The Formal Opening of the New Fireproof Building of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, April 6-7, 1910 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910 Excerpt: ...Joshua Francis Fisher, John Jordan, Jr., John William Wallace, Townsend Ward, Brinton Coxe, Dr. Charles J. Stille," Frederick D. Stone, Charles R. Hildeburn; and in a later time the Hon. Samuel W. Pennypacker, John Bach McMaster, Dr. John W. Jordan, and John Frederic Lewis. The Society to-day affords opportunities to hundreds of students who come here to make investigations and to seek information. It opens its doors to all those who, either by habit of thought, or from a desire to examine the history of the state and of this country, come here as to a fountain from which all may drink. The Society is able to offer hospitality within its own domain, in holding receptions for all of its members, who number now something more than 2,000 persons. It would be impossible in the course of an ordinary address to enumerate the collections with which the Society to-day is enriched, for it is no longer a society in the ordinary sense of the word. It has become a great institution, whose influence goes out into the world, quite beyond even the boundaries of the United States, and it is a mine of wealth for the student, the thinker, and the historian. Amongst its inestimable collections of family documents the Society has the records of the Penns and the Logans, the original manuscripts of the families of Cadwalader and Pemberton, Tilghman, Wayne, Morris, Biddle, Norris, Wharton, and many others who have helped to make the history of the province and of the state. It has here in this building the original charter of Philadelphia of 1691, and the title deeds to the province of Pennsylvania. There are 80,000 bound volumes and 200,000 pamphlets and some 5,000 to 6,000 volumes of manuscripts. Here are also some thousands of volumes of newspapers; of Franklin's Gazette...