Collections of interest to Hispanics

When you visit the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s webpage and read the description of what we do, you’ll find a reference to additions to our collection of documents acquired in 2002 from The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Although HSP has excelled in keeping and providing access to valuable documents about American colonial history, we [...]

Read Full Post »

Veteran’s/Armistice Day

Alfred Reginald Allen (1876-1918) was a prominent Philadelphia neurologist and neurosurgeon. He was also heavily involved in Philadelphia theater scene, writing numerous comic operas, and was a founding member of the Savoy Company. In 1915 he enlisted in the Army Reserves, eventually achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In this letter written from training camp [...]

Read Full Post »

Joshua Humphreys, “Father of the American Navy”

This week I spent some time working on the Joshua Humphreys papers (Collection 306). Born in Haverford, Pa. in 1751, Humphreys would go on to be the nation’s foremost naval architect in the post-Revolutionary era. In 1776 Humphreys was chosen by the Continental Congress to design the retrofitting of eight merchant vessels into battle-worthy frigates. [...]

Read Full Post »