Union League archives

Founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of President Abraham Lincoln, the Union League of Philadelphia laid the philosophical foundation of other Union Leagues across a nation torn by Civil War. From its founding to the present, the League has been a leading civic organization and has played an important role in the history of our country and the City of Philadelphia. Over the past 150 years, this service has ranged from raising troops during the Civil War and lobbying for enforcement of the “freedom” amendments during Reconstruction, to feeding the hungry during the Great Depression, to finding jobs for returning veterans after World War II. The Union League has hosted U.S. presidents, heads of state, industrialists, entertainers and visiting dignitaries from around the globe. It has also given loyal support to the American military in each conflict since the Civil War, and continues to be driven by its founding motto, "Love of Country Leads."

The classic French Renaissance-styled League building, with its brick and brownstone façade and dramatic twin circular staircases leading to the main entrance on Broad Street, dates to 1865. Additions to the building in the Beaux Arts style, designed by Philadelphia architects Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele and completed in 1910 and 1911, expanded the building to occupy an entire city block. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Inside, the traditional décor is accented in rich leather, patinated wood and polished marble. Adorning the walls and hallways is the League’s distinguished collection of art and artifacts. The collection is a rich, historical chronicle of Philadelphia’s unique imprint upon the American landscape from the 19th century to today and is recognized by historians and art experts as valuable components of our shared American history.

Biographical note taken entirely from the websites of the Union League of Philadelphia (http://www.unionleague.org/history-philanthropy.php) and the Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia (http://www.ulheritagecenter.org/)

The Union League of Philadelphia archives houses a wide variety of records related to the general administration of the Union League, its mission, building and history. Additionally, researchers will find a small sampling of papers more generally related to the Civil War, including a few letters written by Abraham Lincoln. Dating from 1833 to 2010, the collection holds architectural drawings; broadsides, circulars and other ephemera; clippings; correspondence; meeting minutes; photographs and drawings; and annual reports.

For the most complete documentation of the history of the Union League, researchers should first consult the Architectural Drawings, Minutes and Records series. In architectural drawings, there is a collection of drawings evidencing the various systems within the Union League's Broad Street building as well as several renovation projects. The Records series houses the meeting minutes of the Board of Directors and the annual reports of the Union League, among other records. The Minutes series houses the minutes of the House Committee.

For the most part, the collection is arranged alphabetically by record type, though researchers should note that there is significant overlap among the record groups. For example, the Documents, Files, Letters, Minutes and Records series contain similar materials. Likewise, the Broadsides, Circulars, Ephemera and Pamphlet series all contain ephemera. Many of the series house a small number of items, while others, like the Clippings or Records series are significantly more robust.

The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos and Courtney Smerz.

Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Publisher

Union League of Philadelphia

Sponsor

The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos and Courtney Smerz.

Date

2011.03.01

Creator

Union League of Philadelphia.

Subject

Private clubs

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

People

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1965

Organization

Union League of Philadelphia.

Place

Philadelphia (Pa.)

Language

English

Form

Annual reports

Architectural drawings (visual works)

Clippings

Correspondence

Diaries

Ephemera

Minutes

Scrapbooks