Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Subject Education Year 1900 to 1949

Delaware County Superintendent of Schools records, 1863-1972 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.0 cubic feet
Abstract:: An act of general public education for Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was passed in 1834. The Delaware County Superintendent of Schools records, 1863-1972, document teachers employed in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The collection consists largely of examinations of teachers and teachers' reports; there is also some financial information, several published volumes, a few photographs, and an audio recording.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Eddystone School Board records, 1919-1966 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.67 linear feet
Abstract:: The Eddystone School District was established shortly after the Borough of Eddystone, Delaware County, Pennsylvania was incorporated in 1888. In 1966, the state mandated that the district merge with the Ridley Park and Ridley Township School Districts. The Eddystone School Board records, 1919-1966, include by-laws, board minutes, treasurer's reports, and legal documents, 1919-1965 (incomplete).

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Doylestown Historical Society collection on Doylestown and Central Bucks West high schools, 1913-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Doylestown High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania opened in 1890 and closed in 1951. Students were transferred to Central Bucks West High School (originally Central Bucks Joint High School), which opened the following year. The Doylestown Historical Society collection on Doylestown and Central Bucks West high schools, 1913-2013, contains chronological files about class years, as well as some historical information about each school. It consists primarily of clippings, programs/ephemera, and a few photographs; there is also a Doylestown High School cash ledger, 1941-1947. The Society also holds a collection of original yearbooks (and some copies of older yearbooks) for both schools, 1916-2012.

Held at: Doylestown Historical Society [Contact Us]

Ned Harrington research files and publications, 1980-2000 (bulk) 1871-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.0 linear feet
Abstract:: A prime example of a 19th-century farming community, Carversville in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was one of the first districts to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Edwin (Ned) Harrington (1920-2009), who was considered Carversville's official historian, authored numerous publications concerning the history of the village. The Ned Harrington research files and publications, 1871-2006 (bulk 1980-2000), include privately-published histories authored by Ned Harrington dating primarily from the 1990s, as well as Harrington's research files.

Held at: Historic Carversville Society [Contact Us]

Machteld J. Mellink papers, 1938-2006 (inclusive) 1958-2001 (bulk)

Extent:: 35.3 linear ft. (36 containers)
Abstract:: Machteld Johanna Mellink, celebrated archaeologist and professor of archaeology at Bryn Mawr College from 1949 to 1988, was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1917. She received her BA in 1938 and MA in 1941 from the University of Amsterdam, and her PhD from the University of Utrecht in 1943. The Machteld Mellink papers cover Professor Mellink's academic and archaeological career from the late 1950s to the early 2000s. Included in the collection are her writings and notes, photographs, publications, and a few excavation tools. Researchers interested in her academic career, as well as her work related to excavation sites such as Kızılbel, Tarsus, and Sardis, will find valuable information in this collection. However, this collection does not provide particularly strong insight into archaeological history, nor Professor Mellink's thought process when approaching archaeological issues. Instead, this collection is mostly comprised of lecture notes, manuscripts of writings,...(see more)

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Harris Wofford papers, 1940-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 381 cartons
Abstract:: As a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania, chair of America's Promise, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy, Harris Wofford dedicated much of his career and personal life to advocating for public service. The Harris Wofford papers contain over 400 linear feet of extensive notes, research files, writings, correspondence, political papers and audio/visual recordings documenting an impressive career of a citizen passionate about activism. While not entirely complete in its scope of Wofford's life due to many key records from the 1960s being lost in a fire early in his career, the collection nonetheless provides an invaluable resource for those interested in politics, human rights, public service, education, and law. Furthermore, the collection is noteworthy in that researchers will be able to examine several themes developed throughout Wofford's career, from his grassroots involvement in academia at Bryn...(see more)

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Gertrude C. K. Leighton papers, 1930-1982 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3 linear ft.
Abstract:: Gertrude Leighton was born in Belfast, Ireland. Leighton first came to Bryn Mawr College as a member of the class of 1938 and majored in classical archaeology. In 1940, she was hired by Barnard College as a lecturer in the English Department. She entered law school at Yale in 1942, graduated in 1945. Leighton returned to Bryn Mawr in 1950 as Assistant Professor of Political Science. Later promotions made her full professor and department chairman. The collection consists mainly of office materials. There are syllabi and reading lists for BMC political science courses taught. There are miscellaneous materials from senior conferences, the journal club, and special conferences. Boxes 2, 3, and 4 contain typed drafts for an unpublished fifteen-chapter book Leighton was writing in collaboration with Richard G. Lonsdorf.

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Mary Hamilton Swindler papers, 1906-1949 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.5 linear ft.
Abstract:: Born in Bloomington, Indiana in 1884, Mary Hamilton Swindler graduated from the University of Indiana in 1905 and received her master's degree from the same university in 1906. Swindler first came to Bryn Mawr College in 1906 as a graduate scholar in Greek. From 1912 until 1949 she taught Archaeology and Classics at the college. The collection consists of loose correspondence received from the Archaeology Department, scrapbooks and notebooks, miscellaneous correspondence and manuscript drafts.

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Grace de Laguna papers, 1899-1969 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5 linear ft.
Abstract:: Grace de Laguna was a professor of Philosophy at Bryn Mawr, a past president of the American Philosophical Association, and mother of Frederica de Laguna, the noted anthropologist. This collection consists of Personal Material, Correspondence, Reprints, and Typescripts.

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Wagner Free Institute of Science Committee Reports, 1929-1981 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection contains the reports of the various committees of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, including the Committee on Museum, Committee on Library, Committee on Finance and Property, and Committee on Instruction. The reports provide insight into the day-to-day administrative operations and finances of the Wagner. While much of the information within the reports reference the “nuts and bolts” of the Institute, the Committee on Museum series, in particular, contains notable information pertaining to the history of the Wagner’s attendance and holdings, including specimen accessions, conservation, installation projects, maintenance, and changes in display.

Held at: Wagner Free Institute of Science [Contact Us]

Westbrook Free Lectureship Records, 1912-1924 (bulk) 1910-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.0 linear feet (2 containers)
Abstract:: Richard Brodhead Westbrook (1820-1899) was a Trustee of the Wagner Free Institute of Science from 1884 until his death in 1899. In his will, he established an endowment for the Richard B. Westbrook Free Lectureship as a means to encourage open discourse on scientific subjects, especially disputed questions in science and the theories of Evolution. This collection contains correspondence, announcements, syllabi, notes and newspaper clippings relating to the Westbrook Free Lectureship from its beginning in 1912 through 1990. The Lecture Records series is the most in depth. Full text is available for the 1918 lecture, and notes and synopses are present for other years.

Held at: Wagner Free Institute of Science [Contact Us]

School of Business records, 1929-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.25 linear feet (15 boxes (13 manuscript boxes and 3 half manuscript boxes))
Abstract:: This collection of records pertains to the history, pedagogy, and administrative processes of the Villanova School of Business, formerly known as the College of Commerce and Finance. The collection is comprised of fourteen boxes of textual materials, including administrative correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and syllabi from 1962-2007.

Held at: Villanova University Archives [Contact Us]

Laurence Augustine Delurey O.S.A. records, 1903

Extent:: 0.08 linear feet ((1 folder))
Abstract:: The Laurence A. Delurey papers consist of a reception program.

Held at: Villanova University Archives [Contact Us]

Deutsch-Amerikanischer Zentralbund von Pennsylvanien, Philadelphia branch, records, 1909-1941 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.21 linear feet (1 box, 18 folders)
Abstract:: This collection contains records of the Philadelphia branch of the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Zentralbund von Pennsylvanien (DAZB), also known as the German-American Central Alliance, or the German-American Federation, of Pennsylvania. The federation existed from 1899 until 1941; from 1901 to 1918 it was part of the National German-American Alliance, which it had helped to found. These extant records mainly comprise materials related to activities of the School Committee, which promoted German language learning, and learning about German-American culture, among German-American youth. Included are minutes (with financial reports), correspondence, fliers, and educational materials, dated 1909 to 1933. The remaining materials are ephemera, including a flier related to the fifth anniversary of the women's auxiliary, in 1932, and programs for German Day celebrations in 1940 and 1941. A few fliers bear texts composed by Adolph Timm and Max Heinrici concerning the preservation of...(see more)

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

LMHS.16: Lower Merion Historical Society collection on the Lower Merion Academy, 1814-2010 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Lower Merion Academy in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was created at the bequest of Quaker Jacob Jones in 1812. The Academy was one of the first public schools in the United States and was one of the first in Lower Merion township to provide a free education. The Lower Merion Historical Society collection on the Lower Merion Academy, 1814-2010, includes administrative records for the building and of the Academy, and a small amount of financial records.

Held at: Lower Merion Historical Society [Contact Us]

Sarah Cooper Tatum Hilles family papers, 1840-1882 1791-1930 (inclusive) 1840-1882 (bulk)

Extent:: 2.75 linear ft. (11 boxes)
Abstract:: The Sarah Cooper Tatum Hilles family papers house the correspondence of a Quaker family who lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Woodbury, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; and other surrounding areas from approximately 1840 to 1882. A majority of the letters were written to or by Sarah Cooper Tatum Hilles; her husband, John Smith Hilles; and other Tatum or Hilles family members. There is a small sampling of assorted family papers, dating from 1825 to 1901. Included, among other items, are school report cards of William Samuel Hilles from Haverford College and an 1834 memoir of Anne Cooper Tatum, Sarah Hilles' mother. In addition, there are deeds to properties owned by the Hilles family in Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania from 1791 to 1886.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Plumstead Township School Board records, 1861-1941 (bulk) 1836-1964 (inclusive)

Extent:: 8.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Free School Act of 1834 established a system of public schools in Pennsylvania. The Plumstead Township (Bucks County) School Board at one point oversaw a dozen small schools in the area. In 1959, Plumstead joined nearby Buckingham and Doylestown townships to form the Central Bucks Joint Elementary School Board, and its remaining schools were consolidated into Gayman Elementary School, finished in 1961. Most of the Plumstead Township School Board records, 1836-1964 (bulk 1861-1941), are school attendance registers for Plumstead Township; the collection also includes various supporting records relating to the Plumstead Township School Board and its successor, Central Bucks Joint School Board.

Held at: Plumstead Historical Society [Contact Us]

Radnor School District teachers' monthly reports, 1866-1918 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.33 linear feet
Abstract:: The Free School Act of 1834 established a system of public schools in Pennsylvania. As of 2014, the Radnor Township School District has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school under its purview. The Radnor School District teachers' monthly reports, 1866-1918, are in the form of annual volumes for individual schools in the district. The reports include teachers' names, student names, and daily attendance records. About one-half dozen schools are represented.

Held at: Radnor Historical Society [Contact Us]

Solebury Township schools attendance registers, 1905-1969 (bulk) 1865-1969 (inclusive)

Extent:: 9.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Solebury Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania has had a total of twelve one-room school houses over the course of its history. The first and later best-attended of these, known as Center Hill School, was constructed in 1757 and is believed to be the oldest building in continuous educational usage in Bucks County, and possibly in the state of Pennsylvania. The Solebury Township schools attendance registers, 1869-1969, consist of student attendance lists from schools--including many one-room schoolhouses--in Solebury Township. Solebury Elementary School records comprise well over half of the collection. There are also a few financial records from the New Hope-Solebury School District and a cash book from the Quaker City Justice College (1865-1877).

Held at: Solebury Township Historical Society [Contact Us]

Westtown School Archives small manuscripts collection, 1769-2008 (inclusive)

Extent:: 13.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania is the oldest continuously operating coeducational boarding school in the United States. It was founded by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1799 with the goal of educating Quaker children in an environment that fostered moral development consistent with their religious ideals. The Westtown School Archives small manuscripts collection, 1769-2008, consists of correspondence to and from various students, teachers, school officials, and other individuals and families affiliated with Westtown School. There is only one or a few documents associated with most of the individuals. These include mostly handwritten letters with some typescript and email print-outs. Also included are other materials, such as ephemera, account books, addresses and writings, school documents such as student lists and report cards, and receipts and other financial papers.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]