The Pennsylvania State Archives is the official

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

for the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, administered as part of the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

. Located at 350 North Street in the state capital of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, it is a part of the

Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex is a large complex of state government buildings in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Set on more than of downtown Harrisburg, it includes the Pennsylvania State Capitol and a landscaped park environment with monum ...

Mission

The primary function of the Pennsylvania State Archives is to acquire, preserve and make available for study the permanently valuable public records of the Commonwealth, with particular attention given to the records of state government. The State Archives also collects private papers relevant to Pennsylvania history.

History

The State Archives was created in 1903 as the Division of Public Records in the State Library. In 1945, it was combined with the State Museum and the Pennsylvania Historical Commission to form the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission (PHMC). Created in 1903 as the Division of Public Records in the State Library, it was combined in 1945 with the State Museum and the Pennsylvania Historical Commission to form the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). It was officially designated as the Bureau of the Pennsylvania State Archives within the PHMC. The original placement of the Archives in the State Library, the same arrangement used by many other states, was just an administrative convenience, but it reinforced a blurring—in the minds of the general public—of the functions of books and of “archival materials,” a term just coming into use. The PHMC works through two divisions of the Bureau of Archives and History; the Division of Archives and Manuscripts and the Division of Archival and Records Management. The Division of Archives and Manuscripts is responsible for preserving, publicizing, and making available historical records at the Archives’ search room and responding to inquiries about its holdings. The Division of Archival and Records Management Services is responsible for appraising and scheduling records on all levels of government and helping government officers meet their responsibilities for creating and maintaining records.

Collection

The State Archives collection, as of 2000, contained one hundred and sixty-five million pages of documents, seventeen thousand reels of microfilm, and one million special collection items, including photographs, maps and blueprints, motion picture rolls, and audio and video tapes covering the period 1664 to the present. It nearly filled the twenty-story Archives Tower. The temperature in the Archives Tower is maintained at and humidity is kept at forty-five to fifty percent. Records are stored in acid-free folders and boxes. Among the items housed at the State Archives is the 1681 Charter from Great Britain's King Charles II to

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, the 1737 Walking Purchase, an 1857 photograph of the

Horseshoe Curve A horseshoe curve is a class of climbing curve in a roadbed which reverses turn direction (inflection) twice on either side of a single tight curve that varies through an angle of about 180 degrees or more. Such curves are more commonly found ...

, photographs of the ruins of Chambersburg taken in 1864, the 1878 Death Warrant for John J. Kehoe and a letter to Governor Duff relating to the 1948 Donora smog disaster. In 2018, archivists negotiated the acquisition of the original Minutes of General Assembly taken on March 16, 1779, which documented Revolutionary War-era deliberations of the Pennsylvania Assembly regarding the purchase of supplies for the Continental Army, pay rates for members of state militia units, and the pension eligibility of military widows.Hoover, Sara.
Long-lost Revolutionary War-era book returns to Pennsylvania
" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: WHYY, September 11, 2018.

Notable personnel

* Cindy Bendroth, Chief, Records Services Division * David Carmicheal, Director, Bureau of Archives and History *

Ruth E. Hodge Ruth Evelyn Hodge is an American archivist, author, educator, and community activist who has furthered the advancement of African-American and United States military history research and writing during the 20th and early 21st centuries. "African- ...

, archivist (retired) and author,
Guide to African American Resources at the Pennsylvania State Archives
' (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2000, )

References

External links

The Pennsylvania State ArchivesPennsylvania Historical & Museum CommissionARIAS - Pennsylvania's Digital State ArchivesAccess Archives - The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania State ArchivesPHMC - Our Documentary Heritage
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex Government agencies established in 1903 State archives of the United States Tourist attractions in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1903 establishments in Pennsylvania