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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

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

The Hopedale Moravian Church letters are the only known first-person accounts of life in the early settlement of Newfoundland in northeast Pennsylvania. When a small group more of German immigrants arrived in the Wallenpaupack Valley in the 1820s, the region was a pristine wilderness, as yet undiscovered by the tanners, mill owners and lumber manufacturers that would arrive a decade or two later. The letters shed light on a period in our rural history about which little is known and for which little documentation exists. The letters not only document the challenges of establishing a mission church along Pennsylvania’s northern frontier, they also give insight into the struggles of the families to survive in the face of so many hardships—poverty, language barrier, illness, lack of agricultural skills, seasonal floods, harsh winters, unreliable harvests, internal conflicts, absence of schools for their children—and create a thriving community. The pastors were a lifeline for the early settlers. In many ways they instrumental in guiding the settlers through those early perilous years, and these efforts are described in their correspondence. In addition, the letters include membership lists, annual reports and annual budgets which are helpful in documenting family histories and genealogy, as well as other details that may open up new possibilities for further research. As the first and only church in the Wallenpaupack Valley, the Hopedale Moravian Church pastors ministered to all who settled there, regardless of their religious affiliation. The letters also reveal connections between the German-speaking Moravian settlers and the surrounding English-speaking community. less

Prostopinije (Slav. prostopinije, "simple chant") is the traditional liturgical chant of the Rusyn peoples of the Carpathian Mountains, and of their descendants who emigrated to other more parts of the world. This chant is sung in the parishes and monasteries of the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church and the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in the United States, and in the Ruthenian Catholic dioceses of Mukačevo (Ukraine), Prešov and Kosice (Slovakia), Hajdudorog (Hungary), Krisevtsi (Croatia), and Ruski Kerestur (Serbia) in Europe. Prostopije is a descendant of the ancient znammeny chant common to Slavic Christianity. Used for centuries among the Carpathian mountains, prostopinije absorbed melodies from Greek and Bulgarian sources, as well as indigenous Slavic folk music. Eventually, this chant was standardized in both Church Slavonic and Hungarian, but continued to show variations from one region or village to the end. Prostopinije is essentially traditional - that is, it has been passed down from one generation to the next. For centuries, it has been both an aural tradition (passed on by hearing and memorization) and a written one (passed on with the help of chant books or manuscripts). Generally speaking, the more ornate or seldom-used melodies were written down, while the simpler and frequently used melodies were simply sung from memory. This collection is two-part, containing small publication books as well as manuscripts. Both represent melodies that were committed to a written form in the early 20th century when immigrants from Eastern Europe came to America. These musical materials are from Byzantine Catholic (also known as Greek Catholic) parishes in or around Western Pennsylvania and represent a unique historical heritage. 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

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.

We have digitized three rare books by/about St. Frances De Sales. the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales are an international community who will obviously benefit more from online access to these titles. St. Frances De Sales wrote a great deal about education, so his works may be of interest to a wider community. less

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

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

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 19th and 20th century photographs of buildings, places, events, and industries relevant to the Jersey Shore, PA area. Of particular significance are more photos of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the New York Central Railroad, and the Pennsylvania Canal. 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

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

The Harmonists, a Christian Communal society, founded Old Economy Village in 1824. They were known for their piety, as well as for their economic successes in more textile manufacturing, including silk production, and later in the oil and railroad industries. Old Economy Village in Ambridge, PA is the home of a great deal of information about the Harmony Society and life in general in the nineteenth century. Major topics covered by the archives and library include music, architecture, religion, business, photographs, and more. less

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.

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

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

The manuscript diary was recorded by the Germantown printer and Church of the Brethren pastor, Christopher Sauer, Jr. (1721-1784). Written in German script, the diary, although more small, contains a wealth of genealogical information on the early Church of the Brethren in Pennsylvania, as well as important personal information about Sauer, Jr., including accounts concerning his printing business and a short entry regarding his being brought to a provisional continental court on suspicion of being a spy for England during the American Revolution. In the words of the late Brethren scholar, Dr. Donald Durnbaugh of Juniata College: “in his [Sauer’s] diary are included brief sketches of his life history and that of his family. Though terse, they are informative.” 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

Books and manuscripts published or created by the various Lutheran Women's Missionary Societies of the General Synod, General Council, and United Synod of the South. Included more here are both published materials from all three communities and manuscript minutes for the General Council's Women's Missionary Society. The “In 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

The Carnival was a weeklong fundraiser event of the First Presbyterian Church of Warren, PA, featuring internationally and hobby themed booths, meals, and a daily publication. more It was held from September 23-29th, 1899 to help with debt resulting from a new building which had been built to facilitate recent church growth. The special edition souvenir newspaper was titled, The Carnival, and was published by members of the Ladies Aid Society, who also coordinated the Carnival event. less