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News, events, updates, and tidbits from the Presbyterian Historical Society. Use tags to read related articles or sort by author for similar posts written by PHS staff members and volunteers.

Now is the Time

December 14, 2011

Let me give some straight talk to members of session: It’s not at all uncommon for ruling elders to hold on to volumes of church records after they’ve resigned from session, filing minutes and registers in the attic or basement, lost to time. You’re not alone. Retrieved records are a wonder to behold.

We received one such surprise visit the other day from Ron Shaffer of Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church, right in PHS’s backyard. Mr. Shaffer, an appraiser by trade, had taken an interest in the gaps in Old Pine’s collection of records held here, and...

Author: 
David S
Tags: 
Congregations, Congregational Records, Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church
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Summer in the City

November 16, 2011

Forty-five years ago this month, six youngsters from West Philadelphia held a public screening of a short autobiographical film. This may not seem remarkable in the age of YouTube, but their 16mm home movie, Not Much To Do remains a fascinating document, and a testament to the power of community partnerships to amplify the voice of the city.

In 1966, Robert D. Stoddard, a recent graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and assistant pastor at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in West Philadelphia developed a film club for the local children who attended Tabernacle's...

Author: 
David S
Tags: 
Philadelphia, Summer, American History
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Records from the Burned-Over District

November 10, 2011

PHS recently received on deposit a large body of materials from the Presbytery of Northern New York, spanning recently-closed and long-dissolved congregations, and the records of the Presbytery's predecessors, the Presbytery of Champlain, and the Presbytery of St. Lawrence.

For me, it's always a pleasure--admittedly, a shallow one--to handle church records from the 19th century. There's a great deal to please the Luddite in us: minutes are kept in longhand, signed in duplicate to guarantee authenticity, and the earlier you go, the more rustically bound the volumes. There...

Author: 
David S
Tags: 
Congregational Records, New York, American History
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