Online Content: Not Available / Year: <span class="single" data-blrl-single="2007">2007</span> - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Modern and Contemporary Art Department Records, circa 2002-2008 (inclusive)

Extent:: 52.5 linear feet
Abstract:: None available.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

Anne d'Harnoncourt Papers, circa 1927-2012, undated (bulk 1951-2008) (inclusive)

Extent:: 31.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Art to Anne d'Harnoncourt (1943-2008) was both a professional and personal passion. Best recognized for her twenty-five year tenure as director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, d'Harnoncourt collaborated with local, national and international people and organizations, to keep art--and all the arts--relevant and essential in building and bridging communities. Most of the material comprising the Anne d'Harnoncourt Papers traces her professional development in and away from the Museum and consists primarily of correspondence, press clippings, photographs of works of art and events, draft lectures, notes, ephemera and a number of certificates, citations and object awards. Several files of photos and papers pertain to her husband and Museum colleague, Joseph J. Rishel. Family papers and photographs and school records comprise her personal papers. Also made part of the Anne d'Harnoncourt Papers is the significant documentation of the worldwide reaction to her unexpected death on June 1,...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

St. David's Church (Radnor, Pa.) records, circa 1706-2008

Extent:: 15.0 linear feet (; 30 boxes, 34 volumes, 15 flat files)
Abstract:: The cornerstone for St. David’s Church was laid in 1715 by a group of Welsh settlers in what is currently Radnor Township. During the Revolutionary War, the parish faced turmoil and the absence of a minister for the parishioners. By 1788, the parish once again had leadership, and in 1792, Reverend William Currie incorporated the parish and drew up a charter. The parish continued to grow as railroad lines brought urban dwellers to areas like Radnor that surrounded Philadelphia. For the next century, the parish would erect buildings to accommodate its constituency, providing the parishioners with a new rectory, chapel, parish house, and education building. Currently, the church attends to the religious needs of over one thousand families and holds many events, including an annual fair and auction. The records of St. David’s Church span from 1706 to 2006 and offer insight into the activities of the parishioners and history of the church in Radnor, Pennsylvania. This collection consists...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Nelson A. Diaz papers, 1967-2011

Extent:: 85.6 linear feet (, 219 boxes, 7 flat files)
Abstract:: Nelson Diaz (1947- ) is a Philadelphia attorney who served on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (1981-1992) and as general counsel for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (1993-1996). In addition, he has been highly active in the Hispanic and overall Philadelphia community as an activist, businessman, and journalist. He has served on many boards and committees in the Philadelphia area, and his interests and involvement have ranged from youth groups to the Temple University Hospital to the William Penn Foundation. This extensive collection documents Diaz's activities relating to Hispanic issues, organizations, and events; his work with and for various boards and committees; his work as a judge and an attorney; and his numerous other activities. Materials include correspondence, memos, minutes, reports, transcripts, by-laws, mailing lists, financial data, petitions, clippings, personnel documents, photographs, and audio and video cassettes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Foerderer family papers, 1894-1994 (bulk) 1865-2009 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.8 linear feet (; 13 boxes, 1 volume, 1 flat file)
Abstract:: Percival E. Foerderer (1884-1969) was a Philadelphia businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist, although lived most of his life in the city suburbs of Merion and Bryn Mawr. His college-age medical education was interrupted when his father, Robert H. Foerderer, became ill and could no longer run the family’s decades-old leather manufacturing business. In response, Percival quit school and, in the early 1900s, joined Robert H. Foerderer, Inc, manufacturers of “Vici Kid” leather. Later in life, Percival served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Jefferson Medical College and Hospital, and on the boards of many other companies and organizations in Philadelphia. He married Ethel Brown (1885-1981), daughter of a Philadelphia textile manufacturer, who presided over the Women's Board of Jefferson and was active in several other civic and philanthropic activities. Percival and Ethel Foerderer had three daughters, Mignon, Florence, and Shirley. This family collection spans from the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Stiefel family papers, circa 1920-2007

Extent:: 2.6 linear feet (; 6 boxes, 1 volume)
Abstract:: Asher Shtevel/Stiebel and his wife, Miriam, lived in Poketilov, Russia (now part of the Ukraine) in the nineteenth century. Three of their sons came to Philadelphia in 1887: Abraham, Jacob, and Michael (1871-1954), who were followed by other brothers, including Hyman (1860-1927). Sometime after 1887, the American branch of the family started using the name Stiefel. In 1903, members of the Stiefel family set up a movie theater in Philadelphia, the Fairyland on Market Street. In the following years, they opened other theaters in Philadelphia, elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and in Baltimore, New York, Washington DC, and California. The Stiefels were also in the film distribution business and produced live shows and at least one film. Theaters run by the Stiefels, notably the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia and the Howard Theatre in Washington, were part of the so-called "Chitlin Circuit" and gave starts to many black entertainers whose music later appealed to a wider audience. The...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Viri Viginti (Twenty Gentlemen) Club of Philadelphia records, 1980-1985 (bulk) 1962-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (; 1 box, 1 flat file)
Abstract:: Latin for "twenty gentlemen," Viri Viginti is an African American social club founded in 1914 in Philadelphia. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the city. This small collection of its records includes by-laws, membership lists, minutes, photographs, correspondence, clippings, and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Harry E. Adamson papers, 1880-2021 (inclusive)

Extent:: 11.1 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 6 volumes)
Abstract:: Harry Egan Adamson Jr. (1949-2021) was a Philadelphia AIDS and gay rights activist and restaurant manager. Infected in 1982, Adamson lived with HIV for nearly 40 years. He moved to Philadelphia in 1981 with his partner David Yontz. The couple stayed with Dr. John E. Fryer (1937-2003), who became one of Adamson’s lifelong friends. Yontz returned to Chicago in 1982, but Adamson remained in Philadelphia. Many of his friends and former lovers succumbed to AIDS between 1984 and 2000, but Adamson was a slow progressor and did not need to start medication for his disease until 1998. Though his HIV disease was under good control, neuropathy in his extremities became disabling in 1993. Adamson remained as active as he could, completing a master’s degree in pastoral counseling at La Salle University in 2002, acting as agent executor for Dr. John Fryer’s estate after his death in 2003, and serving on the board of Philly AIDSThrift from 2010-2013. Nonetheless, medical problems and depression...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Saunders House records, 1862-1940 (bulk) 1853-2011, undated (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.6 linear feet (; 8 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:: The Old Man's Home of Philadelphia was chartered in 1860 and opened its doors in 1864 in West Philadelphia, as a residence for old men in indigent circumstances. The home evolved to be Saunders House and began admitting women in 1960. In 1973, it moved to its current location adjacent to Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Today Saunders House provides long-term care and rehabilitation services to up to 180 older adult residents. The collection includes the original Old Man's Home minute book; admission records; record of inmates; annual reports; financial reports; deeds and other property-related documents; newsletters; court records from an inheritance dispute involving the Old Man's Home; a program from the organization's 125th anniversary celebration; a Christian Endeavor hymn book, typescripts, and clippings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Tony Reese papers, 1955-1970 (bulk) 1946-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4.1 linear feet (; 11 boxes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:: Tony Reese, born Attilio Resci in Foggia, Italy in 1919, was a popular performer both in Philadelphia and nationally. He was raised in South Philadelphia, attended South Philadelphia High School, and served with the U. S. Army during World War II. He developed a partnership and comedy act with Pepper Davis, whose real name was David Asner, and the duo performed across the United States and Canada. Together they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and other televised variety shows of the mid 20th century. They also performed overseas and gave a command performance for Prince Ranier and Princess Grace of Monaco. Reese died in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in 2013. This collection of Reese's papers mostly covers his career as a performer and includes numerous transcripts of comedy routines, clippings and programs, and musical arrangements. There are also a few personal papers including his obituary, biographical material, photographs, and audio-visual items.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Stuart Fleming Papers, 1978-2009 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Fleming was appointed as Scientific Director of MASCA starting in 1978. Under his direction MASCA broadened its analytical techniques from a focus on Carbon 14 dating, to the inclusion of many other specialized scientific approaches to answering anthropological/archaeological questions, including other dating techniques such as Thermoluminescence and materials analysis techniques such as Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE).

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Tikal Project, 1948-2008 (inclusive)

Extent:: 65.0 linear foot
Abstract:: The planning for the Tikal Project began in the mid 1940s when Museum President Percy C. Madeira along with engineer John Dimick and Board member Samuel B. Eckert conceived of a ten year long expedition to the Maya site in the dense forest region of Guatemala. Previous expeditions to investigate the Maya necessarily focused on more accessible sites such as Piedras Negras, Copan, Uxmal and Chichen Itza. Following the construction of a landing strip by the Guatemalan Air Force in 1950 the first scientists arrived in January 1956 for what would turn out to be a thirteen year expedition. For ten of the thirteen years, the project was directed by William Robertson Coe who accomplished major excavations in the Great Plaza, North Terrace and Acropolis sections of the project. Coe also conceptualized the data collection system and reporting guidelines that resulted in the publication of the seventeen volume Tikal Reports. The Tikal Project records contain 134 archival boxes...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church records, 1980-1994 (bulk) 1904-2009 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.0 linear feet
Abstract:: St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church of Philadelphia fills a unique position in the history of the Catholic Church in America. In 1886, African American Catholics from three local Philadelphia churches, having grown tired of the discrimination they faced at their home churches, united together as the Peter Claver Union with the goal of creating a “Church for Colored Catholics” in Philadelphia. The organization was officially recognized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1889 and found a home for their parish in 1892 in the former Fourth Presbyterian Church located at 12th and Lombard Streets. Due to a perceived lack of continued need for an African American Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia suppressed the parish in 1985. The St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church records house the institutional records of the St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This collection, which dates from 1904 to 2009, with bulk dates of 1980 to 1994,...(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection [Contact Us]