Research Guides: FYS Landmarks and Legends: Learning Local History: Hess Archives

Hess Archives and Digital Collections

The Earl H. and Anita F. Hess Archives and Special Collections is located on Level 1 of the High Library. Our rich collections include the College Archives, materials related to the Church of the Brethren, and collections that support the work of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

We have made available a number of Digital Collections that will be helpful for your research on people relevant to the history of Elizabethtown College and Elizabethtown Borough:

Researching Local Individuals

Reference Books:

History of the Church of the Brethren: Eastern Pennsylvania, 1915-1965
On course reserve under Benowitz (Circulation)
The Brethren Encyclopedia
Reference 286.5 B8444 (High Library Level 2)
History of the Church of the Brethren of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Websites:

Find A Grave
Search cemetery records
Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1943.
FamilySearch
Genealogy site, which includes helpful government records and other information
HathiTrust
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 308 billion archived web pages.

Print Archival Resources

College Archives Finding Aid
Here you will find a description of the types of materials stored in the physical Hess Archives on Level 1. Make an appointment with the Archivist to view any of these files.

Multi-Source Document Exercise - Context Documents

First Catalog 1900
Description of College's "Location, History, Building, Etc."
History of the Church of the Brethren of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Excerpt from Chapter 6, "History of Elizabethtown College" by J. G. Francis
The Organization and Early History of Elizabethtown College
Excerpt (pages 27-28) from college history by George N. Falkenstein, c. 1937