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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.

Through a Lens: Earth Day Edition

April 22, 2024

1970: the year that saw the birth of the modern environmental movement. And now here we are, in 2024, celebrating that birth for the 54th year in a row. On April 22nd, we'll be singing—not happy birthday, but happy Earth Day!

The modern environmental movement was a long time coming. In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day protest, the possible negative effects of the ever-turning wheel of progress and industry on the surrounding environment were not given much thought. Rather, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns, not...

Author:

McKenna

Tags:

Religious News Service, Holidays, Environment

PHS in 2023

December 18, 2023

At the end of such a full year, I think everyone at PHS is looking forward to a break over the holidays before we launch into 2024. I hope you also have moments for peaceful reflection, rest, and rejuvenation this holiday season.

For me, 2023 was a year of travel, visiting with Presbyterians in Dallas-Fort Worth, the Twin Cities, and Southern California to name but three stops. I shared about our work on a new mission statement for PHS that emphasizes how our extensive collections and archival work...

Author:

Nancy

Tags:

Executive Director, News and Events, Holidays

Stories of RNS Photos: Scenic Easter Services

April 5, 2023

In 2019, with grant support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, PHS digitized nearly 500 images from the RNS photograph collection all of which are now viewable in Pearl. The photographs chosen for the project spanned various years, topic, faiths, and geographical locations, but all supported the Religious News Service’s mission to document...

Author:

McKenna

Tags:

Holidays, Religious News Service, Pearl Digital Collections

Stories of RNS Photos: Saying "I Do"

February 7, 2023

In 2019, with grant support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, PHS digitized nearly 500 images from the RNS photograph collection all of which are now viewable in Pearl. The photographs chosen for the project spanned various years, topic, faiths, and geographical locations, but all supported the Religious News Service’s mission to document...

Author:

McKenna

Tags:

Holidays, Religious News Service

Valentine's Day E-Cards

February 7, 2023

Did you know?

The oldest known written valentine was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt (how romantic!). His valentine poem is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London.

Today, the Greeting Card Association--yes, such a thing does exist--estimates that around 145 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we wanted to make...

Author:

McKenna

Tags:

Holidays, Religious News Service