The German Society of Pennsylvania, located in the

Northern Liberties Northern Liberties is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854, it was among the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. in every census from 1790 to 1850. Boundaries Northern Liberties is loc ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, is the oldest German-culture organization in the United States. Founded in 1764, to aid German immigrants, including those who arrived as

indentured servants Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

, it now promotes the teaching of the German language and culture, sponsors lectures, concerts and films, and awards scholarships. Its Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library is the largest private German-language library outside of Germany. The Library was founded in 1817 and throughout its history collected a wide variety of literature and periodicals to serve the reading interests of German Society members; it continues to operate as a lending library today, with a focus on fiction, biography, and children's books in German. In 1867, under the leadership of Oswald Seidensticker, an archive was established, with the aim of documenting German-American history and culture, and that remains the primary mission of the Library today. Among the holdings are many early products of the German-American press, including a 1743

Christoph Sauer Christoph Sauer (1695 – September 25, 1758) was the first German-language printer and publisher in North America. Johann Christoph Sauer was born in 1695 in Ladenburg (near Heidelberg), the son of a Reformed pastor. He came to the county ...

Bible, the first European-language Bible printed in North America. As a research institution, the Horner Library is also known for its pamphlet and manuscript collections related to German-American organizations and individuals, and its holdings of 19th-century popular German works that have become rare. Since 1888, the Society has been located at 611 Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia. Many of the city's German-culture public artworks were commissioned by the organization, including the statue of

Peter Muhlenberg John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman, Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, and political figure in the newly independent United States. A Lutheran minister, he serve ...

that now stands behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the monument honoring

Francis Daniel Pastorius Francis Daniel Pastorius (September 26, 1651) was a German born educator, lawyer, poet, and public official. He was the founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania, now part of Philadelphia, the first permanent German-American settlement and the gatewa ...

and the first German settlers, in Vernon Park, Germantown.Oswald Seidensticker and Max Heinrici
''Geschichte der Deutschen Gesellschaft von Pennsylvanien, 1764-1917''
Philadelphia, Pa.: Neudruck von Graf & Breuninger, 1917.

External links

Pennsylvania State Historical Marker

References

{{coord, 39.9618, -75.1501, display=title 1764 establishments in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1764 German-American culture in Pennsylvania History organizations based in the United States Organizations based in Philadelphia History of Pennsylvania Historical societies in Pennsylvania Libraries in Philadelphia German-American organizations