The World War II Collection contains materials pertaining to local defense plans during World War II (1939-1945) including the correspondence of Civil Defense Units, air raid wardens, and police; member lists; an emergency defense plan; newspaper clippings; ephemera such as war ration books, song book, and programs; and records of the Victory Homecoming Parade of 14 June 1946. Local newsletters were sent to soldiers to share the news of Lancaster County communities. Posters convey messages to join the military, buy war bonds, ration food and fuel, recycle, etc. Oral history interviews taken in 2003 provide biographical information and the experiences of four POWs.
The Almanac Collection consists of almanacs printed in Lancaster County and other locations. They contain long-range weather predictions, calendars, moon phases, planting guides, and natural remedies. Many publications also contain articles and poems about historical events and persons, as well as government and political information, housekeeping information, recipes, songs, titles of sheet music, music for a variety of instruments, times and places of the Meetings of the Friends on the Continent of America, and engravings and descriptions of battles. Some almanacs are illustrated.
System of Arrangement
Organized by language. Each series has paper indexes arranged alphabetically, chronologically, and by box and folder numbers.
