of the Pennsylvania History Society annual meetings, 1906-1908; and more. less

Photographs, historical documents and government reports chronicling the development of education in Pennsylvania.

Welcome to the State Library of Pennsylvania's Pennsylvania Genealogy Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. Includes the Harrisburg Newspaper Index containing marriages more and deaths from four newspapers from 1799 to 1827; the Necrology Scrapbook with obituaries clipped from Pennsylvania newspapers from October 1891 to March 1904, including many Civil War veterans; and Courts & Lawyers of Pennsylvania, a History, 1623-1923, as well as a number of other family history related books and pamphlets. less

This collection contains periodicals, both newspaper and magazine in format, from the United States Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as well as Pennsylvania State documents and more other digital versions of works on the Native American populations of Pennsylvania. less

Selected Pennsylvania Regimental Histories in the Civil War, with histories of Pennsylvania units from other wars to be added.

Contains reports of Pennsylvania State Agencies such as the Annual Reports of the Eastern and Western State Penitentiaries from the 1800's - early 1900's; Reports of more the State Quarantine Board 1896, 1899; Reports from the Bureau of Mines, Reports of the Committee on Lunacy, late 1800's; Proceedings of the Pennsylvania History Society annual meetings, 1906-1908; and more. less

The movement of humans, animals and goods from one location to another within Pennsylvania and with other states.  Items in this collection reflect air, land (road), more railroad, water, cable, pipeline and space transportation. less

The Christian Observer was a Presbyterian paper from Philadelphia, Pa., which was both anti-Catholic and against Tractarianism, also known as Puseyism, a movement started in Oxford more which attempted to bring the Presbyterian faith closer to the Roman Catholic. Issues from May 14, 1840- Dec.28, 1850, though not all issues are present. less

The Daily Chronicle newspaper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported on a mix of political, criminal and religious proceedings, as well as local news.  The title began in more 1841, continuing the Daily chronicle and general advertiser, and is thought to have ceased in 1847, according to American newspapers, 1821-1936 : a union list of files available in the United States and Canada, edited by Winifred Gregory. less

A Philadelphia paper from the 1840s. Also known as the Philadelphia Sun or the Daily Sun. Some issues from around the time of the Nativist Riots. more Thought to have ceased in 1857. less

A newspaper published by the American Sunday-School Union, and organization rooted in the First Day Society. Both organizations were missionary in nature, with the First Day more Society formed to found and promote Sunday Schools in churches. The American Sunday-School Union was also a missionary organization. Reports on the founding and running of Sunday Schools, and contains advice on the studying of scripture. Reports from missions around the world are common. These issues are from the Civil War years, and include battlefield and battlefield hospital and missionary reports. Issues from January 4, 1862 to December 2, 1868, though not all issues are present. less

The major newspaper from Coudersport, Potter County, Pa. Published every Thursday. Ceased in 1969.

A paper from the Northumberland County town of Milton. Covers political events, local, state, national and foreign, along with local news. The State Library of Pennsylvania more holds March 02, 1826-Feb.12, 1829 and Sept.08, 1831. less

A newspaper of the Pennsylvania and New York Colonization societies, covering immigrant issues, African American affairs, religious tracts and tract societies, and various other issues, such more as the Apprentices’ Library company of Philadelphia.  Contains advice and informational columns on household affairs and farming.  Also reports on the Back to Africa movement and African affairs in other countries, such as Haiti.  Published fortnightly at first, then weekly, in 1838, then published monthly in at least January-June 1839, beginning with the New Series, which restarted numbering.  Issues from March 14, 1838 to December 26, 1838. less

A weekly newspaper from the small community of Titusville, Pa. Began in 1898; ceased in 1912. Titusville herald (Titusville, Pa. : 1900 : Weekly), and: Titusville more evening courier, daily, interchanged circulation and "good will", selling exclusive rights for weekly circulation to Titusville courier, and for daily to Titusville herald, August 1911. Run may have issues missing. less

A newspaper from the small community of Titusville, Pa. It was issued semiweekly from September 4, 1900 to September 1904. Then it was issued weekly from more September 9, 1904 to August 31, 1911. Titusville herald (Titusville, Pa. : 1900 : Weekly), and Titusville evening courier, daily, interchanged circulation and "good will," selling exclusive rights for weekly circulation to Titusville courier, and for daily circulation to Titusville herald, August 1911. Run may have issues missing. less

A wide variety of Civil War literature, including a report on the battle of Gettysburg, preparations for the internment of the remains of the dead at more Gettysburg, testimony of deplorable conditions in Confederate prisons, speeches for and against Reconstruction, and more. less

A newspaper from the city of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. It was issued daily except Sundays. Began June 6, 1872. Ceased in 1873? A weekly edition was also more published called the Luzerne union. In 1873 publisher began a new numbering. less

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1857 through 1894.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1985 through 1939.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1940 through 1949.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1950 through 1989.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1960 through 1969.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1970 through 1979.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1980 through 1989.

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1990 through 1999.

This collection is comprised of photographs of the blazers, uniforms, and commencement gowns of the girls and women of The Baldwin School, dating from the 1800s more through the present day. The pieces are a valuable part of the School's history and traditions, and they also reflect trends in women's fashion from the late 19th century through the 21st century. less

The Baldwin School Hourglass Newspaper Collection includes selections from the Hourglass newspaper of The Baldwin School, which was first printed in 1945.

The Phil Bennett Collection is a collection of photographs provided by a patron. It contains photos of people and places in the Ulysses and surrounding Potter more County area. less

This handwritten historic collection contains over 2,800 pages of entries documenting the operations necessary to produce iron and iron products. It holds seven Isaac Meason Union more Furnace Ledgers covering the years 1801-1822, with the years 1803-1808, and 1818-1820 missing. In addition, there is a Union Forge Time and Team Ledger for 1809-1811, an original index book, and ledgers for the Union Grist Mill and the Mount Vernon, Centre, Mount Braddock, Dunbar, Warren, and Pallofax Durance operations. These records are unique, unpublished primary documents of the iron furnace industry. Isaac Meason built Union Furnace, the first successful iron furnace west of the Alleghenies in 1791, also operating a foundry and grist mill in connection with the furnace. The associated forge provided iron sugar and salt kettles, Dutch ovens, and other wares that were shipped by local keelboats for Lousiana. These ware were purchased by both western Pennsylvania businesses and families, and by settlers traveling west down the Ohio River. The furnace and forge passed through several hands until the company failed in 1922. Meason also sponsored the first suspension bridge in Pennsylvania, and financed and collaborated with Thomas Lewis on the rolling mill producing bar iron in 1817. At his death, Isaac Meason owned interests in the Mount Vernon Forge, Maria Forge, Union Forge, Union Furnace, Grist Mill, and the Middletown Iron Works. The Meason ledges provide a broad history of the iron industry in Western Pennsylvania. This collection is dedicated to the memory of Joan Peake a long-time genealogist and volunteer at the Uniontown Public Library. Her dedication to this project, along with Linda Jennings and Mary Patterson, helped make it possible. less

Welcome to the Unionville High School Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District began as the Unionville more Consolidated School K-12 in 1923 and has since evolved over 100 years into separate buildings, including elementary, middle, and high schools. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s seven townships provide an extensive and rich history and significant meaning to Chester County. The Unionville High School Library maintains a collection of archival items, and we continue to receive requests from alums across the country and community members to view these materials. The collection consists of school publications dating back to 1926. Unionville High School is interested in preserving these materials to ensure their survival as part of the school, surrounding townships, and the regional area’s history. Through digitization, the Unionville-Chadds Ford students’ accomplishments will no longer be forgotten and will be readily available for research or to relive memories. This collection includes scrapbooks relating to school, local news, and events. less

Annie Evaline Sanford was born on February 4, 1873 in Springfield, Illinois and graduated from Carthage College in 1894. Annie Sanford completed five missionary terms in more India from 1895-1902, 1904-1911, 1913-1920, 1922-1929, and 1931-1938. Primarily stationed at the Guntur Girls' School in Guntur, India, Miss Sanford assisted in hospital duties, taught Sunday school, and completed local missionary work during her service. During travel and work, Miss Sanford kept a journal that she would write for several months, then would send back to her family as a letter. For consistency purposes, this finding aid refers to the documents as letter journals to express their dual function in Miss Sanford’s life. In her letters, she chronicles her experiences spreading education and Christianity with communities in India. She also highlights local customs, the rigid Indian caste system, the weather, traveling throughout India, and current events in India and in the U.S. Each time Miss Sanford would travel between the U.S. and India, she would take a different route to tour parts of North Africa, Asia, and Europe, and this is reflected in her letters. less

Books and serial publications published by the various Lutheran Deaconess Communities in the United States, focused on those with Motherhouses in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The “In more Her Own Right” project has been made possible in part by a Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. less

Yearbooks from the Upper Moreland High School.

This collection consists of glass lantern slides and syllabuses for the course “The Materials of Engineering Construction.” It was the first in a series of four more courses in Civil Engineering, developed by Samuel Tobias Wagner and taught at the Wagner Free Institute of Science between1893 and 1950. The course discussed the properties, mining, and manufacturing of the various materials used in civil engineering, including stone, brick, cement, concrete, wood, iron, and steel. Of note in the collection are photographs of quarries and furnaces in Swedeland, PA and photos of the Phoenix Iron Co., Phoenixville, PA. less

A collection of handwritten lectures on Conchology, consisting of an Introductory lecture followed by 15 topical lectures. They were written and delivered by William Wagner, founder more of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, between 1852 and 1884. Conchology was one of Wagner's favorite topics and this was the first lecture series he wrote. He delivered it for the first time in 1852, prior to opening the Institute in 1855. The lectures' inconsistent paginations and paper sizes, along with many notations throughout, are signs of the many alterations he made to his lectures throughout the years. less

An archive of papers examining historical flood control and new proposals under construction during the 1930's and 40's.

An archive of over 300 digital images from the library's Historic Warren Photograph Collection.

Three scrapbooks full of photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, etc. pertaining to Kinzua and Corydon townships, the Cornplanter Grant and the Seneca Nation, the Kinzua Dam, the more Allegheny Reservoir, etc. less

Provides a detailed navigational study of the river during the era of early rafting and lumbering.

This collection contains the grave registrations forms of veterans of the Civil War buried in Lehigh County, PA. Upon burial these forms were filed with the more local Veterans Affairs. Most records are for Lehigh County, some Berks and Northampton County records exist in this data. A few Confederate veterans are also represented. less

The Historic Books collection contains local history and books of historical nature from around the Lehigh Valley. This collection also contains unpublished family history research records more of private researchers, which are often lost with time. The Historic Books Collection preserves these vital sources of genealogical information. less

This collection contains historical photographs of the Lehigh Valley.

The Samuel and Rosa Kern Letters collection spans a time frame from 1879 - 1887. These letters cover a broad range of topics spanning sports, social more activities, illness, education, weather and other areas of discussion. The letters cover a geographic area of: Lehigh, Northampton Lancaster, Chester, Northumberland, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania. Other locations from across the United States are also included. 0ver 60 area surnames are represented in this collection's content. less

These are photographs from the Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972 that devastated the Wyoming Valley, specifically Wilkes-Barre and the Wilkes College campus.

Wilkes University audio content from the Wilkes University Archives.

Film footage from Wilkes University.

A collection of papers and biographical materials from Williamson College of the Trades founder Isaiah Van Sant Williamson. Some photographs and genealogical research as well as more correspondence, legal, and financial papers. less