Directory, Part 1
African American Museum in Philadelphia. Library and Archives.
Mailing Address
Collections Department
African American Museum in Philadelphia
701 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-574-0380, ext. 222
Fax: 215-574-3110
Contact Person(s)
Name: Aileen S. Rosenberg
Title: Registrar, Collections & Exhibitions
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
General Description
The Museum's holdings are comprised of over 400,000 objects, images, and documents ranging from utilitarian and domestic objects to fine and folk art, memorabilia, furnishings and costumes, photographs and negatives, and books and periodicals.
The collections also contain news clippings, manuscripts, films and videotapes, and oral histories.
Jack Franklin Photograph Collection, late 1950s-Present
86.001Photographic Materials
400,000 Items
Jack Franklin's photography documents social, cultural, and political events in the Philadelphia African American community. Among the broad categories of images relating to African Americans included in the collection are: notable political leaders, rites of passage/family events, soldiers in training during World War II, the performing
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arts, Philadelphia's neighborhoods and the impact of postwar migrants and Caribbean and African immigrants, businesses, churches, sororities, fraternities, social and sports clubs, beauty pageants, beauty culture leagues, and the growth of the fashion industry in the 1950s and 1960s. Prominent figures, both local and national, are shown participating in the civil rights March on Washington, the Selma to Montgomery march, and the Poor People's Campaign. Philadelphia civil rights images include the march on City Hall, the Black Power rally, and the Girard College protests. Also included are NAACP events and images related to the Opportunities Industrialization Center.
Assorted Photograph Collection, 1940-1990
Photographic Materials, Films/Videotapes1,000 Items
Photographs depict various individuals and groups in the Philadelphia African American community. Notable are group portraits of beauticians in the National Beauty Culturist League, portraits of boxers, opera singers, and classical musicians, and event photographs featuring former Philadelphia City Council president Joseph E. Coleman. The Irene Randleman Collection includes a family portrait album ca. 1890. The Ruth Wright Hayre (teacher and district superintendent) and Anna Russell Jones (free lance artist and WAC in World War II) collections also contain photographs. Numerous postcards featuring stereotypical depictions of African Americans are included in the David Zamsky Collection of memorabilia. Videotapes document events and other African American history topics including the "City Lights" documentary series produced by KYW-TV. Reference slides and contact sheets of fine art materials held by the Museum are also included. Photographers include Art Braitman, Jack Hoffman, Nate Clark, P.K. Trace, John W. Mosley, Bill Baron, R. Allen Leider, and Jack Franklin.
Alberta Colvard/National Beauty Culturists' League Collection
88.034Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia
2 Linear Feet
Collection contains papers relating to the National Beauty Culturists' League, including news clippings, photographs, histories, and beautician’s equipment.
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Alma Hull Collection
91.015News Clippings, Memorabilia, Manuscripts
3 Linear Feet
Collection contains Ethel DePreist's personal and business papers. Also includes newspaper and magazine articles relating to Ethel DePreist and the careers of her sister, contralto Marian Anderson, and her son, conductor James DePreist.
Anna Russell Jones Collection
86.040Photographic Materials, News Clippings
40 Linear Feet
Materials relating to the World War II military career and family life of Anna Russell Jones, wallpaper and car designer. Collection includes numerous drawings and paintings for her designs as well as photograph albums, books, newspaper clippings, and furniture.
Arizona Cleaver Stemons Collection
89.050Books, Photographic Materials, Manuscripts, Memorabilia, Clothing
2 Linear Feet
Materials relating to Arizona Cleaver Stemons, the founder of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. The collection includes memorabilia, documents, writings, minutes, and reports.
Arthur and Edith Daniels Collection
87.014Photographic Materials, Scrapbooks, Memorabilia
2 Linear Feet
Collection includes certificates, scrapbooks, plaques, photographs, and memorabilia related to the Daniels family.
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Bent Anderson Collection
88.032Books, News Clippings, Manuscripts, Memorabilia
1 Linear Foot
Collection includes books, programs, news clippings, and correspondence related to painter Charles C. Dawson.
Bertha Brown Collection
90.030Manuscripts
15 Linear Feet
Archives of Our Neighbor Civic Association. Access to this collection is restricted.
Bonnie Kasoff Collection
92.005Manuscripts, Memorabilia
1 Linear Foot
Collection includes flyers, memos, and memorabilia related to the Philadelphia Black Panthers.
David Zamsky Collection
94.022Memorabilia
40 Linear Feet
Extensive collection of African American collectibles, much of it reflecting racial stereotypes.
DeHaven Hinkson Collection
83.003Photographic Materials, Manuscripts, Memorabilia
6 Linear Feet
DeHaven Hinkson was the first African American doctor to direct a U.S. Army Hospital. Collection includes correspondence, news clippings, photographs, and military and medical artifacts.
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Delores Wade Collection
86.047Manuscripts
8 Linear Feet
Collection includes minutes, correspondence, reports, and ledger books for the Golden Star Lodge #4 of the Good Samaritans, 1880-1940s. The Lodge was the local branch of a member insurance association which provided its members with insurance for sickness, burial, and funeral expenses.
Doris and Leon Bullock Collection
88.017, 89.040Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia, Phonograph Records
20 Linear Feet
Record albums, news clippings, and programs related to African American composers and performers of classical and opera music.
Dorothy Wright Collection
87.022News Clippings, Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
2 Linear Feet
Collection includes news clippings, brochures, letters, and photographs documenting the history of African Americans in Philadelphia.
Dr. Ernest Berry Collection
90.011Manuscripts, Fine Art, Paintings
20 Linear Feet
Awards and papers belonging to Dr. Ernest Berry and 47 framed paintings and works on paper. Paintings include works by Humbert Howard, Columbus Knox, and Monte Frazier.
Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre Collection
93.011Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia, Scrapbooks, and Awards
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15 Linear Feet
Papers and photographs related to the life and career of Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre, public school teacher and administrator. Dr Hayre was the first, in Philadelphia, African American school principal and African American female President of the School Board.
Edgar Hammock Collection
89.038News Clippings, Scrapbooks
3 Linear Feet
Collection includes news clippings and scrapbooks related to the African American 761st Tank Battalion and World War II.
Edmund Goldborough Collection
88.027, 89.043, 90.024Manuscripts, Artifacts
5 Linear Feet
Collection includes an 1860 daily journal recorded during a voyage to Liberia and artifacts related to a Georgia slave plantation and migrant fruit workers.
Frank McGlinn Collection
92.024, 93.014, 98.002Books, News Clippings, Memorabilia
10 Linear Feet
This collection documents Philadelphia’s theatrical past through the performances of African Americans. It contains primarily posters, programs, broadsides, news clippings, and advertisements. The focus is on 20th Century plays, performers, musicals, and films. A substantial portion of the collection is devoted to the career and legacy of Paul Robeson.
Gertrude Vance Collection
94.015Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts
2 Linear Feet
Collection is comprised of materials relating to the career of Charles McCabe, violinist. Mr. McCabe was the first African American to perform with the Boston Pops and to
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serve on the musical board of the Germantown Symphony Orchestra. Included in the collection are correspondence, programs, news clippings, sheet music, and photographs.
Gwendolyn Anderson Collection
88.022Manuscripts, Audio Tapes
3 Linear Feet
Reel-to-reel tapes, newspapers, and documents related to Temple University's Special Recruitment and Admissions Program.
Ira Tucker Collection
87.043Photographic Materials, Phonograph Records, Memorabilia
4 Linear Feet
Collection includes records, memorabilia, photographs, and stage costumes relating to the Dixie Hummingbirds, a gospel music ensemble.
Joanna Gates Collection
91.013Photographic Materials, Memorabilia
1 Linear Foot
Collection includes African robe, travel slides, and sheet music relating to organist, pianist, and music teacher Herbert Spence.
John Allen Collection
88.020Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts
40 Linear Feet
This collection contains the archives of Heritage House(a community cultural organization), the Philadelphia Cotillion Society, and related organizations.
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Joseph E. Coleman Collection, ca. 1960-1990
94.019News Clippings, Manuscripts, Memorabilia
5 Linear Feet
Collection includes materials related to the careers of Joseph E. Coleman as chemist, patent attorney, Philadelphia City Councilman, and first African American President of Philadelphia City Council.
Leroy Jenkins Collection
Photographic Materials6 Linear Feet
Collection includes photographs of individual dentists and images related to the National Dentists Association.
Louis and Janice Mitchell Collection
94.040Manuscripts, Memorabilia
3 Linear Feet
Collection includes family documents, poll tax receipts, army enlistment papers, newspapers(1968-1969), and civil rights ephemera.
Lucille McKnight Collection
92.022Manuscripts, Memorabilia
2 Linear Feet
Collection includes documents and memorabilia related to a family-run grocery store and beauty parlor. Also includes a military uniform.
Lydia Kirkland Collection
87.030Manuscripts
5 Linear Feet
Collection includes programs and documents related to the Clyde C. Pelzer Funeral Home, Chaflin University, and the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
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Marcellus Henderson Collection, 1930-1989
94.025Photographic Materials, Memorabilia
5 Cubic Feet
Collection includes family and student portraits of Philadelphia concert pianist Natalie Hinderas and correspondence, news clippings, magazine articles, programs, and scrapbooks related to her career.
Maude Frisby Mills Collection
87.005News Clippings, Manuscripts, Memorabilia
2 Linear Feet
Collection includes scrapbooks, correspondence, news clippings, and programs related to Maude Frisby Mills of the Frisby and Mills vaudeville team from the 1910s.
Nile Swim Club, Records, 1957-
87.024Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts
2 Linear Feet
Collection includes news clippings, photographs, and programs relating to the Nile Swim Club, an African American-owned swimming club established in 1957.
Pearl Bailey/Louis Bellson Collection, 1940-1989
91.003, 95.013Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia
40 Linear Feet
Informal family photographs, images of events, travel photographs from Europe (including USO tour) and the Middle East, studio portraits, and images of Bailey with entertainers and political leaders. Photographers include Arsene Studios and Milt Hinton. Also includes memorabilia associated with Pearl Bailey’s career, such as the wardrobe truck she travelled with, correspondence, and record albums.
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Philadanco Collection
92.017Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia
4 Linear Feet
Collection contains correspondence relating to the career of Joan Myers Brown, founder of Philadanco, the Philadelphia African American dance company. Also includes photographs, news clippings, cotillion programs, and scrapbooks documenting Philadanco’s history since its establishment in 1970.
Phonograph Record Collection
Phonograph RecordsIncludes recordings donated by various individuals in the areas of blues, jazz, classical and opera, Paul Robeson, soul, gospel, and pop.
Robert N.C. Nix, Jr. Collection
87.047Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Certificates and Awards
4 Linear Feet
Collection is comprised of materials relating to the career of Congressman Robert N.C. Nix, Sr., the first African American Congressman from Pennsylvania. Collection was donated by Robert N.C. Nix, Jr.
Russell Minton Collection
94.018Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
2 Linear Feet Collection includes correspondence, minutes, and photographs related to Frederick Douglass Hospital.
Sam Solomon Collection
89.048Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia, Videotapes
15 Linear Feet
Collection includes photographs, videotapes, posters, and equipment related to Sam
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Solomon's career as a boxer and trainer.
Videotape Collection
Videotapes300 Items
A miscellanous collection of videotapes which document events and topics relating to African Americans. General topics include education, jazz, music and dance, the African American Museum, art, politics, and civil rights.
William Cash and Lloyd Thompson Collection, 1915-1930
85.041, 85.054, 89.010Photographic Materials, Memorabilia
150 Items
Collection contains material related to the Negro Baseball League. Images include action shots, and player and team portraits, particularly the Hilldale team, the Philadelphia Stars, and the Harrisburg Giants. Photographs include D. Sargent Bell and Frank Harris. Memorabilia includes correspondence involving William Cash, Lloyd Thompson, John Drew, Bob Thompson, and Edward Bolden, as well as scorebooks, Hilldale Club financial records, and documentation concerning the Delaware County Athletic Association.
Yetta Shapiro Collection
83.005Manuscripts
5 Linear Feet
Collection includes academic and legal papers collected or authored by Harry Shapiro related to constitutional issues arising from the civil rights movement.
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AFRICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS. HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Mailing AddressHistorical Society
African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
6361 Lancaster Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19151
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-299-2176
Contact Person(s)
Name: Arthur Sudler
Title: Director
General Description
The Historical Society of the African Episcopal Church of Saint Thomas was organized in 1981. The Society was established to collect, organize and preserve the history and legacy of the first, and oldest, congregation in the Episcopal Church composed predominantly of people of African decent. The collection also serves as a monument to the life and Ministry of the first Episcopal priest of African descent and St. Thomas' first rector- The Reverend Absalom Jones.
Archives of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, 1792-1996
Books, Photographic Materials, Memorabilia, Manuscripts50 Linear Feet
The Archives of the African Episcopal Church of St.Thomas includes original records documenting the history of this African American church. Materials include minutes of vestry meetings, canonical registers containing birth, marriage and death records, financial records; files on individuals and church organizations whom contributed to
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or were instrumental in the Church; and an assortment of books, plaques, certificates and awards, slides, cassettes, records, and memorabilia pertaining to various church activities.
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ALLEGHENY UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES. ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ON WOMEN IN MEDICINE.
Mailing Address
Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences
Conference Center
3200 Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-842-4700
Fax: 215-843-0349
Web Address: www.allegheny.edu
Contact Person(s)
Name: Joanne Grossman
Title: Assistant Director, Exhibitions & Archival Collections
E-mail: archives@auhs.edu
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Fri 9:30am-4:30pm
General Description
Founded in 1977, the Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine is an internationally recognized center for research on women in medicine. The Archives is the official repository of the (Woman’s) Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of Allegheny University of the Health Sciences), the first and only extant medical school founded exclusively for the education of women physicians. Records date from the school’s founding in 1850. The Special Collections on Women in Medicine consist of published materials, personal and professional papers of women physicians, and records of women’s hospitals and medical organizations, such as the American Women’s Hospital Service and the American Medical Women’s Association. Collection highlights include student theses, alumnae/i records, obstetrical and medical case books, extensive material on medical missionaries, more than 800 books and 20,000 plhotographs relating to women in medicine, the Black Women Physicians Project, and the Oral History Project on Women in Medicine.
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Black Women Physicians Project, 1864-1995
AH-AdNews Clippings, Photographic Materials, Periodicals, Manuscripts, Oral Histories
6.25 Linear Feet
Collection consists of biographical files containing newspaper clippings, slides, photographs, and articles on 19th and 20th Century African American women physicians; a list of names and statistics on African American students who graduated from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania; correspondence of the Archives staff in relation to their work on the Black Women Physicians Panel for the exhibit Send Us A Lady Physician ; oral history audio tapes and transcripts for various African American women physicians including Helen O. Dickens, Vanessa Gamble, Jaycee Brown, May Edward Chin, Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, and Ruth Janetta Temple; and a vertical file containing a list of photographs of African American women physicians housed in the Archives and Special Collections on Women in Medicine of the Allegheny University of the Health Sciences.
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ALLEGHENY UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES. ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (HAHNEMANN COLLECTION).
Mailing Address
Archives and Special Collections
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences
Conference Center
3200 Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-762-1376 or 842-4700
Fax: 215-762-8180 or 843-0349
Web Address: www.allegheny.edu
Contact Person(s)
Name: Barbara Williams
Title: Archivist
E-mail williamsb1@auhs.edu
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
General Description
Founded in 1978, the Archives includes the important records of Hahnemann University from its homeopathic beginnings in 1848, as well as personal papers of faculty and alumni, records of related organizations, Hahnemann and faculty publications, photographs, and medical artifacts. Highlights include student theses and class books; papers and memorabilia of founder Constantine Hering; Thomas Bradford’s biographical scrapbooks on American homeopaths (35 vols.); early homeopathic medicine cases; and papers of modern pioneers Charles Bailey, William Likoff and others in the fields of heart surgery and cardiology. Special Collections include Hering’s renowned collection on Paracelsus (approximately 200 items); a small historical reference collection in homeopathy; and a collection of primary and secondary sources in the history of medicine (1,500 volumes).
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African American Collection, ca. 1950-Present
61Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Periodicals, Memorabilia, Manuscripts
4 Linear Feet
Collection contains materials relating to the history of African Americans in the health care field. Materials were collected primarily for inclusion in displays and exhibits for an audience comprising Hahnemann and the surrounding community. The bulk of the collection consists of descriptive information about organizations and buildings, and biographical files taken primarily from the Journal of the National Medical Association , MSE Pulse , and The History of the African American in Medicine by Herbert Morais. Collection also includes photographic prints and negatives significant in African American culture in general and health care in particular. Most of the photographic materials were reproduced from the sources noted above and from posters and calendars. Other materials in the collection include miscellaneous correspondence of Hahnemann archives staff.
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AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES. AMERICAN BAPTIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY. ARCHIVES CENTER.
Mailing AddressArchives Center
American Baptist Historical Society
American Baptist Churches
P.O.Box 851
Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
Telecommunications
Phone: 610-768-2374
Fax: 610-768-2266
Web Address:
Contact Person(s)
Name: Betty J. Layton
Title: Archivist
E-mail:
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm
General Description
The American Baptist Historical Society is the oldest Baptist historical society in the United States. The Archives Center is the repository for primary resources related to the non-current records of the program boards of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. The two record groups described below contain unique African American materials but are not totally by or about African Americans.
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American Baptist Foreign Mission Society
Record Group 1Archives
1 Linear Foot
Before 1900, African Americans were recruited for appointment as Baptist missionaries to Liberia, and later to Congo. Includes missionary profiles, official correspondence, and published annual reports.
American Baptist Home Mission Society
Record Group 4Books, Photographic Materials, Films/Videotapes, Archives
6 Linear Feet, 50 Items (Monographs, 1 Video)
During the Reconstruction period of American history, the American Baptist Home Mission Society became involved in developing secondary and higher education institutions to meet the needs of the freed African American people. Collection includes printed reports of the Society, official publications, correspondence, Baptist institutional histories, missionary profiles, and photographs.
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AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. LIBRARY.
Mailing AddressLibrary
American Philosophical Society
105 South Fifth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-440-3400
Fax: 215-440-3423
E-mail:
Web Address: www.amphilsoc.org
Contact Person(s)
Name:
Title: Manuscripts Librarian
Access
Open to Public (Prior Notification of Research Visit Recommended)
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
General Description
The Library is a center for research in the history of science and technology, as well as America to 1840. It houses over 180,000 volumes and bound periodicals, 6 million manuscripts, and thousands of maps and prints.
David Library of the American Revolution, Slavery Collection, 1773-1888
326/F33Photocopies of Miscellaneous Documents
Approximately 85 Items
Collection consists of photocopies of miscellaneous documents assembled by Sol Feinstone. There are letters, broadsides, bills of sale, wills, etc relating to various slaves. Also includes documents from notable Americans concerning the slave question, e.g, John Brown, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Andrew Jackson. Photocopies are from originals at the David Library.
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ATWATER KENT MUSEUM
Mailing Address
Atwater Kent Museum
15 South Seventh Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-922-3031
Fax: 215-922-0708
Web Address:
Contact Person(s)
Name: Susan G. Drinan
Title: Registrar
E-mail:
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Wed-Mon 10am-4pm
General Description
The Atwater Kent Museum is the history museum for Philadelphia social history and material culture. The Museum contains a variety of objects, from photographs to handbills, depicting African Americans in Philadelphia.
Going North: Tales of the Great Migration
88.27.1 - .101Oral Histories
Approximately 170 Items
A collection of oral histories taken from African Americans who made the move North prior to World War II. Rough transcriptions are available.
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BALCH INSTITUTE FOR ETHNIC STUDIES. LIBRARY
Mailing Address
Library
Balch Institute
18 South Seventh Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-925-8090
Fax: 215-925-8195
E-mail: balchlib@balchinstitute.org
Web Address:
Contact Person(s) (Name | Title | E-mail)
Sheila Walker | Collections Manager | walkers@balchinstitute.org
Karl Walker | Information Services Manager | kruegerk@balchinstitute.org
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Tue, Thu, Sat 10am-4pm
General Description
The Balch Institute Library is a unique resource center whose holdings document the history of migration, ethnicity, and multiculturalism in America. The library supports student study, advanced research, and genealogical investigation with its printed materials, archival and manuscript holdings, and photographs representing more than 80 ethnic groups throughout the United States. These holdings include approximately 60,000 volumes, 6,000 serial titles, 5000 linear feet of archival and manuscript materials, 6,000 reels of micro-film, and 12,000 photographs.
Allen Family, Papers and Photographs, 1898-1997
SC 235, PG 289Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
0.25 Linear Feet
Ferdinand Marcellus Allen (ca. 1880-1955), born in Missouri, and his wife were missionaries in Liberia from 1898 to ca. 1908. He taught printing at the College of West Africa in Monrovia. Upon returning to the United States, they settled in Philadelphia where he ran a printing shop. The collection consists of two letters to Allen as manager of the College of
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West Africa Press, a memorial to the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia which was mailed to Allen in Philadelphia, and printed materials concerning Tindley Temple Methodist Church and the Allen family. Photographs include two family portraits and one group portrait of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware architects.
Bernice Dutrieuille Shelton, Papers, 1920s-ca. 1981
MSS 131Photographic Materials,Manuscripts
13.5 Linear Feet
Bernice Dutrieuille Shelton was born in Philadelphia. She was among the earliest African American graduates of Girl's High, and became a journalist in the early 1920s. Shelton contributed regular features on social news and columns on other subjects to area African American newspapers, including the Philadelphia Tribune and the Baltimore Afro-American, serving as both special correspondent and advertising representative for the Afro-American . She was active in a number of civic organizations including the YWCA, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs. The collection contains personal and professional correspondence and related materials, drafts and clippings of many of Shelton's columns, drafts of a history of the Dutrieuille family written by Shelton, miscellaneous writings and printed materials, and uncataloged photographs.
Bowser Family, Photographs, 1920-1960
PG 93Photographic Materials
12 Items
Family groups and portraits, activities; New York and Philadelphia.
Citizens Republican Club of Philadelphia of the Soap Box Minstrels, Photograph, 1922
PG 264Photographic Materials
1 Item
One circuit group portrait; Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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Dutrieuille (Albert E.) Catering Records and Family Photographs, 1873-1975
MSS 52, PG 36Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
1.5 Linear Feet, 29 Items
African Americans of French West Indian descent, the Dutrieuille family owned and operated a successful family catering business in Philadelphia from 1873-1967. The collection contains daybooks, a ledger, correspondence, biographies, and the original lease for the building. For related materials see the Bernice Shelton Papers. Photographs include family groups and portraits, social events and organizations, business places; Philadelphia.
Ella Reid Public Library, Records and Photograph, 1900-1969
MSS 3; PG 117Photographic Materials, Microforms, Manuscripts
0.5 Linear Feet
The Negro Public Library was chartered in 1941 and quartered in the basement of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. Established for the benefit of the congregation and especially for the "colored children residing in the vicinity," it was supported entirely by donations of money, books, and furnishings. It became a city taxed-supported institution ca. 1950, and its name was changed in 1961 to the Ella Reid Public Library. The collection contains a charter, correspondence, librarian's monthly and annual reports, financial reports and budgets, circulation records and registers of borrowers, accession records, property and equipment inventories, minutes of a Board meeting, a field visitor's report on the library by the Texas State Library, and miscellaneous items. Some of the records are on microfilm. Includes portrait of local teacher Ann Kayser; Texas.
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George Fant Document, 1867
SC 97Manuscripts
1 Item
This license and certificate from Kentucky records the marriage of George Fant, "colored," to Myrna Burton, "colored."
Handy Brothers Music Company, Inc., New York, Sheet Music
MSS 26Manuscripts
1 Folder The collection consists of 26 manuscripts for jazz songs, some handwritten, including compositions by Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, W. Benton Overstreet, and William C. Handy.
Henry C. Patterson, Papers and Photographs, 1929-1972
MSS 4, PG 54Manuscripts
1 Linear Foot
Henry C. Patterson was a Quaker civil rights advocate and the first Philadelphia Director of the United Negro College Fund. The collection consists of correspondence related to such matters as Patterson's solicitation of funds for African American colleges, particularly Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania; integration of the armed forces; Republican Party politics and the Hiss-Chambers case. It also includes correspondence relating to Patterson's service as an official of the War Relocation Authority and support for compensation for relocated Japanese Americans through the 1970s. Photographs include commencement procession at Lincoln University, informal portrait of godson.
High Street School, Mullica Hill, New Jersey, Photograph, 1920
PG 279Photographic Materials
1 Item
Group portrait in front of school.
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Howard Applegate, Photographs, 1890-1910
PG 45Photographic Materials
16 Items
Group portraits of Slavic workers and families, Pennsylvania German family group, Irish police sergeant, farm view, African American women and children and westward-bound immigrants; United States.
James Samuel Stemons, Papers, 1894-1922
MSS 12Manuscripts
2 Linear Feet
James Samuel Stemons was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and settled in Philadelphia ca. 1900. A postal worker, journalist, and writer, he served as the editor of two short-lived African American newspapers: the Philadelphia Courant and the Pilot. He was also active in several civic organizations. An outspoken advocate for equal industrial opportunities for African Americans, he lectured and published extensively on race relations. He served as Field Secretary of the Joint Organization of the Association for Equalizing Industrial Opportunities and the League of Civic and Political Reform. The collection documents Stemons' personal and professional life, and includes correspondence, printed materials, writings, clippings, and the manuscript of his unpublished autobiographical novel.
John A. McAllister, Correspondence, 1863
SC 11Manuscripts
1 Item
This letter from McAllister to Mr. Lossing mentions Robert R. Carson, a State Military Agent of Pennsylvania, who was active in recruiting African Americans for the U. S. Colored Troops in the Civil War.
John E. Edwards Collection and Photographs, 1971-1972
SC 100, PG 37Photographic Materials
4 Items
The collection consists of letters, bibliographies, and biographical sketches of African American authors which were sent to Edwards, who was compiling a bibliography of African American writers. Included are several descriptions of problems faced by Black writers in being published. Collection includes portraits of African American writers Leroy L. Ramsey, Edward T. Waters, Ronald L. Fair, and A. Bontemps.
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Justine J. Rector, Papers and Photographs,1943-1994
MSS 76, M 97-11Photographic Materials
10 Linear Feet & 21 Items
Justine Rector was born in Philadelphia and educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. She has been an active teacher and journalist and has taught at Howard University and other schools. She has been involved in promoting civil rights, high standards in journalism, and in documenting and improving race relations, particularly in Philadelphia. The collection consists primarily of materials documenting Rector's professional activities. Included are correspondence, research files, publications, clippings, and conference materials. Photographs include Charles W. Bowser's mayoral campaign, meetings/activities of local community organizations, portraits of local African American personalities; Philadelphia and Washington, D. C.
Mt. Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church, Photographs, 1950-1970
PG 234Photographic Materials
12 Items
Founders and pastors, church services and buildings; Philadelphia.
Porter-Mapp-Boggs Family, Photographs, 1900-1944
PG 253Photographic Materials
16 Items
Boggs, Mapp and Porter family portraits; Philadelphia.
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Powell Jubilee Singers, Photograph, 1882
PG 248Photographic Materials
1 Item
One group portrait.
Robert Riley, Photograph, 1880
PG 320Photographic Materials
1 Item
Robert Riley, who served in Company B of the Seventh Regiment of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War, wearing his Grand Army of the Republic medal in 1880.
Robert Thomas, Photograph, 1864
PG 247Photographic Materials
1 Item
One portrait of Robert Thomas in military uniform (Civil War; Co. E 32 Colored Regiment).
Roberts Family, Photographs
PG 296Photographic Materials
6 Items
Family groups, portraits and activities; Philadelphia.
Scott-Johnson Family, Photographs, 1910-1970s
PG 77Photographic Materials
12 Items
Family portraits, groups and cultural activities; Pennsylvania.
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Servant (African American), Photograph, ca. early 1900s
PG 313Photographic Materials
1 Item
St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church, Records and Photographs, 1795-1991
SC 92, PG 60, M 97-10Photographic Materials, Microforms, Manuscripts
19 Items, 8 Reels
The collection contains photocopies of deeds tracing the ownership of the Church's property, some recent newsletters, programs, correspondence, and church baptismal and marriage records on microfilm. Photographs include group portraits of confirmation classes, sports team and events; Philadelphia.
Twigs, Inc., Records, 1973-1998
M 86-06, M 86-46, M 86-62, M 88-53, M 90-38, M 90-39, M98-04Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
1 Linear Foot
The Twigs Mothers' Club was founded in Yeadon in 1948 as "an association whose objective is to encourage and foster mental, physical, social and cultural development of the children who are members." The organization is national in scope, and sponsors a wide variety of activities. The collection contains records from the national office (1973-1984), the North Montgomery Chapter (ca. 1981-1986), and the Philadelphia Chapter (1974-1998).Included are minutes, correspondence and mailings, financial records, organization histories, installation and membership records, scrapbooks, printed materials, and uncataloged photographs.
Varick Memorial Temple, Photograph, n.d.
PG 287Photographic Materials
1 Item
View of the Temple, Philadelphia.
Viri Viginti Club of Philadelphia, Records, 1914-1990
M 89-14, M 91-20Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
1.5 Linear Feet
The Viri Viginti Club, a male social club, was established in Philadelphia in 1914. The membership of twenty meets approximately five times a year and holds a garden party
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each spring. The records include minutes, correspondence, information on membership, a scrapbook, and uncataloged photographs.
Warley Bascom and Sons, Ledger, 1903-1910
SC 42Manuscript
1 Item
A free African American originally from Madagascar, Warley Bascom left Charleston, South Carolina in 1861 to establish an upholstery and interior decorating business in Philadelphia. Two sons and a daughter continued the business until 1973. The ledger shows customers' accounts and includes an index listing customers alphabetically by name. There is a brief history by Elizabeth Powers in the library.
Waters Edward Turpin, Correspondence, 1937
SC 101Manuscripts
1 Item
In this letter to Harry W. Zollars, the African American author thanks him for his compliments on Turpin's "These Low Grounds".
William D. Moore, Papers, 1871,1967 and n.d.
MSS 121Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
0.25 Linear Feet
William Moore was born in Philadelphia and grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended Howard University and taught in Delaware; West Chester; and Cape May, New Jersey. He founded an elementary and junior high school for African American children in Cape May and was its principal for 52 years. He worked as a tennis coach at a local country club during the summers. The collection contains his parents' marriage certificates, his manuscript autobiography, writings on race relations and other subjects, notes on the history of West Cape May and some of its inhabitants, clippings, and uncataloged photographs.
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BEREAN INSTITUTE. LIBRARY.
Mailing Address
Library
Berean Institute
1901 West Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-763-4833, ex. 117
Fax: 215-236-6011
Web Address:
Contact Person(s)
Name: Wilhelmina Atkinson
Title: Library Clerk
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
General Description
The Berean Institute was founded in 1889 by Reverend Matthew Anderson. The Institute was established to provide educational opportunities for the disavantaged. In the early years Berean offered training in plumbing, custom and merchant tailoring, dress making, carpentry, and home management. Today Berean Institute, which is on the same grounds as the original complex, conducts programs in accounting, business administration, computer repair, computer science, cosmetology, electronics, secretarial science, general clerical, paralegal, and data processing for more than 100 full-time and part-time students.
African American Collection, 1883-Present
Books1,500 Items
The collection contains books, pamphlets and newspapers on African American History.
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