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Bristol Borough (Pa.) School District records
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Held at: Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library [Contact Us]680 Radcliffe St, Bristol, Pennsylvania
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Occupied by European settlers over three centuries ago, Bristol Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, became an important area due to its location along the Delaware River, a major land route, and subsequent rail line linking Philadelphia and New York City. Incorporated in 1720, it served as the county seat from 1705 to 1726. The construction of a canal in the early 19th century stimulated economic growth, and resulted in the town's emergence as a major industrial site following the Civil War. Part of the town that was designated a National Historic Landmark includes many historic homes dating back to the Civil War when Bristol served as a stop for the Underground Railroad.
"The Bristol Borough School District's...first building was built in 1837. The district graduated its first class in 1883; the graduating class of 2007 was the 124th graduating class. For many years Bristol High School served as a regional High School for students from surrounding communities. There are many alumni who are known for their contributions to their community, country and their careers. One example is William Hanford, who along with Donald Holmes, invented the process of making polyurethane. Hanford graduated from Bristol High in the 1920's.
"The Bristol Borough School District is located in the southeastern part of Bucks County. It is bordered on the east by the Delaware River and is surrounded on the remaining three sides by the Bristol Township School District. It encompasses 1.7 square miles, with a population of approximately 12,000 people according to the 1990 Federal Census. It serves children living in the Borough of Bristol."
Bibliography:
Historic Bristol Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. "History and Culture." Accessed February 7, 2013. http://www.bristolborough.com/?page_id=70
Quoted text from: Bristol Borough School District. "Bristol Borough School District History." Accessed February 8, 2013. http://www.bbsd.org/about.asp
The collection consists of letters to the School District from teachers, 1856-1890 (an item-level inventory is available on-site); reports, including budget reports, 1986-2000; and strategic plans. Some financial records are also included: annual financial statements, 1882-1885 and 1887-1891, and four ledgers of bills paid and employee salaries, 1911-1940.
The collection also contains school newspapers, circa 1990s; several student/class photographs, circa 1905 and 1920s; and Bucks County public schools directories, 1973-1975.
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.
In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library directly for more information.
Organization
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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Contact Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library for information about accessing this collection.