Letter to Deborah T. Simmons Coates from [a sibling], 1837
Letter to Elizabeth Coates from Alice, 1862 (Elizabeth Jackson Coates, future wife of Marriott Brosius)
Civil War diary of Marriott Brosius, 1863-1865, with damage from bullet that shattered his arm (original, digital copy of images of each page and transcription)
Note from Gertrude (donor's g-g-grandmother) to her daughters Gertrude and Helen regarding the diary
Framed certificate: Commission to 2nd Lt., 97th Infantry
Pass for leave, Marriott Brosius, 1863
Digital and hardcopy of "Marriott Brosius story"
Digital and hardcopy of "Marriott Brosius military regiment history"
This collection has not been cataloged, but may be used by appointment. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Ephemera from the Stevens Bicentennial Celebration
Description
Letter from Alex B. Munro, Thaddeus Stevens Trade School Alumni Foundation, to Jack Loose, Lancaster County Historical Society. Thanks Loose for participation in Thaddeus Stevens' bicentennial celebration. 1992.
Postcard. View of Thaddeus Stevens Industrial School. Published by King Novelty Co., Lancaster. No date.
Postcard. Portrait of Thaddeus Stevens. Published by the Stevens Trade School Bicentennial Committee. 1992.
Brochure. Invitation to Thaddeus Stevens' 200th Birthday Party, held on 4 April 1992. Includes brief histories of Thaddeus Stevens and Thaddeus Stevens State School of Technology, as well as schedule of events. 1992.
Brochure. Advertises conference, "The Legacy of Thaddeus Stevens," held at Hotel Brunswick on 30 and 31 October 1992. Includes list of speakers and preregistration form. 1992.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Thaddeus Stevens Collection (MG0115), Part 1, Folder # or Object ID, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-115
Other Number
MG-115, Part 1, Folder 24
Classification
MG0115
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Added to database 11 July 2023.
Digitization of this document was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 202010016624, 2020-2023.
Harold Morrin Collection, Series 2 Birding Records
Description
Series 2 of the Harold Morrin Collection contains personal journals, species checklists, newspaper articles, certificates, and correspondence in relation to birding in Lancaster County and all over the world.
Admin/Biographical History
Harold B. Morrin was born on 20 May 1923 in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Hugh B. and Hilda M. (Erisman) Morrin. His father, Hugh, passed away at an early age from complications associated with exposure to mustard gas during his service in World War I. In his 20s, Harold enlisted in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 during World War II. During this time he sent letters to his mother Hilda M. Morrin about his life in the army, traveling, and social activities (the collection of correspondence can be found in MG0358_S01).
Harold graduated with a degree in business from Franklin and Marshall College. During his career, he served as president of the Lancaster Chapter of Administrative Management and served on the board of the National Association of Accountants. In 1985, Harold retired as secretary- treasurer of Lancaster Press and Tapsco companies. In addition to his career, Harold was also very active in the community, serving in leadership positions in many organizations. He was a member (since 1947) and past president of the Millersville Lions Club, an international service organization that provides humanitarian and volunteer services to the local community. Other involvements included the Lancaster County Philatelic Society (national stamp collection organization), North Museum Associates (local nature and science museum), the Millersville Borough Council, Lancaster County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Lancaster County Elementary Envirothon, Boy Scouts of America (Troop 45), past director of the Tanger Arboretum, member of the Hamilton Park United Church of Christ, Millersville pool committee, zone chairman, steering committee, board member of the Millersville Bicentennial celebration and the Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC) (LCBC 2012).
Harold was recognized as one of the "101 of the Most Vital People in South Central PA" in the local APPRISE magazine where he was pictured on the cover in 1988. It would seem as though Harold had no time for hobbies or travel with his career and community involvement but that was not the case. Harold was an avid baseball fan, seeing games in 45 major league ballparks throughout the United States. He even witnessed Babe Ruth play!
His other two passions, birding and traveling, went hand in hand. It was not until the age of 31 that Harold began birding. In 1954, he decided to start the journey of a life-list and in that first year he was able to add 70 species to the list. By the time he finished, Harold had over 3,800 species on his life-list. Harold enjoyed traveling and documented his trips with daily journal entries and species checklists of all the bird species seen. He birded in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and traveled to all 7 continents during his lifetime.
Harold's love for birds, nature and travel continued to grow thus, his participation in the Lancaster County Bird Club grew. Harold served as president from 1972-76 and again from 1984-85, and a member of the bird club's Board of Directors for over 20 years. He was also an editor for the LCBC newsletter for many years and editor of The Natural Attractions of Lancaster County, published by the LCBC in November 1977 as a supplement to "Call Notes" which included articles about the flora and fauna found in numerous areas of Lancaster County. Harold also edited and wrote portions of the book, A Guide to the Birds of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (1984) and assisted with the second edition in 1991. He authored Birding the 49th State: An Alaskan Saga in 1978 about his birding adventures on an Alaskan trip. In his later years, Harold led a weekly adult birding group in collaboration with the Lancaster County Parks Department. On February 9, 2001 the LCBC Board of Directors made Harold an honorary lifetime member of the club, an honor bestowed to only a few since the inception of the club. At this time they also decided to rename the Scholarship Program, "The Harold B. Morrin Scholarship Award" (LCBC 2012).
The Lancaster County Bird Club credits Harold with the development and growth of the club as one of the largest and most active bird clubs in the mid-Atlantic region. He inspired many renowned birders, ornithologists and photographers like Andrew Mack, Eric Witmer, Theodore A. Parker III, Jeffrey Lepore and Kenn Kaufman. On January 7, 2012 Harold passed away at the age of 88. His impact on the community was immeasurable and he is remembered by many as a "humble, selfless man, who devoted so much of his time and effort to others" (Crable 1999).
Works Cited:
Crable, Ad. "Harold Morrin: gently, he helps star birdwatchers spread their wings" New Era. 9 July 1999.
Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC). "In Memoriam Harold B. Morrin" Call Notes. 2012.
LancasterOnline. "Harold B. Morrin Obituary" LancasterOnline. 12 September 2013.
Harold Morrin Collection, Series 1 World War II Letters (MG0358_S01)
Harold Morrin Collection, Series 3 Family Papers (MG0358_S03)
Lancaster County Bird Club Records (MG0566)
Photograph Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-358, Series 2
Classification
MG0358
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by RM, February-April 2015. Added to database 22 December 2023.
The work of Eleanor Fulton, a professional researcher. Contains information on the Presbyterian Church in Lancaster County, including First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Donegal Presbyterian Church. Also, genealogy notes for local families and St. James Episcopal Church.
The Ranck Family Reunion Records contain reunion programs of the Ranck family from 1928 to 2002, lists of descendants from 1983 to 2000, minutes from 1976 to 2002, and letters and correspondence pertaining to the Ranck clan.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-663
Classification
MG0663
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KV, September 2013. Added to database 30 September 2021.
The Steele Family Papers contain genealogical records, notes, and documents supporting the lineage between Mary Edna Cowell Murphy (DAR No. 297765) and Revolutionary War soldiers Robert Bailey, John Cowell, Adam Reigart, Henry Slaymaker, and John Steele, and architect Robert Smith.
Adam Reigart Jr., John S. Murphy Collection (MG0331)
Samuel R. Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection (MG0268)
See also the Photograph Collection
See also the Curatorial Collection
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Steele Family Papers (MG0591), Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Accession Number
2011.001
Other Numbers
MG-591
Classification
MG0591
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by MK, 2014. Added to database 26 December 2021.
This collection contains the official records of the Sphinx Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The minute books date from 1912-1985. Histories of the club were prepared in 1934 and 1962. Dinner programs, membership lists, meeting and speaker schedules, correspondence and speeches make up the bulk of the collection. There are images of some of the earliest members, as well as articles about the statue of the Sphinx.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
2004.MG0341
Other Numbers
MG-341
Classification
MG0341
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed by DW. Finding aid prepared by KK, March-April 2014. Added to database 3 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Collection contains materials related to the Watt & Shand Department Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Series 1 includes employee handbooks, job description, beauty salon price list, bridal registry information, a history of the store, a Christmas catalog, a Historic Preservation Trust calendar, and children's books.
Series 2 is a record of the property at the downtown location and at Park City Mall beginning in 1880 with deeds, legal agreements, a building inspector's permit, and insurance policies.
Admin/Biographical History
On 22 February 1878, Peter Watt, James Shand and Gilbert Thompson advertised the opening of a new store, The New York Store, featuring new lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as fancy goods and notions. The New York Store opened on 9 March 1878 and was an immediate success focusing on customer service. The owners had an unwritten policy stating that they remained open until the last customer left. During that first year, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Watt and Shand purchased a building located at 8-10 East King Street and changed their name from The New York Store to Watt, Shand and Company. Then during 1885, the store name was shortened to Watt & Shand even though the business was expanding to acquire 6 East King Street. The Ladies' Ready-To-Wear Department was added in 1889 which included coats, suits, dresses, and underwear. The owners proceeded to expand the business over several decades and procured Appel & Weber jewelry store and Hager's Department Store during the 1950s and 1960s. The branch store opened in 1970 at Park City Mall. The Bon-Ton Stores purchased Watt & Shand in 1992 and the store officially closed in March of 1995
Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 2 contains restricted items. With the exception of Folder 2, the items in this collection may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-237
Classification
MG0237
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook cataloged by CB, 2008. Series 2, Folder 1-48 cataloged by ML, Summer 2014. Added to database 13 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
The Summy Family Genealogy contains two folders and four binders of published works, research notes, family history, and original documents pertaining to the Summy family (1692-1997).
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Summy Family Genealogy (MG0550), Folder or Binder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-550
Classification
MG0550
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KV, 25 September 2013. Added to database 19 January 2022.
RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics (Lancaster Plant) Records
Description
The RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics (Lancaster Plant) Records contain items from Radio Corporation of America and Thomson Consumer Electronics. The collection includes histories of the facility, publicity, corporate and local plant newsletters, employee policies and programs, personnel directories and organizational charts, 1980 information on the color picture tube, and correspondence and information about the Zero Defects program. The newsletters contain a wealth of information about, and pictures of, employees of the Lancaster plant, as well as the activities of the company.
Admin/Biographical History
A 90-acre cornfield purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1942 led to the most modern electron tube plant in the world. The U.S. Navy produced radar tubes in Lancaster during World War II. Radio Corporation of America purchased the plant in 1946 and converted it over to television tube production. The Lancaster plant primarily manufactured color picture tubes until 1972. The following years were devoted to support other facilities. Thomson Consumer Electronics, a French company, bought the rights to RCA's consumer electronics in 1986 and closed the Lancaster plant in 2006.
System of Arrangement
This collection is divided into three series based on the donors.
Series 1 RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics (Lancaster Plant) Records
Series 2 RCA History and Newsletters
Series 3 Zero-Defects Program, George A. DeLong Papers
Series 1 Gift of RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics (Lancaster Plant), 10 April 2010
Series 2 Gift of Keith Bechtold, 5 April 2006
Series 3 Gift of Jeanne S. DeLong, in memory of George A. DeLong, 20 November 2008.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics (Lancaster Plant) Records (MG0398), Series #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.