Ask a Chester County Archivist Continue reading
Category: previous years
Lineage – Multi-day, 2024-2025
Through four large scale paintings, Philadelphia artist Mark Thomas Gibson’s Lineage examines the proposition of “the future of humanity” proposed by the Library Company of Philadelphia’s Samuel Jennings’ 1792 painting Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences (or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks). Continue reading
What They Saved: Souvenirs and Mementos from Special Collections – Multi-day, 2024-2025
In What They Saved: Souvenirs and Mementos in Special Collections, visitors will explore keepsakes from the University of Delaware’s collections, learning about the people who held onto them and the reasons why. Continue reading
Herbs of Heritage: Ethnobotany in Irish Folklore – Multi-day, 2024
Delve into the rich history of traditional Irish folk medicine! Continue reading
Disasters and Archnemeses of Archives: Fire, Water, and Mold Oh My! – Multi-day, 2024
Disasters and Archnemeses of Archives: Fire, Water, and Mold Oh My! Continue reading
Night of Lights – October 6 through October 14
For nine nights, historical images and films from the Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s Archives project through storefront windows and onto exterior walls while neighboring buildings along Chestnut Hill’s main street will be illuminated with theatrical lights. Continue reading
50 Feminist Books That Changed Our Lives: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Women & Gender Studies at the University of Delaware – Multi-day exhibit, 2023
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Women’s Studies at the University of Delaware, one of the earliest such programs in the country. Continue reading
Chinatown Community Garden, 1974-1985 – Multi-day exhibit, 2023
Virtual exhibit of Chinatown Community Garden 1974-1985 Continue reading
Depicting Genocide: 20th Century Responses to the Holodomor – Multi-day exhibit, 2023
Learn about the 1932-1933 artificial famine in Ukraine through artwork, archives, and historical photographs. Continue reading
Illuminating Birds – Multi-day exhibit, 2023
Part gallery and part studio, Illuminating Birds celebrates the enduring appeal of drawing and writing about birds. Continue reading
The Gettysburg Address in 2023: Words that Long Endure – Multi-day exhibit, 2023
160 years after its delivery, why is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address still one of the most iconic speeches in American history? Continue reading
Chronicling Resistance: The Exhibition – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2022
Chronicling Resistance: The Exhibition reveals what eight local activists, cultural organizers, and artists unearthed when they dug deeply into the same Philadelphia archives in order to counter the systemic erasure of Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ people from the historical record, break silences, and uncover new ways of understanding and enacting resistance. Continue reading
The Geranium Files: Ken-Watt Court and the Neighborhood Gardens Association – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2022
PHS McLean Library is pleased to present a virtual exhibition, “The Geranium Files: Ken-Watt Court and the Neighborhood Gardens Association.” Continue reading
Mapping the Oasis Garden Club, 1954-1967 – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2022
PHS McLean Library is pleased to present a virtual exhibition, “Mapping the Oasis Garden Club, 1954-1967.” Continue reading
The Philadelphia Community Gardens Memory Project – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2022
PHS McLean Library is pleased to present “The Philadelphia Community Gardens Memory Project.” Continue reading
History of the Pride Movement and the Alliance at SJU – Multi-day exhibit
Materials from our archival collections relating to the activities and history of The Alliance and Pride and Unity weeks at Saint Joseph’s University. Continue reading
MARAC: Sites of Memory – Multi-day, 2021
Those who work in, work with, or love archives are invited to join MARAC (Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference) this fall in Gettysburg, PA, on October 7-9, 2021. Continue reading
Night of Lights – Multi-day, 2021
History comes to light in Chestnut Hill with archival images projected through storefront windows, illuminating multiple layers of neighborhood history and spotlighting community stories. Continue reading
Highlights from the CCHC Library and Photo Archives – Multi-day, 2021
Come to the Chester County History Center Library to see Chester County’s place in Pennsylvania history! Continue reading
For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited – Multi-day, 2021
It’s been ninety years since the crisis of the Great Depression inspired a New Deal of arts programs, infrastructure investment, and worker protections. The art and objects funded by New Deal programs show us how workers shaped the country in the 1930s. But it’s not just history. The country is again facing a choice: what do we owe our neighbors? What does our country owe us? Continue reading
Garden Variety: An Arrangement of Exceptional Art – Multi-day, 2021
Now that the Free Library of Philadelphia has reopened to the public, Parkway Central feels like it is in full bloom again! We hope you enjoy these botanically-themed materials housed in the Children’s Literature Research Collection, Map Collection, and Print & Picture Collection. The exhibition is located in the Second Floor West Gallery of Parkway Central Library. Continue reading
“The Acacia Chronicle: Joseph Widener, Thomas Roland, and the United States Botanic Garden” and “Two Women, One Garden: Selections from the Castaña Portfolio” – Multi-day, 2021
PHS McLean Library is pleased to present two virtual exhibitions: “The Acacia Chronicle: Joseph Widener, Thomas Roland, and the United States Botanic Garden” and “Two Women, One Garden: Selections from the Castaña Portfolio.” Continue reading
Teaching the Faith: Origins of Catholic Higher Education in Philadelphia – Multi-day, 2021
Join the Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for a digital exhibit premier on the history of Catholic education. Continue reading
Philly in Focus: Robert Halvey’s Photographic History of Catholic Philadelphia: 1935-1999 – October 19, 2020
Join the Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for a digital exhibit premier! Continue reading
Night of Lights – October 9-25, 2020
History comes to light in Chestnut Hill with archival images projected through storefront windows, illuminating multiple layers of neighborhood history and spotlighting community stories. Continue reading
Artifacts After Dark – October 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, 2020
Locked safely away in Eastern State Penitentiary’s climate-controlled darkroom, hundreds of artifacts rest in neatly organized drawers. Thousands of photographs fill museum storage boxes. Rare books line the shelves. Each object is an irreplaceable historic treasure that tells part of Eastern State’s complex story. Continue reading
Historic Bristol Day 2020: Bristol “Then and Now” Virtual Scavenger Hunt – October 1-31, 2020
Historic Bristol Day in Bristol, Bucks County, may not be happening like it would in years past, but you can still celebrate our town’s rich history through a virtual scavenger hunt! Continue reading
Medieval Life: European Manuscripts in Philadelphia Collections – Multi-Day 2020
800 years is a long time ago, but some questions are universal. A Digital Exhibition. Continue reading
Going Viral – Multi-Day 2020
Going Viral examines the intersection of disease and environment through the lens of three major theories of infection. Continue reading
Spit Spreads Death – Multi-Day 2020
A century ago, a worldwide health disaster hit home. The influenza pandemic of 1918–19, the global epidemic often called the “Spanish flu,” killed 50 to 100 million people worldwide. Spit Spreads Death explores how neighborhoods in Philadelphia were impacted, how the disease spread, and what could happen in future pandemics. Continue reading
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 12, 2019, and more all month long
Archives & History Day is an annual gathering for archivists, local historians, and others interested in New Jersey History.
Continue reading
“Keith Carter: Seek & Find” and “The Politics of Rhetoric” – Multi-day exhibits and programming, 2019
The Print Center is pleased to present two exhibitions this fall in conjunction with the Whitman at 200 initiative: “Keith Carter: Seek & Find” and “The Politics of Rhetoric.” The Print Center is also hosting numerous public programs related to the exhibits. Continue reading
Behind-the-Scenes Tours of the Archives – Mondays, October 7, 2019 through October 21, 2019, & October 31, 2019
To celebrate Archives Month Philly, Eastern State Archivist Erica Harman will lead several special 15-minute Hands-On History tours of the penitentiary’s collection storage area that houses Eastern State’s generally unknown, fascinating, and sometimes creepy collection of prisoner-made objects, photographs, and documents. Continue reading
The Most Revolutionary: LGBTQ Politics and the Radical Left, 1969-1999 – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2019
Queer anarchists, rabble-rousers, reds and revolutionaries! Continue reading
Beat Visions and the Counterculture – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2019
Drawn from UD’s Special Collections and Museums, we explore the ideas and imagery of the Beat Generation and its influence on 1960s counterculture and beyond. Continue reading
From Thought Into Print: the Creative Process of Publishing – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2019
Manuscript drafts, blue-lines and mock-ups, paste-ups, galleys and proofs–this exhibition reminds viewers of nearly forgotten literary formats that are no longer part of contemporary computer-driven writing and publishing practices. Continue reading
Northern Liberties: Your Neighborhood, Your City – Multi-day exhibit, 2019
History of the first lager brewery in America and much more! Continue reading
Imperfecta – Multi-day exhibit, 2019
Using artifacts from The Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum collections, this new exhibition examines the shifting perceptions about abnormal human development, from fear and wonder to curiosity and clinical science. Continue reading
In Franklin’s Footsteps: 275 Years at the American Philosophical Society – Multi-day Exhibit, 2018
“In Franklin’s Footsteps” highlights the groundbreaking work of APS Members and the innovations they have made that changed the world. Continue reading
1968 in Pennsylvania – Multi-day Exhibit, 2018
Historical documents from HSP illustrate how 1968 stands as an icon, representing the upheaval of the 1960s and early 1970s. See how national movements for women, African Americans, children and poor people were influenced by and conducted in Pennsylvania. Continue reading
Imperfecta – Multi-day exhibit, 2018
Using artifacts from The Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum collections, this new exhibition examines the shifting perceptions about abnormal human development, from fear and wonder to curiosity and clinical science. Continue reading
#AnimatedArchive – Every Wednesday throughout October 2018
#AnimatedArchive is a social media challenge to post GIFs of library collections every Wednesday of October. Show how special collections can transform using technology and social media, and be sure to use the hashtags: #AnimatedArchive and #ArchivesPHL in your posts. Continue reading
28th International Sculpture Conference – October 25, 2018 – October 28, 2018
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) will hold the 28th International Sculpture Conference: Defining Moments in the Face of Change in Philadelphia, PA from October 25-28, 2018. This four-day conference will bring together a diverse audience of artists, educators, arts administrators, museum directors, collectors, patrons, students, and sculpture enthusiasts. Continue reading
Behind-the-Scenes Tours of the Archives – Every Friday throughout October 2018
To celebrate Archives Month Philly, Eastern State Archivist Erica Harman will lead several special 15-minute Hands-On History tours of the penitentiary’s collection storage area that houses Eastern State’s generally unknown, fascinating, and sometimes creepy collection of prisoner-made objects, photographs, and documents. Continue reading
Unearthed in the Archives – Multi-Day Tours, 2017
Every Friday the Penn Museum opens its archives doors to everyone to see hidden collections. Continue reading
What in the World? Early Television Meets the World of Archaeology – Multi-day, 2017-2018
The early “What in the World” television game show inspired young people to enter the world of archaeology and anthropology Continue reading
Monument Lab – Multi-day festival, 2017
What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia? Monument Lab is a public art and history project from Mural Arts Philadelphia and a team led by curators Paul M. Farber and Ken Lum, taking place citywide in fall 2017. Continue reading
Imperfecta – Multi-day exhibit, 2017
Using artifacts from The Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum collections, this new exhibition examines the shifting perceptions about abnormal human development, from fear and wonder to curiosity and clinical science. Continue reading
Curious Revolutionaries: The Peales of Philadelphia – Multi-day exhibit, 2017
An exhibition about the Peale family’s role in shaping early American public culture through innovations in art, science, and technology. Continue reading
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
Archives Month Philly 