Curator Josephine Low (Swarthmore ‘27) will give a talk about her exhibit “The Hidden World of Fungi: Mycological Mysteries at Swarthmore & Beyond;” this event will also be livestreamed. Continue reading
Category: listen
Night of Lights Opening Night – October 2, 2026
The kick-off to Night of Lights 2026, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s free outdoor public history, architecture, and design exhibition celebrating more than 250 years of history, landscapes, and architecture in Northwest Philadelphia with family-friendly activities, projected exhibitions, illuminated buildings, live music, and more.
Talking with the Dead: Spirits & Spiritualists Tour – October 3, 2026
Can you hear the dead? Journey through Laurel Hill East to uncover Philadelphia’s fascinating Spiritualist past, where mediums, believers, and skeptics sought—or doubted—the possibility of communicating with departed loved ones. Continue reading
Spiritualism and Emerging Medical Technology – October 3, 2026
Come be mesmerized by spiritualism and emerging medical technology at The Legacy Center Archives! Continue reading
People’s Media Camp 2026: “Push Back! Push Forward” – Multi-day, October 3-4, 2026
People’s Media Camp makes a comeback this year, Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4, as a a two-day gathering for grassroots preservationists, archivists, community historians, artists, and memory workers to share skills, stories, and strategies for resisting erasure and imagining free collective futures.
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Fateful Departures: When Death Comes in Twos Tour – October 4, 2026
Step into the past with a cemetery tour that explores the stories of those whose final moments were shared — whether bound by fate, tragedy, or devotion — and now rest together for eternity. Continue reading
Expanding Access! Best Practices for Reparative Description – October 6, 2026
Join PACSCL’s Harmful Language Working Group (HLWG) as they announce their best practices for reparative description.
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Virtual Wednesday: Egyptomania at Laurel Hill East – October 7, 2026
Step inside Laurel Hill East from home via Zoom and uncover the fascinating Victorian obsession with ancient Egypt—from Rosetta Stone–inspired Egyptomania to towering obelisks and temple-like mausoleums, discover the mysterious meanings behind these symbols of the dead. Continue reading
Sacred Spaces and Storied Places Tour – October 9, 2026
Discover Laurel Hill West through its breathtaking architecture, lush horticulture, and the unforgettable stories of its residents on this essential introductory tour where every path—and every experience—is different! Continue reading
Hot Spots and Storied Plots Tour – October 10, 2026
In life and death, we all have stories to tell, and what better place to hear tales of wonder than Philadelphia’s most famous home of the dead? Continue reading
True Tales from the Tombs – October 10, 2026
Bearing true stories of mystery and murder, notable Laurel Hill residents return from the dead in these theatrical walking tours featuring a local cast from The Not Ready for After-Life Players. Continue reading
Darkly Departed Tour – October 11, 2026
Sometimes the dearly departed are darkly departed. Continue reading
HOW TO ATHENAEUM: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings (PAB) Database – October 12, 2026
An introduction to PAB and step-by-step lessons in searching and exploring the resources it contains. Continue reading
Game On! In the Archives – October 14, 2026
The Free Library of Philadelphia, in partnership with the Delaware Valley Archivists Group, is hosting a free, interactive community fair featuring pop-up exhibitions, demonstrations, and table-top activities that showcase how sports, games, and play are documented in and catalyzed by archives and special collections. Continue reading
History’s Mysteries: The Revolutionary War – 1776 (What they didn’t teach you in high school.) by Herb Kaufman, M.Ed., Historian – October 14, 2026
OYRHS Lecture Series returns with History’s Mysteries: The Revolutionary War – 1776 (What they didn’t teach you in high school.) by Herb Kaufman, M.Ed., Historian Continue reading
Out of the Archives: Historical Medical Library Fall Open House – October 15, 2026
Join the Historical Medical Library as we step ‘Out of the Archives’ for our Fall Open House! Meet our team, explore fascinating collections materials hand-picked by staff, and discover what makes us one of the world’s premier research collections in the history of medicine. Continue reading
Night of Lights 10×10 History Jam – October 15, 2026
Night of Lights continues beyond the four-night exhibition with the 10×10 History Jam, a fast-paced community storytelling program featuring 10 speakers, each with 10 slides and 5 minutes to share a story about Chestnut Hill and/or Northwest Philadelphia. Continue reading
3rd Annual Germantown Community Archiving Fair: What’s Your Story? – October 17, 2026
What’s your Germantown story? Continue reading
Dearly, Yet Oddly Departed Tour – October 17, 2026
Sometimes a dearly departed soul is an oddly departed soul. Continue reading
Alexander Artway Archive Open House – October 17, 2026
Open House where you will engage with The Alexander Artway Archive’s historic black and white photography from the 1920’s – 1940’s of New York’s architectural heyday, meet the stewards of the collection, and learn about methods for preserving artwork for future generations. Continue reading
America’s Birthday Through the Eyes of the Union League – October 19, 2026
Come join us for a program at Founding Forward’s Philadelphia campus (within The Union League of Philadelphia), featuring items from our collections about how the Union League has celebrated major milestones in American history.
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Open House and Book Sale – October 20, 2026
OYRHS Open House and Book Sale Continue reading
Hands on History: Daily Life in the New Nation – October 21, 2026
Join this intimate tour to explore life after the Revolution through getting up close and personal with household artifacts and their archival links. Continue reading
City Archives Behind the Scenes Tour – October 21, 2026
Journey into the stacks and see some neat stuff! Continue reading
Dealing with Digital Records Management – October 22, 2026
This panel event will discuss the challenges of managing born digital institutional records. Continue reading
Catholic Historical Research Center Exhibit Opening and Behind the Scenes Tour – October 22, 2026
Get an exclusive peek behind the scenes of the archives and check out the new exhibit. Continue reading
Hot Spots and Storied Plots Tour – October 23, 2026
In life and death, we all have stories to tell, and what better place to hear tales of wonder than Philadelphia’s most famous home of the dead? Continue reading
Archives Month Historical Campus Tour – October 24, 2026
Take a guided walking tour behind the 10-foot wall of Girard College, using archival maps and photographs to document the campus’s history and growth Continue reading
Soul Crawl – October 24, 2026
At these annual after-dark tours of Laurel Hill East, hear the storied lives of restless spirits from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Continue reading
Sinners & Scandals: the Seamy Side of Laurel Hill Tour – October 25, 2026
The final resting places of these troubled souls show Laurel Hill East’s scandalous, sinful, and sordid side. Continue reading
The Hawk, SJU’s student run newspaper, is 96 years old – October 27, 2026
Dr. Jenny Spinner, student writers, and alumni, will discuss the importance of preserving University history through student media and displays of past issues will be shown. Continue reading
Unique at Penn Live! – October 28, 2026
Celebrate Archives Month Philly with a special live edition of Unique at Penn, the blog series showcasing the fascinating discoveries found in Penn’s special collections and archives. Continue reading
Philly Archives Film Fest – October 28, 2026
Seldom-seen weird and wonderful short films from Philadelphia archives and museums! Continue reading
Tour of the Chester County Archives – October 29, 2026
Go behind the scenes at Chester County Archives to discover the work behind the records, from preserving historic documents to making Chester County’s history accessible to everyone! Continue reading
Archives Month Tour of Fairmount: Girard College to Eastern State Penitentiary – October 29, 2026
A walking tour through our historic neighborhood, using archival records and photos to explore past and present neighborhood sites. Continue reading
Spirits and Rappings: Pageants of 19th Century Séances – October 30, 2026
Visit Swarthmore College this Halloween to learn about the Spiritualism movement that swept mid 19th century America. What did Quakers – some alive at the time, some already deceased and sending messages from the Spirit World – have to say about the trend? Continue reading
Soul Crawl – October 31, 2026
At these annual after-dark tours of Laurel Hill East, hear the storied lives of restless spirits from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Continue reading
Springfield Township Historical Society’s History in Motion: Strawbridge and Clothier – November 5, 2026
Margaret “Meg” Strawbridge Butterworth, author of Philadelphia’s Strawbridge and Clothier: From Our Family to Yours speaks at Springfield Township Historical Society’s History in Motion event. Continue reading
How Romana Javitz and Arturo Schomburg Shaped Representations of Race in New York Public Library Collections – Thursday, October 22
Researchers know that the NYPL collection of FSA images differs from that at
The Library of Congress. We also know that the rich pictorial representation of African American life at NYPL — both in the Picture Collection and the Schomburg Collection — owes a great deal to the collaboration between these two forceful curators. This paper will discuss evidence of the ways in which Javitz and Schomburg worked together as shown in terms of photography and print material at the NYPL.
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First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department: The Raven – October 1, 2025
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. Our October event is all about “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic masterpiece, and will give guests a chance to view the manuscript up close. Continue reading
Postcards of Bucks County: The Complete Arnold Brothers Series – October 7, 2025
Join the Mercer Museum for this special presentation with Chase Palmer, author of Postcards of Bucks County: The Complete Arnold Brothers Series and explore the history of Bucks County and its landmarks through early postcards of images taken by the Arnold Brothers. Continue reading
Exhibit Tour: What makes a good Quaker?: How Quakers were defined in the 1950s – October 10, 2025
“Why do Quakers create and keep so many records?” Join us to find out! Continue reading
AI in the Archives, a First Look at Applications – October 14, 2025
Join colleagues in a review of how folks around the PACSCL community have integrated AI in their daily work. Continue reading
Spill the Tea! The Making of the Doan Exhibition – October 15, 2025
Our curators tell all in this behind-the-scenes tour! Continue reading
Lost Mount Penn: Wineries, Railroads and Resorts of Reading – October 16, 2025
Step back in time and learn about Reading, Pa’s vibrant history as a top resort and wine making region while sampling local wines and cheeses. Continue reading
Archives Month Historical Campus Tour – October 18, 2025
Take a guided walking tour behind the 10-foot wall of Girard College, looking at the campus as it exists today, along with archival maps and photographs that document its history and growth. Continue reading
The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists who Championed the American Revolution – October 19, 2025
Join Dr. Zara Anishanslin, Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware, for an afternoon of discovery as she shares stories of the American Revolution highlighting artists armed with paint, canvas, wax, activism, and espionage on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue reading
“Up Against It”: Post-Pandemic Life and Community Response 1918-1923 – October 20, 2025
In 1918 the influenza pandemic ripped through Philadelphia, killing 12,000 people in six weeks, but what happened in the aftermath? Join this online talk by Dr. Bethany Johnson to hear how she mined archival resources, including rarely-used Girard College student records, to explore the challenges facing the stricken families and efforts of institutions and organizations to respond to the epidemic’s scars. Continue reading
We Built This City: The Philadelphia Planning and Development Archives – October 22, 2025
Discover the DPD Archives and hear how the planners of today are learning from the past! Continue reading
Ask the Experts: Preserving Voices – October 22, 2025
Join the Chestnut Hill Conservancy for a unique and inspiring exploration of oral history and audio storytelling with award-winning producer Molly Murphy. In this free virtual session, Murphy will introduce participants to the power of capturing family and community stories through sound—sharing how anyone can begin preserving voices using simple tools like a smartphone, a few thoughtful questions, and a quiet space. Continue reading
