An exhibition about the Peale family’s role in shaping early American public culture through innovations in art, science, and technology. Continue reading
Category: free
Deprived of the Use of their Reason: Quakerism & the Curability of Mental Illness at Friends’ Asylum, 1817–1867 – Multi-day, 2017
This exhibit traces the history of the first private mental institution in the United States. Continue reading
Where is the Penn Treaty Elm? – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2017
This exhibit explores the myth and history of the Penn Treaty Elm from the time of the treaty to the present day. Continue reading
Things Fall Apart – Multi-day, 2017
An exhibition and walking tour exploring the life and afterlife of things. Continue reading
Tour of Founder’s Hall, Girard College – October 5, 2017
Check out what’s behind the wall at Girard College and explore treasures ranging from a letter from President Monroe asking for a loan to records of school dining hall cuisine. Continue reading
Opening Reception and Curator Talk: Where is the Penn Treaty Elm – October 10, 2017
Hear the curators of this exhibit discuss their ideas and process. Continue reading
Othmer Library Open House: Back to School Night – October 11, 2017
For one-night only, discover how STEM education has changed over the centuries as the Othmer Library of Chemical History opens its vaults for American Archives Month! Continue reading
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon – October 12, 2017
The 2017 Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of several Philadelphia institutions projected from an historic lantern projector in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall. Continue reading
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 14, 2017, and more all month long
Archives & History Day, a history expo with more than 60 organizations participating, plus other days with lectures and a feature film.
Continue reading
Philly History Quizzo – October 16, 2017
Think you know Philadelphia history? Test your knowledge of the City of Brotherly Love in this special pub quiz organized by the Delaware Valley Archivists Group and the Philadelphia History Museum. Questions plumbed from the annals of our city’s past by your friendly local archivists will challenge you to recall the people, places, and events that make Philadelphia unique. Continue reading
Behind the Scenes – October 17, 2017
Come see the invisible sights and unheard sounds of the moments before the big moments … before the counter-attack is launched, the play performed, an execution ordered, a new bestseller published. Continue reading
Presbyterian Historical Society Open House – October 20, 2017
See curios and oddities from the collection, view the “Presbyterians and the American Revolution” exhibit, and take a behind-the-scenes tour! Continue reading
Swarthmore Transcribathon – October 25, 2017
An afternoon of hands-on history where you can learn to read old hand writing and see what people in the past really had to say. Continue reading
Animals in the Archives – October 25, 2017
Join us for an evening filled with temporary tattoos, origami, a library-wide scavenger hunt, and more – all based on animals from the archives!
Hagley Film Screening and Open House – October 28, 2017
A screening of rarely seen commercials and films from Hagley’s audiovisual collections, plus specially selected materials from our library and archival collections. Continue reading
Something’s Brewing: History of the Gay & Lesbian Coffeehouse of Philadelphia – Multi-day exhibit, 2016
For over a decade—at multiple locations and in several guises—the Gay and Lesbian Coffeehouse of Philadelphia served as a welcoming and inspiring anchor for LGBT community life in Philadelphia. Continue reading
“Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
“Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” is presented in partnership with the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, and covers the 12 political conventions held in Philadelphia between 1848 and 2016.
All the Presidents’ Flowers: Plants and Flowers for Presidents and First Ladies – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
This exhibit of archival photographs and nursery catalogs from the library’s collections, features plants named in honor of U. S. presidents and first ladies, and also reflects aspects of the garden history of the White House, with some Philadelphia connections.
Common Touch: The Art of the Senses in the History of the Blind – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
Common Touch: The Art of the Senses in the History of the Blind is a multimedia exhibition that looks at historical embossed and raised-letter documents for the visually impaired as a starting point for a multi-sensory exploration of the nature of perception.
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 4-8, 2016
Seminars, archives tour, movies, history organization expo, awards, raffle Continue reading
Fresh Air Archives Event – October 6, 2016
Join us for a Wikipedia event and a tour and talk on the Archives.
Hagley Library Open House – October 8, 2016
Selection of materials on display and a behind the scenes tour!
Continue reading
Building Tour and Curator’s Look of “Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” – October 10, 2016
Join us for a tour of the Union League and a curatorial discussion of “Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia,” on display in The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia.
Exposed: Philadelphia Physicians in Photographs – October 11, 2016
The Library will be displaying highlights from its rarely shown collection of photographs featuring physicians, patients, and all things medicine in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon – October 13, 2016
The 2016 Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of several Philadelphia institutions projected from an historic lantern projector in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall. Continue reading
Translating Across Time and Space: Endangered Languages, Cultural Revitalization, and the Work of History Symposium – October 13-15, 2016
“Translating Across Time and Space” will explore the ways archival collections and scholarly fieldwork help preserve and revitalize linguistic and cultural practices in indigenous communities throughout North America.
Collection Curios and Oddities – October 14, 2016
Visit our open house and see some of our favorite known unknowns. Continue reading
Philly History Quizzo – October 18, 2016
Think you know Philadelphia history? Test your knowledge of the City of Brotherly Love in this special pub quiz organized by the Delaware Valley Archivists Group. Questions plumbed from the annals of our city’s past by your friendly local archivists will challenge you to recall the people, places, and events that make Philadelphia unique. Continue reading
Redemptorist Archives Evening Lecture and Open House – October 19, 2016
Visit the newly constructed Redemptorist Archives during its open house and hear an evening lecture by a local historian on the value of religious archives. Continue reading
Othmer Library Open House: The Golden Age of Science Advertising – October 20, 2016
For one night only, discover hidden treasures from the Othmer Library of Chemical History as we open our vaults in celebration of American Archives Month!
By the Book: Making–and Breaking!–the Rules – October 25, 2016
Join the catalogers of the Kislak Center to meet the medieval to modern role models and scape graces who inhabit our collections and have influenced history by making, breaking, and enforcing the rules. Continue reading
Archives Open House at William Way LGBT Community Center – October 26, 2016
Check out the sexiest archive in the city! Continue reading
Food from the Archives – October 27, 2016
Come learn about Parmesan making in Italy according to Thomas Jefferson, the history of food conservation in WWI, how tofu was made in the 18th century, William Glackens’ recipe for beer, and more!
Animals in the Archives Symposium – October 27-28, 2016
This symposium brings together scholars and archivists to theorize animal traces in historical archives, where they come to be represented textually, visually, and even materially—both dead (as in leather bindings, parchment, glues, and taxidermy specimens) and very much alive (as in bookworms, silverfish, mice, and other archival “pests”). Continue reading
100 years in Nursing History & Open House and Tour, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing on October 12th – Ongoing Exhibit, 2015
Exhibit will be ongoing for month of October, Open House Event and Tour of the Center will be on October 12th from 5-7 PM
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Free
http://batesopenhouse.eventbrite.com
100 Years in Nursing History will be an ongoing exhibit that explores the rich history of the nursing profession beginning in 1915 and will include photos and selections from the archives of the Bates Center.
Open House and Tour Description for 10/12/15: Come explore the archives of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at Penn Nursing. As one of the oldest and largest archives dedicated to preserving nursing’s rich history, the Bates Center is a rich resource for researchers from across the globe who are interested in the historical development of nursing.
The open house will be held on October 12th from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM and will feature the Center’s ongoing exhibit “100 Years in Nursing History,” as well as select items from the archives.
Follow the Bates Center on Twitter @Penn_Bateshx
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennNursingBatesHistoryCenter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nursinghistory/
Monmouth County Archives and History Day – October 3, 2015
October 3, 2015, 9am-3pm
Monmouth County Library HQ
125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan, NJ 07726
Free
RSVP required for tour of Monmouth County Archives
The event includes a History Forum, 62 exhibit tables hosted by history organizations, awards presentations, and a history game with prizes, as well as a tour of the Monmouth County Archives, for which reservation is required. Attendees will be able to view the exhibit, “New Jersey in Focus: The World War I Era, 1910-1920,” which will be on view in the library’s gallery for the month of October, after which it will be hung in the hallway outside the Archives office on the lower level of the building.
Also during the week preceding the main event:
Tuesday, September 29, 2pm, movie, WWI era, “The Water Diviner”
Wednesday, September 30, 9:30-11:45am: Seminar, Newspaper Photo Collections in New Jersey
Speakers
Sarah Hull, Plainfield Public Library (Courier News)
Gary D. Saretzky, Monmouth County Archives (Red Bank Register)
Boris Von Faust, Passaic County Historical Society (Paterson Evening News)
Wednesday, September 30, 1-2:30pm: Lecture by Joe Grabas, “Monmouth County Land Holdings”
Thursday, October 1, 2pm, movie, WWI, “Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World”
DIY Archives Workshop – October 05, 2015
Monday, October 5, 6 pm to 8 pm
William Way Community Center
1315 Spruce St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Free
For more information or to RSVP, please email archives@waygay.org
A fun, hands on workshop on how to assess, arrange, restore and archive your personal memorabilia, photos and objects.
Your story is important! This workshop, co-sponsored by the William Way Community Center, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts is open to anyone.You can bring in samples of the kinds of things that document your own life, your family and your community. We’ll give you tips on how to store that memorabilia, how to maintain it, repair it and handle it. We’ll even point you toward local libraries and archives that might be interested in accepting your treasures when you’re ready to give them up, or just can’t move them one more time.
BLIND PIGS AND BATHTUB GIN – October 13, 2015
October 13, 2015 – 3:30pm Tour, 4:30pm pop-up exhibit at Heritage Center
The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Free
Registration required; call Jes Rudderow at 215-587-5596 or foundations@unionleague.org
Prohibition-themed walking tour led by Bob Skiba and pop-up exhibit. Begin at City Hall, end at the Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia. Free snacks, cash bar (no bathtub gin). Sponsors: Heritage Center, William Way LGBT Center, MARAC-PA, PACSCL.
Tour is limited to 25 people and will be approximately one hour. Heritage Center portion of the event open to 50 people. Registration is required. Please contact Jes Russerow at 215-587-5596 or foundations@unionleague.org to register or with any questions. More information (including the exact location to meet for the tour) will be emailed to attendees as the event approaches.
Sponsors: The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadlephia; The John J. Wilcox, Jr., Archives at the William Way LGBT Community Center; The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference Pennsylvania Caucus, and the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries.
Visit the Heritage Center website. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Visit The John J. Wilcox Jr. Archives at the William Way LGBT Community Center website. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Visit the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries website. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Visit the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference Pennsylvania Caucus website. Find them on Facebook.
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon – October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 6:00-8:00PM
Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121
Free
Please REGISTER HERE
The 2015 Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of 7 Philadelphia institutions projected from an historic lantern projector in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall.
Glass lantern slides are wonderful artifacts in and of themselves, but they are most interesting when we discuss the context for which they were originally created. In the spirit of lantern exhibition culture, this year’s salon participants will present a narrative story with their slides. The American Philosophical Society, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute, the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, the Scott Memorial Library of Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science will present an exciting evening of education and entertainment. Sit back and relax as we travel to the American West and the Lesser Antilles, delve into the destruction and relief efforts of WWI, get early 20th century lessons in social studies and science, and learn the benefits of abstinence from alcohol.
Predating the motion picture, lantern slides were used for entertainment and to illustrate educational programs. The Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will be held in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall using an historic lantern projector. Please join us for a rare treat as we revive an old technology in order to see culturally significant lantern slide collections from the libraries and archives of Philadelphia’s most distinguished institutions.
More information: http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/syllabi%202015-16/LanternSlideSalon2015.htm
The Paper Menagerie: Animals on the Page in the Kislak Center’s Special Collections – October 15, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 5:30-7:30 PM
Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th Floor
Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free and open to the public (please show photo ID at entrance)
Registration for this talk is appreciated but not required. Please RSVP HERE or contact rbml@pobox.upenn.edu or 215.898.7088
Human fascination with animals has always inspired us to recreate their form in a variety of media; from cave paintings of prehistoric creatures to plush teddy bears, we surround ourselves with them. They are loyal companions and bloodthirsty predators, and they intrigue us with their strength and beauty. As part of Archives Month Philly, fearsome beasts and fluffy friends alike will leap from the pages of the Kislak Center’s collections. Join the cataloging staff for an evening safari that will include vicious lions, colorful fish, beautiful bugs, and perhaps even a few zoological mysteries!
Presbyterian Historical Society Open House – October 16, 2015
Friday, October 16, 5 pm
Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Free
Quaff Victory beers, view curios from our museum collection, and hear a newly-restored portable miniature organ used by missionaries in the American West!
Fresh Air Archives – October 16, 2015
October 16, 2015 at 3:30 – 5pm
WHYY
150 N. 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
Free
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, an award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is produced by WHYY in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by National Public Radio (NPR). The hour-long interview show is currently adding metadata to its archives to make it more widely available for research and scholarship. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of WHYY studios, listen to selected “gems” from Fresh Air Archives, and talk to the producers of the program about their use of archives for research and production.
Philly History Quizzo – October 20, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 7:00 pm to approximately 9:00 pm
National Mechanics Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant
22 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Entry is free, pay-as-you-go for food and drink
No advance registration required, but arrive early to claim a table!
Think you know Philadelphia history? Test your knowledge of the City of Brotherly Love in this special pub quiz organized by the Delaware Valley Archivists Group. Questions plumbed from the annals of our city’s past by your friendly local archivists will challenge you to recall the people, places, and events that make Philadelphia unique.
What is quizzo?
Bring your buddies – or make some new friends! – and form a team of up to six players. While the program starts at 7:00 pm, we advise you to arrive early in order to claim your table. The night’s Quizmaster, a local archivist, will ask three rounds of ten questions each about Philadelphia history. You’ll write your answers on response sheets that will be collected after each round. Prizes will be awarded to the highest scoring teams and to the team with the Quizmaster’s favorite team name.
Big thanks to our prize sponsors!
Chemical Heritage Foundation
Heritage Center at the Union League
National Mechanics
Philadelphia History Museum
Bob Skiba and Ed Mauger
Celebrating PhillyHistory’s 10th Birthday! – October 21, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Philadelphia City Hall, Broad and Market Street
Enter at the northeast corner of City Hall. You will need a picture ID to sign in. Guard will direct you to Conversation Hall, Room 201
Free
RSVP to jill.rawnsley@phila.gov
Celebrate ten years of PhillyHistory.org by joining us for a panel discussion featuring PhillyHistory staff, bloggers, and public users. We’ll discuss PhillyHistory’s creation and development, lessons learned from ten years of maintaining a digital history project, and our plans for making historic images available online for years to come.
In 2005, the City of Philadelphia Department of Records launched the Photo Archives Website to support public viewing and geographic search of over 1,000 historic photographs taken throughout Philadelphia. Ten years later, PhillyHistory.org features over 130,000 historic photographs and maps from five organizations, includes almost thousands of data edits submitted by members of the public, maintains a regularly updated blog with over eight years of entries, and has received several large grants.
Personal Digital Archiving Day at Bryn Mawr College, October 21, 2015
October 21, 2015 4:30-6pm
Bryn Mawr College
Seminar Room 205, Canaday Library, Bryn Mawr College
Free
Is Instagram the new scrapbook? Increasingly our possessions and our communications are no longer physical material, they’re digital and they are dependent on technology to make them accessible. As new technology emerges and current technology becomes obsolete, we need to actively manage our digital possessions to help protect them and keep them available for years to come. Personal digital archiving means taking steps (small or big) to ensure your family memories, personal and professional papers are safe from disaster, human error, or everyday digital wear and tear.
LITS and SGA’s Personal Digital Archiving Day workshop will focus on best practices for managing personal digital archives as well as issues and challenges surrounding digital archiving, culminating in a hands-on mystery game.
Othmer Library Open House – October 22, 2015
October 22, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Free
Registration required. RSVP here
For one night only, discover hidden treasures from the Othmer Library of Chemical History as we open our vaults in celebration of American Archives Month! Visitors will have the opportunity to browse a selection of our most unique and interesting materials, from alchemical manuscripts and alternative versions of the periodic table, to vintage chemistry notebooks and advertisements from the Dow Chemical Company. Enjoy light refreshments while chatting with our archivists and librarians about these remarkable collections. You won’t want to miss this exclusive peek at everything you never knew about the history of chemistry – RSVP today!
About the Othmer Library of Chemical History
The Othmer Library of Chemical History, part of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, collects, preserves, and makes accessible materials relating to the history of science, technology, and medicine, with an emphasis on chemistry and chemical engineering from ancient to modern times. The Library houses approximately 160,000 printed volumes, rare books and manuscripts, significant archival materials, and a rich collection of historical photographs. Together, these collections span nearly six miles of shelves and form an unrivaled resource for the history of chemistry and related sciences, technologies, and industries.
Follow the Chemical Heritage Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
Personal Digital Archiving Workshop at Haverford College, October 26, 2015
October 26th 4:30-6:00
Haverford College, Magill Library Phillips Wing
370 Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041
Free
Our personal and professional records are now primarily digital, and our lives are geared toward constant sharing of these works from our own scholarly output to family photos. The complexity of these growing collections in every sphere of our lives cannot be overstated. The Quaker and Special Collection’s Personal Digital Archiving Day Workshop welcomes anyone that is interested in ensuring long-term access to these personal collections and archives. The workshop will share best practices for creating, managing, and preserving your personal digital records, discuss issues affecting personal digital archiving practices such as copyright, privacy, and security as well as provide some hands-on activities.
The workshop will take place in the Phillips Wing in Magill Library
Meet the Free Library of Philadelphia Special Collections – October 27, 2015
October 27, 2015 at 6pm
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street, 4th floor
Free
Space is limited, so please RSVP here
The Free Library of Philadelphia invites you to learn more about the seven fantastic special collections at Parkway Central: the Automobile Reference Collection, the Children’s Literature Research Collection, the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, the Map Collection, the Print and Picture Collection, the Rare Book Department, and the Theatre Collection.
Treasures from each collection will be on view, and the collections’ curators will lead a special show-and-tell. A reception with light refreshments and drinks will follow.
Archives Month Philly Film Screening – October 28, 2015
October 28, 2015 at 7pm
PhilaMOCA
531 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Free
A screening of 8 or 9 works, originally on film, that are housed in local Philadelphia repositories. Thanks to the generosity of NFL Films, five of these works were transferred to digital files and are now accessible to the public. They include home movie footage, documentaries and even Muppets! Representatives from all the organizations involved will be on hand to discuss the films and answer questions.
Films contributed by:
University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center
Hagley Museum and Library
Penn Museum
History Making Productions
Philadelphia City Archives
German Society of Pennsylvania
Fairmount Park Historic Resource Archives
