Hear the curators of this exhibit discuss their ideas and process. Continue reading
Category: previous years
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
Second Saturday at Founder’s Hall – October 14, 2017
Come find out more about one of Philadelphia’s richest and most influential citizens and the legacy of the unique school he founded. 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
Monument Lab Live: Hidden Histories and Missing Monuments – October 18, 2017
Who do we want to honor in public space? What are the untold stories that need to be told, and who are the storytellers? Continue reading
Christopher Ludwick: Gingerbread Man and Baker General of the Continental Army – October 18, 2017
Learn about Christopher Ludwick, gingerbread maker and baker for the Contintenal Army during the American Revolution with gingerbread cookies to sample! 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
Citizen Saint: A Conversation with Dr. Kathleen Cummings – October 24, 2017
Explore the lives of Philadelphia’s saints–Mother Katherine Drexel and Bishop John Neumann–with one of the country’s leading experts. Continue reading
Risk & Reward: Entrepreneurship & the Making of Philadelphia – October 24, 2017
Come join us, and other museum professionals, for a curator’s tour of the new exhibit in the Heritage Center, Risk & Reward: Entrepreneurship & the Making of Philadelphia. 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!
Steampunk Salon Soiree: An Evening for Curious Conversation – October 26, 2017
A one night only document display, highlighting marvels of science, engineering, medicine, and 19th century innovations. Continue reading
Intriguing Sources: A German Murderer and An American General – October 26, 2017
What Do A German Assassin and Robert E. Lee have in common? Continue reading
Introducing the Servants of Compton – October 26, 2017
A “behind the scenes” session on the servants who experienced Compton (now known as the Morris Arboretum) as their workplace. Continue reading
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
Springerle and more: 19th Century Cookie Molds from the Collection of Ryan Berley – October 3, 2016
Take a look at these authentic wood or metal molds, and sample the cookies you can make with them! (SOLD OUT) Continue reading
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 4-8, 2016
Seminars, archives tour, movies, history organization expo, awards, raffle Continue reading
Nerd Nite: Archives Take-Over – October 5, 2016
Archivists take over the popular bar-based monthly lecture series, Nerd Nite Philly. 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
All the Presidents’ Gardens with Marta McDowell – October 13, 2016
Come hear author Marta McDowell talk about the fascinating history of the White House gardens.
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
Spirits and Rappings: Pageants of 19th Century Séances – October 31, 2016
Visit the Friends Historical Library 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
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/
Rosenbach Hands-On Tour: Banned Books – October 2, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015 – 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008 Delancey Place, Philadelphia PA, 19103
$5 + general admission
Advanced registration strongly recommended
From the Canterbury Tales to Ulysses, the Rosenbach’s collection is full of books that have been banned, challenged, or censored. Take your rights and the books back into your own hands, discuss the controversies surrounding them, and celebrate your freedom to read.
About Hands-On Tours
Created especially for visitors who seek an in-depth and focused look at our collection, Hands-On Tours allow you unparalleled access to rare and important items that are not usually on view to the public. Depending on the tour, you will have the chance to handle historic items, be it by turning the page of a rare book, testing the weight of a delicate teacup, or reading from a manuscript. Click here for a list of all themes and an up-to-date schedule.
Advance Registration
Hands-On Tours are offered almost every Friday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Advance registration is strongly recommended, as there are a limited number of spots on each tour and tours without registrants 48 hours in advance will be cancelled. To register, call (215)732-1600, ext. 100 or e-mail rsvp@rosenbach.org.
Drop-in Visitors
Any open spots on a tour will become available to drop-in visitors on a first-come first-served basis at noon on the day of the tour. If you plan to drop-in for a Hands-On Tour, please call (215)732-1600 and dial “0” to confirm that the tour is being offered.
Cost
$5 per person (in addition to the cost of general admission).
More Rosenbach
rosenbach.org
twitter.com/rosenbachmuseum
facebook.com/rosenbachmuseum
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.
Nerd Nite: Archives Edition – October 7, 2015
October 7, 2015. Doors open at 4pm, show starts at 7:30pm.
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125
$5 cover gets you admission plus happy hour specials all night
Archivists take over the popular bar-based monthly lecture series, Nerd Nite Philly.
Lisa Berry Drago [Chemical Heritage Foundation] will present “You’ve Got Some Gall: Early Modern Inks and Pigments”
So, you’re a monk in the fourteenth century, and you want to copy a few pages of your favorite hymnal. No problem! First, you catch a goat. Then you skin a goat. Then you find some gall nuts on an oak tree, and some good red wine… okay, you get the idea. Writing and book-making were highly specialized arts requiring patience and expertise. This Nerd Nite, you’ll learn about the process of making manuscripts, and even get to try your hand at writing with real iron-gall ink and feather quills.
Tara O’Brien [Historical Society of Pennsylvania] will discuss the history of cursive writing. Maybe we can get her take on the importance of teaching penmanship in Philly public schools?
And Matt Herbison [Drexel University College of Medicine Legacy Center] will talk about “She-Doctors and Shameless Non-Blushers: Women Physicians in the US”
Philly has always been a big medical school town, including the Female Medical College of PA, the first med school for women in the world, founded in 1850 by Quakers (naturally). Women working outside their accepted sphere of home and family and getting elbows-deep into unwomanly medical situations was far from universally accepted – in fact, over 160 years later, the gender imbalance for doctors is still significant. To do up Archives Month the way it deserves, we’ll get our own hands dirty with this turbulent history and uncover juicy original documents that reveal the struggles these women faced when they deigned to enter the men’s world of science and medicine
What is Nerd Nite?
Nerd Nite is a monthly lecture event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. It’s often about science or technology, but by no means is it limited to such topics. And it’s definitely entertaining. Our unofficial tag line is “It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer!” There are Nerd Nites around the world, Philadelphia is just one of them. Take a gander at http://philadelphia.nerdnite.com/welcome/ for more info.
Unlacing the Victorian Woman – October 8, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 6:15 pm
Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Free for LCP members or $12 for nonmembers
Please RSVP here
This interactive performance will unveil the mystique of ladies fashion in the Victorian era. The “Victorian Striptease” is an exclusive opportunity to experience first-hand the trials and tribulations of women’s fashion.
An eye opening performance, provided by historian and performer Barbara Darlin, will provide a historical perspective on women’s fashion, the female body image, and how fashion impacted daily life at the turn of the 20th century. Unlacing the Victorian Woman is a program of Fashioning Philadelphia, the Library Company’s latest exhibit examining the style of the City of Philadelphia from 1720 – 1940. Dessert reception to follow performance.
Dessert reception to follow event.
Before the event, please take advantage of Nomad Roman’s (1305 Locust Street) happy hour from 4-6 pm: 20% of proceeds will go back to Library Company.
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 Workshop at Swarthmore – October 21, 2015
1:30-2:30 pm on October 21, 2015
Swarthmore College
McCabe Library, Computer Classroom
500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081
Free
No registration required
What happens to your email when you graduate or retire from Swarthmore College? Will you be able to open today’s photos in five years? As new technology emerges and current technology becomes obsolete, we need to actively manage our digital possessions to keep them available for years to come. Don’t worry – friendly campus archivists, librarians, and ITS staff are here to help!
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. This workshop will introduce key issues and best practices for preserving your digital possessions.
Snacks provided.
Sponsored by: Friends Historical Library, Information Technology Services, and Digital Initiatives & Scholarship.
Archives Month Philly 