Directory, Part 3
PENN STATE ABINGTON. LIBRARY.
Mailing Address
Library
Penn State Abington
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-881-7424
Fax: 215-881-7423
CONTACT PERSON(S)
Name: Patricia Weaver
Title: Head Librarian
E-mail: pxw21@psu.edu
ACCESS
Open to Public
HOURS
Mon-Thu 8am-8pm; Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 1-5pm
African American Art Collection
Art Work16 Items
Collection contains 16 prints and original pieces of art by African American artists. Generally the works depict the social and cultural heritage of Africa and African Americans. The works contained in this collection were donated or purchased by PSU students for their class project from local African American art galleries through a grant from the Pennsylvania State University, Abington Campus.
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PHILADELPHIA ARCHDIOCESAN. HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER
Mailing Address
Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center
100 East Wynnewood Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096-3001
Telecommunications
Phone: 610-667-2125
Fax: 610-667-2730
Contact Person(s)
Name: Joseph J. Casino
Title: Director
E-mail: pahrc@ix.netcom.com
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm
General Description
The Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center contains a variety of collections which include material relating to African Americans. In the pamphlets category there are copies of “Mission Work Among the Negroes and Indians", the Annual Report of the Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians. Commission for the Catholic Mission Among the Colored People and the Indians, Annual Reports, 1926-1971 with the title "Our Negro and Indian Missions." African American Catholic newspapers:
- American Catholic Tribune (Cincinnati, OH), 1893-1894
- The Journal (Philadelphia, PA), May-August, 1892
- The Colored Harvest (Baltimore, MD), ca. 1889-1933
- The Colored Harvest/The Josephite Harvest (Baltimore, MD),ca. 1943-1961
- The Josephite (Montgomery, AL), 1901-1914
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The Bishops Papers include administrative records of Philadelphia ordinaries from Archbishop Patrick Ryan to the present. The Papers contain materials related to Black Catholics within the Archdiocese.
The Catholic Interracial Council, Artifacts, 1950-1974
MC-68Memorabilia, Manuscripts, Audio Tapes and Phonograph Recordings
2.25 Linear Feet
219 Items
Selected artifacts dealing with the Catholic African American community in Philadelphia. Besides correspondence the collection includes recorded musical programs and lectures of various types including such titles as "Birth of Civil Rights", "The Negro and an Education", "Deliver Us from Evil", "The Economic Status of the Negro", and "Philadelphia My Home". Glee clubs and student speakers from area institutions such as LaSalle College, Chestnut Hill College, St. Joseph’s High School, and Holy Name College are featured in many of the recordings.
Negro Missions, 1892-1918
1990/88Books, Photographic Materials, Circulars, Booklets, Financial Statements
15 Items
A miscellaneous collection which includes: picture and leaflet of Rev. Thomas Donovan, Rector of St. Joseph's Colored Catechetical College in Montgomery, AL; booklet, 1893-1918, from the Whittier Center for the Study and Practical Solution of the Negro City Problems; letters asking for donations for the Negro Fund; appeal cards for the Southern Home and for Virginia churches; and a paper from the Colored Young Men's Christian Association.
St. Peter Claver Church and School, 1926-1994
1996/43, 1997/3Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia, Manuscripts
4.5 Cubic Feet
Miscellaneous Church materials mostly pertaining to activities in the 1980s-1990s. Records of the School consist of roll/grade books ca. 1926-1980. Collection also includes some school books for St. Theresa of Avila.
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THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE. LIBRARY.
Mailing Address
Library
The Philadelphia Tribune
520-526 South 16th Street
Philadelphia PA 19146-9990
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-893-4080
Fax: 215-735-3612
Web Address: www.phila-tribune.com
Contact Person(s)
Name: Carol Flanagan
Title: Librarian
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
General Description
The Philadelpha Tribune was established in 1884 by Christopher James Perry. It is the oldest African American newspaper in the United States.
Philadelphia Tribune Collection, 1930-Present
Newsclippings, Microforms, Photographic MaterialsCollection consists of photographs, microfilm, and newspaper clippings such as are found in standard newspaper morgue collections.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA). DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY.
Mailing Address
Department of History, Presbyterian Church (USA)
425 Lombard Street
Philadelphia PA 19147-1516
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-627-1852
Fax: 215-627-0509
Contact Person(s)
Name: Margery N. Sly
Title: Manager of Special Collections
E-mail: preshist@shrsys.hslc.org (name of manager in subject line)
Access
Open to Public with Research Fee
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
General Description
The Department of History is the national archives and historical research center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The Department houses the official records of the denomination and its predecessor denominations; personal papers of prominent Presbyterians; the records of ecumenical organizations such as the American Sunday School Union and the National Council of Churches of Christ; and special collections and rare books supporting research in Presbyterian history. Collection emphases include: church legal and administrative decisions; religion and life in Colonial America; the American Revolution; the First and Second Great Awakenings; missionary work among Asians, Africans, and Native Americans; the New Republic; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Westward expansion; Civil Rights and other race issues; social justice issues; and ecumenical movements. As unprocessed collections are processed, additional materials relating to African Americans will become available for research use. Interested researchers might also wish to use church records that contain selected material documenting African American history such as the Division of Church and Race, the Division of Church Strategy and Development, or the Council on Church and Race and its predecessor
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organizations. The records of the ecumenical organization, the National Council of Churches of Christ, also contain selected material of interest.
African American Synods and Presbyteries (PCUSA), Records, 1873-1983
RG 395Manuscripts
1.25 Cubic Feet
Collection is comprised of the records of African American Synods of the Presbyterian Church. These Synod records include Atlantic (1873-1965), Blue Ridge (1913-1957), Canadian (1912-1913), and Catawba (1888-1988). By 1988 the racially segregated synods had been dissolved and integrated into the general Presbyterian Synods. The Synod collections are not complete files with some years records being sketchy or unavailable.
Board of Missions for Freedmen (PCUSA), Records, 1865-1938
RG 376Manuscripts
13 Cubic Feet
The Board of Missions for Freedmen (PCUSA) was previously known as the Committee for Education of Freedmen (Old School) and the Committee of Missions for Freedmen (PCUSA). During its existence, the organization established churches and schools for freedmen, helped to educate and supply African American teachers and preachers, built and supported African American schools, churches, colleges and seminaries, and prescribed courses of study. The collection includes annual reports, correspondence, minutes, application books, financial records, and a small group of pamphlets.
Board of Missions to the Freedmen (UPCNA), Records, 1904-1938
RG 46Manuscripts
1 Cubic Foot
The Board of Missions to the Freedmen was established in 1863 under the United Presbyterian Church of North America and renamed the Department of Negro Work in 1928. The Board was organized to provide secular and religious education for freedmen through the establishment of schools and churches. Collection includes pamphlets, minutes and reports, as well as other miscellaneous items.
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Board of National Missions - Division of Work for Colored People, Records, 1927-1943
RG 301.10Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
1 Cubic Foot
In 1923, the Board of Home Missions (PCUSA) was reconstituted as the Board of National Missions (BNM). At that time, the Board of Missions for Freedmen, which the Board of Home Missions had created in 1865 to minister to freed African American slaves, became the BNM’s Division of Work for Colored People. Among the heads of the Division were John M. Gaston, Dr. A. B. McCoy, and Jesse Belmont Barber. The bulk of the collection consists of a file on schools for African American children operated by the unit in the Southeastern part of the country. This file includes correspondence, reports, and newsletters. Other records in the collection include reports, articles, lesson plans, and photographs.
Evangelical Society of Philadelphia, Records, 1809-1815
RG 313Manuscripts 0.15 Cubic Feet
The Evangelical Society of Philadelphia was founded in 1806 by the Rev. Archibald Alexander, pastor of Philadelphia’s Pine Street Church. The purpose of the organization was to establish an African American congregation in the city including the selection of an African American pastor and the building of a house of worship. The organization’s activities ended with the dedication of the First African Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Collection includes reports, lists of subscribers, and circular letters.
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Fairfield Presbytery (PCUSA), Records, 1868-1899
RG 349Manuscripts 0.02 Cubic Feet
Fairfield Presbytery, the northern section of the Atlantic Synod (South Carolina), was organized in 1870. Collection consists of a history of the Presbytery, 1868-1888, and a paper by the Rev. Neptune Newton Gregg entitled "What the Westminster Standards have done for the Negro Race" (1899).
First African Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA, Records, 1811-1974
RG 314Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
1.5 Cubic Feet
First African Presbyterian Church was the first African American Presbyterian congregation in the United States. Many of its pastors have been central figures in the history of African American Presbyterians. The pastors of this church have included John Gloucester, John Gardner, Jonathan C. Gibbs, R.B. Johns, John W. Lee, Charles Freeman, Sudor Q. Mitchell, Sheldon Waters, and Kermit Overton. Collection includes charter (1811), a history, reports, session and committee minutes, and photographs of the buildings.
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READING PUBLIC MUSEUM
Mailing Address
Reading Public Museum
500 Museum Road
Reading, PA 19611-1425
Telecommunications
Phone: 610-371-5850
Fax: 610-371-5632
Web Address: www.berks.net/museum
Contact Person(s)
Name: Deborah Winkler
Title: Registrar/Assistant Director
E-mail: registra@ptd.net
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Tue 11am-5pm; Wed 11am-8pm; Thu-Sat 11am-5pm; Sun 12-5pm
General Dscription
The Reading Public Museum was established in 1913 by Dr. Levi W. Mengel as “sensory education" for students. Today the Museum has encyclopedic collections of art and science including superb holdings from Asia, Africa, Oceania, North American Indians, Pennsylvania Germans, ancient Greece and Rome through the Medieval and Renaissance to the 20th Century. The Fine Arts Collection includes more than 800 oil paintings by American and international artists; over one hundred sculptures; thousands of graphics; and more thand 200 watercolors. The Natural History collections represent thousands of specimens including many rare insects, rocks, minerals, and mammals. A planetarium built in 1969, is located on the 25 acre arboretum with a stream, lake, and wetlands.
Works of Art of or by African Americans
Works of Art3 Items
Museum collection includes the following works by African Americans:
- Barthosa Nkurumeh, silkscreen, acc. no. 97-19-1;
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- Anderson Johnson, oil on wood paneling, acc. no. 97-16-2; and
- Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer, oil on canvas painting, acc. no. 33-396-1.
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RICHARD ALLEN MUSEUM
Mailing Address
Richard Allen Museum
Mother Bethel AME Church
419 South Sixth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-925-0616
Fax: 215-925-1402
Contact Person(s)
Name: Church Office
Access
Open to Serious Researchers by Appointment Only
Hours
Thu, Fri 10am-3pm
Archives of the Richard Allen Museum (Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, 1749-Present)
Books, Photographic Materials, Microforms, Manuscripts130 Linear Feet
The collection chronicles the history of the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church from its founding in 1787 by Richard Allen and its subsequent role in the religious, social, and intellectual life of African Americans. Materials include minutes, reports and financial records of the Board of Stewards and Board of Trustees; a collection of books (some published as early as 1749) from the Mother Bethel Sunday
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School Library, of particular interest are various hymnals and prayer books; materials documenting Mother Bethels’ involvement in numerous AME conferences; files documenting the work of the Historical Commission, a group established by Mother Bethel in 1912 to collect, catalogue, and preserve the historical holdings of the church; copies of the Christian Recorder from 1854-1902, the oldest African American periodical still in existence; funeral programs; information on other organizations; and images of persons, groups, and events related to Mother Bethel AME Church and the African Methodist Episcopal denominaton. Segments of the collection have been microfilmed and can also be found at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY. CENTER FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE.
Mailing Address
Center for African-American History and Culture
Weiss Hall, Suite B-18
Temple University (265-18)
Philadelphia PA 19122
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-204-4851
Fax: 215-204-3794
Web Address: www.temple.edu/CAAHC
Contact Person(s)
Name: Dr. Bettye Collier Thomas
Title: Director
E-mail: rwoodlan@temple.edu
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm
General Description
The Temple University Center for African-American History and Culture, established in 1989 as a center for academic scholarship, contains one of the largest collections of African American primary sources located in a repository in the Philadelphia area. Its collections include extensive microfilm holdings as well as manuscript and photographic materials. The microfilm holdings include 308 titles of 19th and 20th Century publications, including African American newspapers and periodicals.
Biographical Notes Collection, 1912-1952
News Clippings, Periodicals, Manuscripts6 Linear Feet
Collection is comprised of biographical files on various African Americans, with a concentration on Pennsylvanians.
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Claude A. Barnett, Papers, 1918-1967
Microforms21 reels
Claude A. Barnett founded the Associated Negro Press (ANP) in March 1919 and remained its director through nearly half a century of enormous social change. The ANP was the largest and longest-lived news service to supply African American newspapers in the United states with news of interest to African American citizens, opinion columns, review of books, movies, and records, and occasionally poetry, cartoons, and photographs. The ANP provided its member newspapers with professionally written, detailed coverage of activities within African American communities across the country and the latest news about national trends and events. Nearly all of the major African American newspapers as well as many of the smaller ones became members of the ANP. In general, over seventy newspapers received ANP news releases, including the Pittsburgh Courier , Norfolk Journal and Guide , Afro-American (Baltimore and other cities), New York Age , Amsterdam News (NYC), Houston Informer , Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City), Kansas City Call , Atlanta Daily World , and (briefly) Chicago Defender . Nearly all African American newspapers were published once a week, and so the ANP was a mail service rather than a wire service. The collection materials represent the world of African America at the height of its separate development: after the urban migration of the early twentieth century produced sufficient concentrations of population and other resources to support it and before integration changed it. The common link in the generation of these materials was Claude Barnett’s extraordinary range of interests and activities. And the collection reflects the many roles that Barnett played as journalist and news distributor, as adviser and confidante, as administrator and consultant, as promoter and critic, and as family man and friend.The Collection is divided into three series: Entertainers, Artists, and Authors; Philanthropic and Social Organizations; and Religion and the Church. Entertainers, Artists, and Authors contains correspondence between Barnett and individuals from the entertainment world. The series also contains some letters by and to his wife Etta Moten Barnett who was an accomplished singer, actor, and lecturer, and reporters and writers whose articles appeared in the ANP; The Philanthropic and Social Organizations series contains materials pertaining to African American social organizations that sponsored social service programs. Much of the correspondence involves routine ANP coverage of their conventions, conferences, grants, social activities and, scholarship awards. Materials of particular interest discuss Barnett’s involvement with such institutions as the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington Institute, Phelps-Stokes Fund, New York State Colonization Society, Harmon Foundation, the Apha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha
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Sorority. The series also contains correspondence with Mary McLeod Bethune and items about Bethune-Cookman College and the National Youth Administration. The final series contains correspondence and other materials with and about religious leaders and church members. Subjects discussed range from routine ANP coverage of church activities to policy statements on segregation and struggles for leadership within black churches. This series also contains most of the Barnett papers relating to foreign missionaries in Africa and elsewhere. The original Charles A. Barnett Papers can be found at the Chicago Historical Society.
General Microfilm Collection, ca. 1800-1979
Microforms1,000 reels
The collection mostly consists of African American newspapers including the Afro-American , Amsterdam News (1922-1972), Atlanta Daily World , (1931-1964), California Eagle (1914-1964), Chicago Defender, The Freeman (1888-1916), Indianapolis Recorder (1899-1972), The Liberator (1831-1865), The Negro History Bulletin (1937-1986), Philadelphia Tribune (1912-1989), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-1959), Kansas City Plain Dealer (1899-1937) , Southern Workman (1872-1939) , Savannah Tribune (1875-1960), and the Voice of the Negro (1904-1907). The collection also contains microfimed materials on variousreligious publications and conventions from the 1900s-1960s.
Mary Mcleod Bethune, Papers, 1923-1942
Microforms14 reels
Collection includes personal and professional correspondence, two diary “traveling companions" listing places visited abroad, logs, impressions of people met, address books containing names and addresses of friends to whom she intended to send correspondence during one European trip (sponsored by the National Medical Association) and a European/Asian trip; clippings and articles by and about Bethune; copies of speeches by Bethune; and programs for women’s events that she attended. The original papers are housed at the Armistad Research Center in New Orleans, LA.
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NAACP Anti-Lynching Campaign and Anti-Lynching Investigative Papers, 1912-1955
Microforms30 reels
The collection documents the investigative efforts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to ascertain facts relative to lynching and mob violence in America. From 1909, the NAACP considered the opposition of lynching and mob violence against African Americans to be one of its major objectives. Includes the complete extant case files on lynching, race riots, and mob violence held by the NACCP national office for the years prior to 1953. These files, which cover hundreds of lynchings and several major riots throughout the United States, constitute one of the most valuable collections in existence for the study of interracial violence in 20th century America. Original materials are held by the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, Records, 1893-1992
Microforms23 reels
Established in 1896, the National Association of Colored Women’s Club, Inc. (NACWC) is the oldest African American secular organization in existence today. The collection documents the founding of the organization and the role that it played in the political, economic, and social development of the modern African American community, as well as its involvement in the national and international reform movement. Materials include convention proceeding and news coverage of NACWC conventions; papers of Margaret Murray Washington in connection with her position as editor of the National Association Notes ; correspondence and other materials from past NACWC presidents; printed histories from various state and local associations of colored women’s clubs; and copies of NACW publications The National Association Notes and The National Notes . The bulk of the collection making up this micro-film edition comes from the original holdings of the NACWC. However supplementary materials were drawn from other institutions including Tuskegee University, The Library of Congress, Detroit Public Library, and the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center of Howard University.
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National Vertical Clipping File Collection, 1989-1995
Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts12 Linear Feet
Collection contains materials detailing various subjects relating to African American life including biography, history, politics, religion, economics, health, protest, education, women, organizations and institutions, race relations, literature, and art. The collection also contains photographs on various African American subjects and people and some correspondence.
Pennsylvania Database Collection, 1912-1952
News Clippings, Periodicals, Manuscripts30 Linear Feet
The PDC contains a variety of materials detailing various aspects of African American social, political, and economic history in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania including some correspondence. The collection currently contains over 250 subjects related to history, politics, religion, economics, health, protest, education, women, organizations and institutions, race relations, literature, and art. The subject files concern primarily the period 1912-1952 for which the Center has indexed the Philadelphia Tribune.
Photograph Collection, ca. 1860-Present
Photographic Materials6 Linear Feet
Collection consists of photographs and slides of selected 19th and 20th century historical African American personalities, sites, and documents.
Temple University African American Subject File Collection, 1922-1994
Books and Pamphlets, Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Periodicals15 Linear Feet
This collection contains information about African Americans at Temple University that has been gleaned primarily from student publications including the Call of Commerce , Temple University Weekly and Temple News . Other materials include a growing collection of documents, programs, news clippings, and photographs donated by Temple University faculty and alumni.
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Uvelia S. Adkins Bowen, Papers
Photographic Materials, Manuscripts97 portfolios
Uvelia S. Adkin Bowen was a leading educator in Philadelphia and served as a trustee of Temple University for many years. Her papers document her involvement in the education system in Philadelphia and include correspondence, photographs, publications, speeches, and materials about various educational institutions.
William H. Dorsey Collection, 1847-1906
Microforms27 reels
William H. Dorsey was a prominent African American bibliophile and noted collector of rare African Americana from the 19th century. His collection of scrapbooks date from 1847-1906, and contain newspaper articles taken from a variety of local and national newspapers and periodicals, including the Detroit Plain Dealer , Indianapolis Freeman , Christian Recorder , Chicago Tribune , Washington Bee , Peoples’s Advocate and the Philadelphia Tribune . The scrapbooks also contain letters, biographical sketches, and photographs. This is a microfilm copy of original materials which are housed at Cheyney University.
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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY. SCHOOL OF PODIATRIC MEDICINE. CENTER FOR THE HISTORY OF FOOT CARE AND FOOT WEAR.
Mailing Address
Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear
Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine
8th Street at Race
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-625-5243
Fax: 215-629-1622
CONTACT PERSON(S)
Name: Barbara Williams
Title: Director & Archivist
Access Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Wed, Fri 9am-1pm
General Description
Organized in 1981, the Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear is an important resource worldwide for information on the foot, its treatment and coverings throughout the ages. It is the principal repository for published and archival material on the profession of podiatry, including the most complete collection of podiatric serial publications in the world, as well as books and pamphlets, personal papers, archives of the School as well as related institutions and organizations, photographs, oral histories, and professional artifacts. “A Fast Pace Forward; Chronicles of American Podiatry", by Lisabeth M. Holloway (1989), the first book-length history of the profession, was based upon the Center’s collections. To enhance the study of the foot, the Center also maintains an important and popular collection, much of it on public display, of antique, unusual, and celebrity footwear.
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African Americans in Podiatry, ca. 1900-1989
Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Photocopies from Periodicals0.5 Linear Feet
Collection contains biographical materials on African Americans in the field of podiatry. Files are arranged in alphabetical order and consist mostly of clippings and articles from miscellanoeus newspapers and journals. Many articles were photocopied from the National Podiatric Association Journal (African American branch of the American Podiatric Medical Association). Files also contain one photograph of Dr. Sherman Radford and miscellaneous staff correspondence regarding the 75th anniversary celebration of the American Podiatric Medical Association.
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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. CHARLES L. BLOCKSON AFRO-AMERICAN COLLECTION.
Mailing Address
Blockson Afro-American Collection
Temple University Libraries
Sullivan Hall 007-01
1330 West Berks Street
Philadelphia PA 19122
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-204-6632
Fax: 215-204-5197
Web Address: library.temple.edu/collections/blockson
Contact Person(s)
Name: Charles L. Blockson
Title: Curator
E-mail: aberhanu@temple.edu
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
General Description
The Charles Blockson Collection comprises approximately 20,000 items: books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints and drawings, sheet music, broadsides, posters, and artifacts. The coverage extends almost four centuries from Leo Africanus to the present and geographically from Africa through Europe and the Caribbean to its concentration in the United States. The collection holds all genres and types of materials by and about African Americans, including slave narratives, music, literature, and sports. Holdings in the collections do not circulate.
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Rare Book Collection, 16th Century-Present
Books3,500 Items
The Blockson collection of rare books is extensive in first editions of Afro-American and Caribbean holdings dating back to as early as the sixteenth century. Among the highly prized works in the collection are the complete and authoritative first editions of the writings of Phillis Wheatley, George Washington Williams, Booker T. Washington, Charles Chesnutt, Francis Harper, Joseph Wilson, William Wells Brown, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Chester Himes, and numerous others which contribute to outstanding holdings of the collection. The collection also contains one of the most comprehensive repository holdings of the Harlem Renaissance, the Black power 1960s period, and an assortment of rare African and Caribbean bibles. Items in this collection do not circulate.
Slave Narrative Collection
Books, Manuscripts100+ Items
The African and Afro-American Slave Narrative Collection contains a wide and varied compository of documented slave experiences. Among the represented works are the narratives of Ellenor Eldridge, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Cooper, Venture Smith, Benjamin Banneker, and Silvia DuBois. Items in this collection do not circulate.
Underground Railroad Collection
Books, Manuscripts500+ Items
The collection is one of the largest in the country related to the Underground Railroad. The bulk of the collection contains items on the members of the Underground Railroad as well as historical pamphlets, broadsides and memoirs of the leading figures of this organization. Among these highly valued materials are the letters of William Still. Items in this collection do not circulate.
Vertical File Collection, Late 19th Century-Present
Books, Newsclippings, Periodicals55 Linear Feet
Collection contains newspaper and magazine clippings, flyers, and brochures
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on various individuals and subjects pertaining to African American history and culture. The collection also contains some materials on African countries and people of African descent. Items in this collection do not circulate.
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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. URBAN ARCHIVES.
Mailing Address
Urban Archives
Samuel Paley Library
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-204-8257, -5750
Fax: 215-204-3681
Web Address: http://library.temple.edu/collections/urbana
Contact Person(s) (Name | Title | E-mail)
Archives Reference | | urban@temple.edu
Margaret Jerrido| Head, Urban Archives | mj@temple.edu
Brenda Galloway-Wright | Assistant Archivist | bgallowa@temple.edu
Access
Open to Public by Appointment Only
Hours
Mon-Tue 9am - 5pm ; Wed 9am - 8pm*; Thu-Fri 9am - 5pm; First Saturday of the Month* (*Evening and Saturday hours vary during semester breaks and summer)
General Description
The Urban Archives has many collections which are partially concerned with African Americans and not eligible for inclusion in this directory. Included among these collections are:
- Newsclippings from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin , ca. 1920-1982;
- Philadelphia and Suburbs Newsphotographs, ca. 1930-1982;
- Fair Housing Council of Delaware Valley Records, 1962-1967;
- Fellowship Commission Records, 1941-1994;
- Fellowship House/Farm Records, 1931-1989;
- Friends Neighborhood Guild Records, 1922-1980;
- Germantown Settlement Records, 1943-1972;
- Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements Records, 1939-1980;
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- Housing Association of the Delaware Valley Records and Photographs, 1909-1985;
- Philadelphia Association of Day Nurseries Records, 1909-1953;
- Philadelphia Fellowship Commission Records, 1941-1983; and
- YWCA of Germantown [Colored Branch] Records, 1869, 1914-1955.
Black Coalition, Records, 1968-1969
Acc. 296, 307Manuscripts
2 Cubic Feet
The Black Coalition was formed by members of the Greater Philadelphia Movement to establish a meaningful dialogue between Philadelphia’s African American and White populations. One of the primary relationships hoped for was one between the White business community and African American gangs. Internal dissension within the Coalition led to its merger with the Urban League in 1969. Records in this collection concern programs and projects of the Coalition and the Good Friday Group, a White business organization.
Chakah Fattah, Papers, 1988-1995
Acc. 806Manuscripts, Videotapes
17 Linear Feet
Senator Chaka Fattah was born on November 21, 1956 to sister Falaka Fattah, the founder of an urban Boys Town in West Philadelphia. A product of the Philadelphia School system, he attended Durham Elementary, Shoemaker Junior High School, and Overbrook High School. Fattah pursued his undergraduate studies in Economics and Business Administration in the Wharton Community Education Program, sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania and the Community College of Philadelphia. He received his Master’s Degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels School for State and Local Government. Chaka Fattah gained his background in public policy in his early years in public life as Special Assistant to the Office of the Managing Director, as a Special Assistant to the Director in the Office of Housing and Community Development, Policy Assistant at the Greater Philadelphia Partnership, and Assistant Director of the House of Umoja. In 1982, Chaka Fattah was elected to the State House. After serving three terms in the House, Fattah was elected to the State Senate in 1988 winning 90% of the vote. He was elected to Congress in 1994 and reelected in 1996.
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The collection documents Chaka Fattah's political activities in Philadelphia, and his involvement in numerous social causes including homelessness, child welfare, education, health care, and the elderly. Collection includes correspondence, reports, minutes, publications, directories, and video tapes.
Floyd L. Logan, Papers, 1922-1978
Acc. 469News Clippings, Manuscripts 26 Cubic Feet
Floyd L. Logan (1900-1979) devoted his life to ending racial segregation and improving education in Philadelphia’s schools. From 1932-1977 he was the leader of the Educational Equality League. This was an organization created by Logan and related to the struggle for the desegregation of schools in the Philadelphia metropolitan area which eventually grew in membership to over 1,000. The collection includes annual reports and newsletters of the Educational Equality League, Logan’s correspondence, research files concerned with the education of African Americans and the place of African Americans within Philadelphia schools, and files regarding the League’s relationship with other Philadelphia organizations. Includes extensive newsclippings files on the work of Logan and the League.
Industry Support Unit, Inc., Records, ca. 1977-1994
Acc. 815Manuscripts, Photographic Materials
10 Linear Feet
The Industry Support Unit, Inc. was a group involved with trying to end apartheid under programs sponsored by Dr. Rev. Leon Sullivan. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, and miscellaneous office files.
International Council for Equality of Opportunity Principles, Records, 1974-1987
Acc. 654Manuscripts
15 Cubic Feet
The International Council for Equality of Opportunity Principles was established by Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan, a prominent African American, to coordinate and monitor the activities of corporate subscribers to his “Statement of Principles" governing U.S.
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corporate investment in South Africa during the apartheid era. Includes information about South African investment by companies, both signatory and non-signatory to the Sullivan principles. Also contains information about proposals and meetings; publications, newsclippings, and press releases about South Africa and apartheid; and speeches and testimonies.
John C. Anderson, Papers, 1979-1983
Acc. 605Manuscripts
9 Cubic Feet
Papers of the former African American City Councilman relating to key issues facing Philadelphia city goverment including cable television, the proposed convention center, and charter revision. Also includes correspondence with city departments, corporations, and constituents. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Philadelphia Branch, Records, 1943-1963, 1968-1991
URB 6, Acc. 836, PC-75Photographic Materials, Newsclippings, Manuscripts, Certificates and Awards, Audio Tapes
25 Cubic Feet
The files of this organization contain materials which reflect their ideological positions and practical concerns, particularly in the areas of African American discrimination, employment, education, legal issues, and civil rights. During the 1950s the organization, campaigning extensively to break down the color line, became involved with industrial firms, labor unions, the Philadelphia Phillies, and government agencies while trying to obtain better employment opportunities for African Americans. The records for 1943-1963 are the most complete. Accession 836 contains some administrative materials from the North Philadelphia Action Branch and the West Philadelphia Branch. Much of this accession consists of plaques and awards. The collections contain a good deal of information on Cecil B. Moore and Alphonzo Deal, NAACP branch presidents. The inventories for these collections are available on the Urban Archives website.
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Negro Migrant Study, Records, 1923-1924
URB 31Manuscripts
1 Cubic Foot
A small collection which includes the records of the Negro Migrant Study undertaken by the Migration Committee of the Philadelphia Housing Association. The collection includes cases dealing with African Americans from the files of the Traveler’s Aid Society . Also includes the worksheets used in the preparation of “The Negro Migrant in Philadelphia" by William D. Fuller, 1924. The oversize worksheets list specific African American families in Philadelphia along with the place from which they migrated, their residence, the conditions of their residence, family size, etc. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OICA), Records, 1964-1988
Acc. 688, PC-51Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
90 Cubic Feet
OICA is a national network of employment and training centers which service the hardcore poor and unemployed, primarily African Americans. The community-based organization was founded in Philadelphia in 1964 by Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan.The OICA records contain a wealth of information on a variety of programs initiated since 1966 to help individuals with special barriers to employment such as ex-offenders, former alcoholics and drug-abusers, high school drop-outs, veterans, older workers, and women. Copies of “Opportunities industrialization Centers: A Guide to the Collection," 1990, are available from the Urban Archives. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OICI), Records, 1969-1985
Acc. 689, PC-51Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
34 Cubic Feet
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OIC International is a private, non-profit, voluntary organization founded in 1969 by Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan, a prominent African American. It is a direct outgrowth of the OIC movement in the United States. The mission of the OIC International is to contribute to the economic and social development, primarily of Third World countries, by the establishment and institutionalization of non-formal skills training programs. Copies of “Opportunities industrialization Centers: A Guide to the Collection," 1990, are available from the Urban Archives. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Philadelphia Special Investigation (MOVE) Commission, Records, 1978-1986
Acc. 669, PC-33Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts, Films/Videotapes
1.25 Linear Feet and 29 Cubic Feet
Collection contains materials gathered during the Commission’s investigation of the 1985 incident in Philadelphia where 11 MOVE members died as the result of a confrontation with the Philadelphia city government. Includes transcripts of testimony, police reports, news coverage of MOVE activities, video footage of the Commission hearings and actual incident, and extensive photographs mostly showing the aftermath of the fire on Osage Avenue. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Student Welfare Council (SWC), Records, 1939-1977
Acc. 374Manuscripts
13 Cubic Feet
The SWC began with the goal of overcoming the African American high school drop-out problem by providing supplementary aid and guidance so that students could attain a higher education. The council provides small grants to undergraduates and loans to graduate students. During much of its history the source of funding was the Helen Beatty Fund. The records reflect the operation of the organization including information about applicants for and recipients of aid.
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Urban League of Philadelphia, Records, 1935-1967
URB 1, URB 16Manuscripts
19 Cubic Feet
Includes records generated and collected by the organization from its formation as a private organization known as the Armstrong Association. The Urban League is oriented towards community work and educational and vocational programs with the goal of promoting the equal participation of African Americans in all areas of community living. The League ran training programs, fought for open housing and tenants’ rights, assisted older people through studies of nursing homes and welfare services, and tried to improve family life through pre-natal services, day care, and aid to juvenile lawbreakers. Included in the collection are the office files of the Executive Directors and the files of various departments of the League. These materials consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, and miscellaneous other materials. The collection details many facets of the life of African Americans including employment, housing, welfare, crime, education, race relations, and migration from the South.The collection will also include sizeable resource files provided to the League by other Philadelphia and national organizations as well as subject resource files. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Walter C. Beckett, Papers, 1920-1968
URB 19News Clippings, Microforms, Manuscripts
3 Cubic Feet
Mr. Beckett (1892-1969) was a businessman, churchman, and community leader. His varied activities covered wide areas of urban life, from the economic and financial to the religious and recreational. Records of his funeral establishment and of several African American owned banking and finance companies give indications of the struggle carried on by African Americans during and after the Depression as they attempted to create an economic niche for themselves in the surrounding white business world. Collection contains some correspondence. Most significant are the scrapbooks of newsclippings kept from 1934-1968. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
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Wharton Centre, Records, 1913-1968
URB 30, PC-30Manuscripts, Photographic Materials
30.5 Cubic Feet
The Centre is a settlement house providing social welfare, recreational, and community services to the African American population of North Philadelphia, particularly in the neighborhood of 22nd Street and Columbia Avenue. Much of its concern was centered on the problems of young African Americans by setting up recreation, athletic, and teen-age social activities. During its existence the Centre worked with the National Youth Administration, met the needs of World War II servicemen, and established contacts with juvenile gangs in North Philadelphia. The organization was also concerned with the housing problems of its clients and took part in the creation of the North Philadelphia Corporation. The records delineate the activities and concerns of the organization and its members. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Yorktown Community Organization, Records, 1963-1986
Acc. 646Newspaper Clippings, Photographic Materials, Manuscripts
0.5 Cubic Feet
This organization was established in 1962 to serve the residents of a small African American community in North Philadelphia adjacent to the Temple University campus. The collection describes the neighborhood and the programs and activities of the association. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
Young Men’s Christian Association, Christian Street Branch, Records, 1945-1964
Acc. 118Manuscripts
25 Cubic Feet
The collection reflects the programs and activities of this African American branch of the YMCA in Philadelphia. Among these functions were the operation of clubs, summer camps, and recreational programs for the African American community. The branch was also involved with such organizations as the NAACP and the Pennsylvania
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State Negro Council.
Young Women's Christian Association, Southwest Belmont Branch, Records, 1920-1977
URB 42Manuscripts
33 Cubic Feet
The collection reflects the programs and activities of this African American branch of the YWCA in Philadelphia. Among these functions were the operation of clubs, summer camps, and recreational programs for the African American community. The branch was also involved with such organizations as the NAACP and the Pennsylvania State Negro Council. The organization was involved in local arrangements for the 1937 National Negro Congress. The inventory for this collection is available on the Urban Archives website.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER.
Mailing Address
University Archives and Records Center
University of Pennsylvania
North Arcade Franklin Field
Philadelphia PA 19104-6320
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-898-7024
Fax: 215-573-2036
Web Address: www.upenn.edu/AR
Contact Person(s)
Name: Martin J. Hackett
Title: Public Service Archivist
E-mail: mhackett@pobox.upenn.edu
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Mon-Fri 9:30am-4:30pm
General Description
The Archives and Records Center collects materials in the areas of University history and prominent persons associated with the University, the history of institutions of higher learning in the United States, American intellectual life, and the Philadelphia community in which the University lives. The collections at the archives include University of Pennsylvania academic and administrative records; University community life (student activities, alumni organizations, organizations of faculty and administrators, and other University-related groups); personal and professional papers (University officers, faculty, students, alumni, and benefactors); and University history-related papers (individuals and organizations).
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Alexander Family, Papers, 1817, 1872-1985
UPT 50 A374Books, Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Periodicals, Memorabilia, Manuscripts, Films/Videotapes
223 Cubic Feet
Raymond Pace Alexander (1897-1974) and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989) were pioneers among African Americans in the legal profession and leaders in public affairs, politics, and government throughout the middle half of the 20th Century. Their papers constitute a highly significant resource for the social and political history of the City of Philadelphia, and, in particular, for the history of the city’s African American professional and political elite, African American civic organizations, and individuals concerned with race relations and civil rights. The collection also contains some papers of relatives of the Alexanders including Elizabeth Mossell Anderson, Virginia Margaret Alexander, and Rae Pace Alexander Minter. More information concerning this and other collections at the Archives and Records Center is available on their website.
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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. SCHOOL OF NURSING. CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF NURSING.
Mailing Address
Center for the Study of the History of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing
307 Nursing Education Building
Philadelphia PA 19104-6096
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-898-4502
Fax: 215-573-2168
Web Address: www.nursing.upenn.edu/history
CONTACT PERSON(S)
Name: Margo Szabunia
Title: Curator
E-mail: nhistory@pobox.upenn.edu
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
General Description
The Center was established in 1985 to encourage and facilitate historical scholarship on health care history and nursing in the United States. An outstanding collection of primary historical materials is maintained at the Center consisting of about 2,000 linear feet of organizational records, personal papers, artificial collections, photographs, and audio-visual materials. The Center also houses a small book collection of approximately 1,200 titles.
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Alumnae Association of Mercy-Douglass Hospital School of Nursing, Records, 1939-1987
MC 27Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Memorabilia, Manuscripts, Ephemera
1.5 Linear Feet
This collection documents activities of the Alumnae Association and its predecessor, Mercy Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association. Records include hospital and school histories, minutes of alumni meetings, programs, newsletters, correspondence, news clippings, and ephemera.
Freedmen's Hospital Nurses Alumni Club of Philadelphia, Records, 1973-1986
MC 23Photographic Materials, Manuscripts, Oral Histories, Printed Materials
0.1 Linear Feet
This collection is comprised of five folders of miscellaneous materials that document some activities of the Philadelphia club. There is also one publication containing oral interviews produced by the national office entitled "The Fifty year Graduates of Freedmen's Hospital School of Nursing Tell Their Story".
Mercy-Douglass Hospital, Records, 1896-1977
MC 78Books, Photographic Materials, News Clippings, Manuscripts, Ephemera
18 Linear Feet
The Mercy-Douglas Hospital was formed in 1948 utilizing two hospitals serving a predominantly African American population in Philadelphia: the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hosptial and the Mercy Hospital. The collection consists mainly of records of Mercy-Douglass Hospital and its two predecessors, records of the school of nursing, and some 200 photographs related to both hospital and school. The collection provides important documentation of the African American experience in nursing.
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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY. VAN PELT-DIETRICH LIBRARY CENTER.
Mailing Address
University of Pennsylvania Library
3420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA 19104-6206
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-898-7091
Fax: 215-898-0559
E-mail: librefer@pobox.upenn.edu
Web Address: www.library.upenn.edu
Contact Person(s)
Name: Dennis Hyde (898-6675)
Title: Director, Collection Management and Development
E-mail: hyde@pobox.upenn.edu
Access
Open to Public Weekdays with Photo ID
Afro-American Seminar Room
Room 403Books, Periodicals, Map
Approximately 2,500 Items
General reading room containing mostly books by and about African Americans. Materials are primarily literary in nature. Includes the Journal of Negro History.
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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT.
Mailing Address
Special Collections Department
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
University of Pennsylvania
3420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA 19104-6206
Telecommunications
Phone: 215-898-2065
Fax: 215-573-9079
Web Address: www.library.upenn.edu/special
Contact Person(s)
Name: Nancy M. Shawcross
Title: Curator of manuscripts
E-mail: shawcros@pobox.upenn.edu
Access
Open to Public
Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-4:45pm; Sat when classes in session 10am-2pm
Arthur Huff Fauset, Papers, 1855-1983
Ms. Coll. 1Manuscripts
20 Linear Feet
Fauset was a civil rights activist, educator, folklorist, and author; his half-sister was Jessie Redmon Fauset. The bulk of the papers pertain to Fauset’s endeavors as a creative writer. Correspondence derives mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.
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Marian Anderson Collection of Music Manuscripts, ca. 1910-1980
Ms. Coll. 198Music Manuscripts
2,002 Items
The majority of the collection consists of songs, many of which were submitted to Anderson with letters from the composers/lyricists.
Marian Anderson, Papers, ca. 1900-1993
Ms. Coll. 200News Clippings, Memorabilia, Manuscripts, Programs 250 Linear Feet
Personal papers of contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) which were donated to the University of Pennsylvania. Comprises personal and business correspondence with over 6,000 individuals and organizations including conductors, composers, singers, impresarios, and music educators; also correspondence with U.S. Presidents, Governors, Mayors, and Representatives to Congress, as well as with Ambassadors and Heads-of-State. Includes programs, publicity materials, performance contracts, and miscellaneous memorabilia.
Marian Anderson Photograph Collection, 1898-1992
Ms. Coll. 198Photographic Materials
4,462 Items
Images span almost the entire life of Marian Anderson, chronicling her career and personal achievements.
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