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Warwick Township Historical Society collection on the Moland House, 1994-2012 (inclusive)

Extent:

21.0 linear feet

Abstract:

Originally the summer home of John Moland, King George II's appointed attorney for Pennsylvania, the Moland House briefly served as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War in August of 1777. Salvaged from condemnation, the house was restored during the late 1990s and early 2000s through the efforts of the Warwick Township Historical Society. The Warwick Township Historical Society collection on the Moland House, 1994-2012, consists of various materials compiled by the Warwick Township Historical Society on the history and restoration of the Moland House. Also included are some organizational records of the Society, such as meeting minutes and member information.

Held at: Warwick Township Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Westtown School records, 1799-2013 (bulk) 1682-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:

600.0 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 records, 1682-2013 (bulk 1799-2013), include records created by Westtown Boarding School, including its various administrative offices, Board of Trustees, faculty, and students. It is organized into nine series: "19th century records," "20th century records," "Board of Trustees," "Farm and Orchard," "Student papers," "Westtown Old Scholars Association and Westtown Alumni Association," "Subject files," "Special formats," and "Publications." Inventories for some sections of the collection are available on site.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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Westtown School Archives collection of personal and family papers, circa 1780-2000

Extent:

20.0 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 collection of personal and family papers, circa 1780-2000, consists of several small collections of personal and family papers. The individuals and families represented were affiliated with Westtown School, and many papers document their time at the school although a fair amount of materials are unrelated. Documents in the collection include: correspondence, scrapbooks, writings, portfolios, ephemera, school records such as class papers and report cards, published works, and a few photographs.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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J. Bernard Haviland papers, 1929-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:

3.25 linear feet

Abstract:

J. (John) Bernard Haviland (1915-2004) attended Westtown School and then taught English and Bible there for several decades. He was an active member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), registering as a Conscientious Objector during World War II, serving Philadelphia Yearly Meeting on their Standing Committee on Spiritual Life, and writing widely on Quaker topics. The J. Bernard Haviland papers, 1929-1998, consist of files created by Haviland while a student at Princeton (1930s), a teacher at Westtown School (1940s-1960s), a graduate student at Harvard University (1940s) and at University College, Dublin (1960s), and notes for courses he taught at Pendle Hill. Of special interest are materials relating to Haviland's status as a Conscientious Objector during World War II.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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Albert L. Baily, Jr. papers, 1940-1974 (bulk) 1931-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.25 linear feet

Abstract:

Albert L. Baily, Jr. (1890-1974) was a teacher at Westtown School (a prominent Quaker boarding school in Chester County, Pennsylvania) from 1921 to 1955, where he taught French, botany, biology and Bible, and was involved in music and theater. As a scholar, Baily was interested in studies about the New Testament Gospels, specifically Henry B. Sharman's (1865-1953) study, Records of the Life of Jesus (1917). The Albert L. Baily, Jr. papers, 1931-1990 (bulk, 1940-1974), consist primarily of materials relating to Baily's studies, teachings, and writings of the New Testament Gospels. Also included are oral histories about a student work camp, "Three Fevers Camp," that Baily and his wife ran in the fishing town of Sebasco, Maine during the Great Depression; as well as materials relating to Baily's music compositions.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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S. Francis Nicholson papers, 1914-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.0 linear feet

Abstract:

S. Francis Nicholson (1900-2005) was a prominent Quaker investment banker, longtime officer of Provident National Bank, Philadelphia, and active in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, American Friends Service Committee, and Friends Fiduciary Corporation. He graduated from Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) in 1917. The S. Francis Nicholson papers, 1914-1998, include documents produced or collected by Nicholson in his activities as a Westtown student and as a General Committee member and investment advisor for the school. It includes one small file of student papers, report cards and notebooks; one file on his activities on the Music Committee at the school; and numerous files with financial reports, fundraising fliers, correspondence, agendas, minutes, Alumni Day materials, and drafts of articles on principles of investing and account reporting.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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John H. Foster papers, circa 1941-1999

Extent:

1.25 linear feet

Abstract:

John Henry Foster was born in 1926 and entered Westtown School, a prominent Quaker boarding school located in Chester County, Pa., in 1941. After graduating from Westtown in 1944, he received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Cornell and served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, teaching Agricultural Economics. The John H. Foster papers, circa 1941-1999, include materials gathered by Foster during his three student years at Westtown School, 1941-1944, and later as an active alumnus of the Class of 1944.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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Mary Larkin Thomas family papers, 1807-1981 (inclusive)

Extent:

3.0 linear feet

Abstract:

A graduate of Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), Mary Larkin Thomas (1886-1981) was a horticulturalist who was known, along with her mother and sister, in the area of Chester County, Pennsylvania as an "herb doctor." Thomas practiced herbal medicine; in particular, she used these skills to care for the infants of local Quaker families. She was also involved in numerous organizations, particularly Quaker associations. The Mary Larkin Thomas family papers, 1807-1981, include mostly correspondence, photographs, and other personal papers of Mary Larkin Thomas as well as papers of her immediate family members, in particular her sister Rachel C. Thomas and her mother Rebecca J. (Hallowell) Thomas. There are also some financial records of Mary's father, R. Henry Thomas.

Held at: Westtown School Archives [Contact Us]

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J. E. Marsden Glassworks technical drawings, circa 1922

Extent:

1.5 linear feet

Abstract:

The J. E. Marsden Glassworks manufactured glass products in the early 1920s. The company was located in Ambler, Pennsylvania. J. E. Marsden Glassworks technical drawings, circa 1922, consists of approximately 50 drawings of glass manufacturing equipment.

Held at: Wissahickon Valley Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Strassburger family photographs, 1880-1940 (bulk) 1863-1994 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.75 linear feet

Abstract:

Ralph Beaver Strassburger (1883-1959) was a prominent businessman, newspaper owner, diplomat, and Thoroughbred racehorse breeder. His wife, May Bourne, was heiress to the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Strassburger was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and bought the Normandy Farm property in nearby Gwynedd Valley in 1913. This bulk of this collection is photographs of the Strassburger family and Normandy Farm estate (interior and exterior), circa 1880-1940. It also contains one letter from 1863, one postcard from 1932, and an auction catalog and history of Normandy Farm from 1994.

Held at: Wissahickon Valley Historical Society [Contact Us]