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Media-Providence Friends School

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Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 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

Call Number:
RG4.050
Repository:
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Extent:
5 linear ft. (10 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], Media-Providence Friends School, Records, 1881- [ongoing], RG 4/050, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
Date:
1881-[ongoing] (inclusive)
Creator:
Media-Providence Friends School (Media, Pa.), Media Friends' School (Media, Pa.), Friends' Select School (Media, Pa,), and Providence Friends School (Media, Pa.)
Abstract:
Media-Providence Friends School was established in 1981 through the merger of two educational institutions, Media Friends' School and Providence Friends School, both located in Media, Pennsylvania. The collection include minutes, financial records, correspondence and other papers, and pictures relating to Media Friends' School (1876-1881), Friends' Select School (Media) which merged with Media Friends' in 1930 (1885-1930), Providence Friends School (1974-1981), and Media-Providence Friends School (1981- ongoing).

Media-Providence Friends School was established in 1981 through the merger of two educational institutions, Media Friends' School and Providence Friends School, both located in Media, Pennsylvania. The new school was incorporated separately from its parent meetings (Media Monthly Meeting and Providence Monthly Meeting) with the stipulation that at least 51% of the School Committee be members of the Society of Friends. At first, it offered a kindergarten through high school curriculum, but the upper division was laid down in 1987 due to declining enrollment.

Media Friends' School first opened in 1876 in a room above a livery stable on Baltimore Pike. In 1881, it was placed under the care of Media Preparative Meeting, and, in 1886, a school house was built. Chester Monthly Meeting (O), held at Media, assumed control in 1913.

After at least eight years of discussion, in 1930 Media Friends' School merged with Friends' Select School (Media, Pa.). Friends' Select School opened in 1885 in Media, Pa., under the care of Providence Preparative Meeting (H), which was succeeded by Chester Monthly Meeting (H). After the merger, classes were held in both buildings until classrooms were built in the Media Meeting House in 1935 and the Friends' Select School building was sold to Beth Israel Congregation.

Providence Friends School was founded in 1974 by Providence Monthly Meeting to provide a secondary-level education for Friends' children in the Media area. By 1978, it was a full secondary school with students in four grades, 9-12.

The collection include minutes, financial records, correspondence and other papers, and pictures relating to Media Friends' School (1876-1881), Friends' Select School (Media) which merged with Media Friends' in 1930 (1885-1930), Providence Friends School (1974-1981), and Media-Providence Friends School (1981-ongoing).

The colleciton is divided into four series:

  1. Media Friends' School
  2. Friends' Select School (Media)
  3. Providence Friends School
  4. Media-Providence Friends School.

Gift of Media Monthly Meeting

Gift of Providence Monthly Meeting

Gift of Media-Providence Friends School, 1991-

Gift of David Elkinton

Series 1-3 transferred from RG 2 Media Monthly Meeting and Providence Monthly Meeting in 1991 and catalogued under Media-Providence Friends School as a RG 4 collection. Media Friends' School material arranged before deposit by David Elkinton.

Organization
Subject

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
FHL staff
Finding Aid Date
2001
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Collection Inventory

Minutes, 1881-1911.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes lists of teachers, committee members and early history

Minutes, 1911-1923.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes attendance lists, staff and committee members, etc.

Minutes, 1967-1979.
Box 1
Physical Description

4 folders

Treasurer's Book, 1881-1918.
Box 1
Building Funds Account Book, 1918-1921.
Box 1
Fund raising, 1966-1971.
Box 1
Fund raising, 1967.
Box 1
Fund raising, 1976.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Centennial Campaign

Fund raising, 1977-1979.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Special Reserve Fund

Miscellaneous financial records, 1936-1937.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Includes budgets and financial statements

Miscellaneous financial records, 1946-1955.
Box 2
Miscellaneous financial records, 1968-1972.
Box 2
Miscellaneous financial records, 1975-1979.
Box 2
Education, 1973-1974.
Box 2
Long Range Planning, 1966-1969.
Box 2
Physical Description

2 folders

Search Committee for Headmaster, 1977.
Box 2
Ad Hoc Committee on Media Friends School, 1979.
Box 2
Centennial Committee, 1976.
Box 2
Meeting/School Relationship Committee, 1979-1985.
Box 2
General correspondence, 1931-1965.
Box 3
General correspondence, 1965-1977.
Box 3
Correspondence of David Elkinton concerning Friends Historical Library, 1966, 1977, 1979, 1991.
Box 3
Media Friends School Committee: Philosophy and curriculum, 1969-1979.
Box 3
Reports to Participating Meetings, 1949-1965.
Box 3
Annual Reports, 1969-1972.
Box 3
Bus Transportation (insurance and schedules), 1965-1971.
Box 3
Correspondence, 1976.
Box 3
Program, 1976.
Box 3
Guest Book, 1976.
Box 3
Historical Statistics, 1938-1966.
Box 3
Address by Eleanor Elkinton, 1976.
Box 3
Handbooks, Directories, etc. (including school calendars), 1968-1979.
Box 3
"Family Letter" and other publications, 1970-1979.
Box 3
Brochures, 1922-1967.
Box 4
Publicity and Clippings Scrapbooks, 1952-1955.
Box 4
Publicity and Clippings Scrapbooks, 1969.
Box 4
Publicity and Clippings Scrapbooks, 1948-1976.
Box 4
Inventory, ca. 1976.
Box 4
Letters to Parents from Chairmen of School Committee: Alfred B. Hurd and Herbert L. Nichols, (1972-19730.
Box 4
History.
Box 4
Notes for Historical Talks.
Box 4
Scope and Contents

David C. Elkinton (1948, 1960); M.D. Elkinton (1975); Three Generations of Media Meeting Families at MFS

Notes on photographs and illustrations.
Box 5
Ms. inventory of Class Photos, ca. 1979.
Box 5
Album, 1971-1976.
Box 5
Drawings by Fred Echelmeyer, 1976.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1881-1899.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1900-1919.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1920-1939.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1940-1959.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1960-1976.
Box 5
Miscellaneous photographs, 1969-1976.
Box 5
Physical Description

slides

Miscellaneous photographs, n.d.
Box 5
Smedley Allen.
Box 5
Darby Meeting.
Box 5
Photograph Albums, 1976.
Box 5
Photograph Albums, 1974-1975.
Box 6
Photograph Albums, 1972-1973.
Box 6
Photograph Albums, 1966-1967.
Box 6
Photograph Albums, 1968-1969.
Box 6
Photograph Albums, 1970-1971.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

See also: Oversize: Schools: Media Friends School.

History of Media Friends School, 1975.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Compiled by Vincent Pinto

Physical Description

mss and card file

Composition Book, n.d.
Box 6
Miscellaneous Memorabilia, n.d.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Including essays, manuscript music, etc.

Minutes, 1888-1930, 1898-1911.
Box 7
Roll Book, 1888-1895.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Includes grades, 1891-1894

Roll Book, 1895-1914.
Box 7
Roll Book, 1895-1921.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Includes tuition accounts, 1895-1910

Roll Books, 1921-1930.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Includes attendance, 1921.

Roll Book, 1925-1930.
Box 7
Brochures, 1891-1930.
Box 7
Album, 1885-1917.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Includes clippings and lists of staff

Miscellaneous Papers, 1974 & n.d.
Box 7
Publicity, 1974-1979 & n.d.
Box 7

Minutes, 1981-1982.
Box 8
Scope and Contents

Includes financial reports and miscellaneous

Minutes, 1/1983-6/1983.
Box 8
Minutes, 9/1983-1984.
Box 8
Minutes, 1985.
Box 8
Minutes, 1986.
Box 8
Minutes, 1987.
Box 9
Minutes, 1988.
Box 9
Minutes, 1989.
Box 9
Papers, 1980-1990.
Box 9
Alumni Council for MFS and MPFS, 1977-1981.
Box 10
Alumni Giving data, 1982-1989.
Box 10
Alumni Capital Drive, 1989.
Box 10
Documents concerning the 2025 Visioning Project, 1999.
Long Range Planning Committee, 1986.
Box 10
Alumni News Letter, 1978.
Box 10
MPFS News, 1987-1993.
Box 10
Catalogs, 1980, 86, 88.
Box 10
Fact sheet, 1981.
Box 10
Friends, 1981-1986.
Box 10
News sheet, 6/1992.
Box 10

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