Delaware County Historical Society Collection:
Please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns to the Executive Director, Paul Hewes
Email: outreach@padelcohistory.org
Office phone: 610-750-0622
For any questions or inquiries, please contact Zac Beaver at the
Research Library at research@padelcohistory.org
Scheduling:
All researchers and visitors must book an appointment in advance of their visit with at least 24-48 hours' notice. Please submit a research request on our website or by email.
Visitors can schedule by phone 610-750-0622 or by email to research@padelcohistory.org to make a reservation.
Research appointments are available Monday through Friday, 10-3PM. Open to the general public Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am to 3 pm.
Library Guest/Researcher Policy:
Guests and researchers who visit the DCHS Library and Research Center are welcome to conduct research with the DCHS collection provided they adhere to the following:
Guests are welcome to bring their own laptop and use the free Wi-Fi available in the building.
All requested materials will be handled and pulled by the DCHS staff.
Please only use pencils while handling DCHS research materials.
Visitors must ask a staff member for assistance if photocopies are needed. Any and all copies must be in accordance with DCHS Copyright/Camera-Use Policy.
No bags will be allowed in research area. Guests are asked to leave their bags in the front room.
No drink or food permitted in the research area.
Researchers must sign a research handling form when conducting research with materials.
Researchers wishing to utilize digital images from the DCHS collection, must adhere to the Copyright/Camera-Use Policy and have read and agreed to the DCHS Rights and Reproductions.
Parking is available in the DCHS parking lot located at 9 W. Front Street, Media PA. PLEASE ONLY PARK IN THE SPACES MARKED EITHER 6,7,8, OR 9.
Remote request are available by phone or email!
DCHS Policies:
Please refer to our policies below concerning copyright, rights and reproductions, and research handling:
-Accession and Deaccession Policy
*Please note we are in the process of digitizing our inventory and making our indexes available online.
Please contact us if you have questions or inquiries regarding resources. Indexes and resources will be regularly updated as they are made available digitally.
Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) was established in 1895 and have been stewards of Delco history ever since. DCHS began permanent collections in earnest in the 1920's when housed at the 1724 Courthouse in Chester. Ever since then, DCHS has amassed an immense collection, featuring items such as Lenni Lenape stonework's, deeds and documents from the 17th century through the 20th, works of art, books, photos, maps, and more! Below is a listing of indexes to the DCHS collection. Please use this as a guide for your research requests.
Art Collection - assorted collection of oil portrait paintings and scenes of historic Delaware County, featuring Benjamin West, Archibald Woodside, Thomas Buchanan Read, Samuel Bell Waugh, Alexander Charles Stuart, Furman J. Finck, Jesse Soifer, Alice Kent Stoddard, and William Hillyer. Art Index
Documents/Records: Rare Deed/ Artifact Index
Media Archives:
Audio Recordings- Cassette Collection
Original interviews from PHMC's Oral History Project: Chester, Pennsylvania Project: "Black Experience in Chester." (1977-1984)
Newspaper Collection: (Note: DCHS has a digital microfiche reader on site for public use!)
Muscella Negatives:click here to view searchable Muscella index
Alfred L. Muscella, Sr. was a professional photographer who lived and worked in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Fred Muscella film negatives, 1946-1991, consist primarily of 4"x5" film negatives, with some film strip negatives and 4"x5" prints from later years. The collection is organized into series by year, and then in alphabetical order by client.
Anna Elizabeth Broomall (1847-1931), from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was a prominent physician who established one of the first clinics for out-practice maternity care in the United States. She was chief resident physician and instructor of obstetrics at the Woman's Hospital of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Having an active interest in history, Broomall served as librarian and curator of the Delaware County Historical Society after she retired from medicine.
The Dr. Anna E. Broomall scrapbooks, 1841-1922 (bulk 1900-1922) primarily consist of volumes of clippings that focus on historically significant people, organizations, buildings, and events in Delaware County and Philadelphia. The collection also includes some glass-plate and film negatives as well as items, such as letters and ephemera, of historical and personal interest to Dr. Broomall.
Chester F. Baker Collection – local history, scrapbook and family papers: CFB Index
Chester F. Baker (1891-1963) was a municipal engineer and amateur historian from the city of Chester in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Among his many affiliations with historical and genealogical organizations, Baker was president of the Chester Rural Cemetery Association and director of the Delaware County Historical Society. The Chester F. Baker local history research and family papers, 1864-1960 (bulk 1925-1960), consist of well over 100 binders with research materials on history topics, papers from organizations with which Baker was involved, and papers relating to his work as a surveyor. There are also a few personal and family photograph albums and scrapbooks.
The collection consists of well over 100 binders with research materials on various history topics, papers from organizations with which Baker was involved, and papers relating to his work as a surveyor. There are also a few personal and family photograph albums and scrapbooks. Baker fastidiously indexed the subjects mentioned in his binders, creating alphabetical indexes for most volumes and subject reference cards to include in the Delaware County Historical Society's card catalog. The most frequently used volumes from the Baker collection have been photocopied; access copies are available in the Delaware County Historical Society's library.
Crozer Family and Crozer Medical Center Collection: Featuring photos, newsletters, awards, ceremonial memorabilia and more from the Crozer Medical network in Delaware County. Pieces include those from Taylor Hospital, Crozer Medical Center, Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Crozer Theological Seminary.
Rockdale Collection-See Box Collection Index: S61.
The Rockdale Collection features research compiled by Anthony F.C. Wallace for his monumental book, Rockdale: The Growth of an American Village in the Early Industrial Revolution (1978).
Louise Deshong Woodbridge Collection
Louise Deshong Woodbridge (1848-1925), a member of the prominent Deshong family of Chester (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) was an active socialite as well as an amateur photographer and painter. Taking up photography in the early 1880s, Woodbridge had a fairly successful career with her work being exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
The Louise Deshong Woodbridge glass negatives, 1884-1905, consist of approximately 200 primarily glass plate negatives with some 4x5" film negatives that document the creator's family, friends, and social activities. They also document Delaware County and the surrounding area around the turn of the 20th century, particularly historic structures, such as the Woodbridge and Deshong mansions, and landscapes. Of special interest are some photographs of the White House, including the White House Conservatory, and First Lady Ida McKinley.
Henry Shmith Scrapbooks (mostly in German)
Henry Shmith (also spelled Heinrich Schmitz and Henry Schmidt) was born on August 21, 1899, in Germany. Shmith traveled extensively, working as a professional chef at many locations in the Delaware Valley region of the United States and frequently returning to Germany for visits. He settled in Glen Mills, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he passed away in 1982. The Henry Shmith scrapbooks, 1924-1979 (bulk 1950-1975), consist of about 20 volumes compiled by Henry Shmith, with photographs as well as clippings, ephemera, stamps, greeting cards, and letters. The scrapbooks, heavily annotated by Shmith, mostly in German with some English, focus on areas in the Delaware Valley or in and around Germany (including Spiegelau).
This collection consists of about 20 scrapbooks compiled by Henry Shmith, with many photographs as well as clippings, ephemera, stamps, greeting cards, and letters. The scrapbooks are heavily annotated by Shmith, mostly in German with some English. There are some notes/signatures from people he met. Most of the scrapbooks focus on areas in the Delaware Valley or in and around Germany. Most of the photographs of Germany (including Spiegelau) date from after World War II, though there are a few from before and during the war (captions are minimal).
Howell Papers
The Howell family were members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who resided in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Howell family papers, 1798-1929 (bulk 1830-1880), consist substantially of routine personal correspondence between several generations of the Howell family, particularly Sally R. Howell, Israel Howell, Mary Mott Howell, Joshua R.
J.C. Taylor Papers & Blueprints
J. C. (Joshua C.) Taylor (1873-1946) was a prominent banker and lawyer in the city of Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In 1931 he established Taylor Memorial Arboretum in memory of his wife, Anne Rulon Gray. The J. C. Taylor business papers, 1903-1953 (bulk 1935-1953) consist mostly of legal and property-related documents, including a large number of blueprints.