Since the time of William Penn, Pennsylvania has been recognized for its religious diversity and toleration. Religion affects all areas of a society’s culture and heritage, and the vast holdings of the Pennsylvania State Archives reflect this influence on the Commonwealth’s government and citizens throughout history. Provided below is an introductory listing of the Archives collections that contain documentation of the state’s religious heritage.  This list is not exhaustive, for many of the record noted include much more material related to religion, which can be uncovered by further study of the sources identified.  

Record Group 2, Records of the Department of the Auditor General – the Chambersburg War Damage Claim Applications (Submitted Under Act of Feb. 15, 1866), 1866-1868 (4 boxes) {#2.67} include the inventory of at least one minister’s books taken by the Confederates. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 4, Records of the Office of the Comptroller General – the Revolutionary War Associators, Line, Militia, and Navy Accounts, and Miscellaneous Records Relating to Military Service, 1775-1809 (99 boxes) {#4.51} contain militia appeal books that note requests for exemption from militia duty on grounds of “conscientious scruples.” [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 5, Records of the Constitutional Conventions and the Council of Censors – Pennsylvania’s constitutions have always guaranteed the right of religious freedom to citizens of the Commonwealth. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 7, Records of the General Assembly – over the centuries, the legislature has considered various issues with religious implications such as whether to permit the Sunday opening of commercial, retail and dining establishments.  Of particular value are the House File, 1790-1903. (66 boxes, 1 carton) {#7.11} and the Senate File, 1823-1972 (312 cartons) {#7.78} which contain letters, petitions, memorials and remonstrances on a broad range of subjects including religious matters. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 10, Records of the Office of the Governor – of particular note are the files of Governor Robert P. Casey, in office from 1987 to 1995, who strongly opposed legalized abortion.  His Issues File, 1987-1994 (213 cartons, 36 boxes) {#10.3} alone contains fifteen cartons of letters, petitions, postcards and related documents on the subject.  The General File, 1940-1946 (8 boxes) {#10.56} of Pennsylvania’s World War II Selective Service headquarters contains folders labeled “Communist and Nazi Propaganda” with anti-Semitic literature. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 11, Records of the Department of Health – the Patient Registers, 1929-1977 (2 volumes) {#11.7} of the Elizabethtown Hospital for Crippled Children list the religious affiliation of each patient.  The files of the State Health Data Center include Quarterly Reports of Abortions Performed, 1974-1985. (13 cartons, 1 box) {#11.58} under the Abortion Control Act of 1974. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 13, Records of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission – as the Commonwealth’s statewide history agency, the Commission and it predecessor, the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, have long had an interest in the religious heritage of the state and in its religious structures.  At least three of the Commission’s historic sites are religious in nature:  Ephrata Cloister, Old Economy Village and the Joseph Priestly House.  Of particular note in the Working Files of the Works Progress Administration's Pennsylvania Historical Survey, [ca. 1935-1950] (133 cartons, 5 boxes, 79 digitized rolls, 40 folders, 7 volumes, 1 bundle) {#13.108} are  Job 67: Jews in Philadelphia, 1936-1939, and undated (3 folders) {#13.108.40},  Job 112: Mennonites in Pennsylvania, 1939-1940, and undated (1 folder) {#13.108.43}, and an Inventory of Church Archives of Pennsylvania, including Records of Pennsylvania Jewish Congregations, 1937-1940, and undated (27 cartons) {#13.108.116}. [Digitial Images]

 

Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Justice – various records of the state penitentiaries identify the religious affiliation of the prisoners.  Also found in this group is the Ephrata Cloister File, Including Minutes of the Cloister Board of Trustees, 1814-1956 (3 boxes) {#15.1} which documents the controversy that accompanied the Commonwealth’s acquisition of this defunct religious community’s property in Ephrata.  The Legal Case File Relating to Bible Reading in Public Schools, 1959-1965 (1 carton) {#15.3} concerns the implementation in Pennsylvania of banning the practice of requiring or permitting organize Bible reading in public schools. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 17, Records of the Land Office – the land warrants and patents document the sale of public land to congregations and religious organizations. Charters of some churches and religious societies may be found in the Commission Books, 1733-1809 (6 volumes) {#17.143}. [Digitial Images]

 

Record Group 19, Records of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs – the Civil War Muster Rolls and Related Records, 1861-1866 (135 cartons) {#19.11} and the Commissions File, 1861-1929 (57 boxes) {#19.14} identify Civil War chaplains.  The Records of Drafted Men and Substitutes, Including County and Township Draft Lists, Muster and Descriptive Rolls, and Lists of Deserters and Conscientious Objectors, [ca. 1862, 1864-1865] (7 boxes) {#19.59} and Draft Board Records, Consisting Primarily of Lists of Persons Whose Registration Cards Were In the Possession of Their Local Board, [ca. 1917-1918] (77 cartons) {#19.24} contain references to men who sought exemption from military service for reasons of conscience in the Civil War and in World War I, continuing the Commonwealth’s long peace tradition.  Especially important are the Civil War Conscientious Objector Depositions, 1862 (2 boxes) {#19.15}, for Pennsylvania is the only Northern state to have such documents. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 20, Records of the Department of General Services – the

Construction Plans and Specifications for Public Buildings and Bridges, 1893-1975 (7 drawers, 150 folders) {#20.35} include blueprints for chapel buildings at Clarion and West Chester Universities.

 

Record Group 21, Records of the Proprietary Government – the colonial government dealt with all aspects citizens’ lives including religion. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 22, Records of the Department of Education – the records of this department relate to both public and private education institutions, some of which are religious in nature.  The files of the State Board of Censors, which regulated motion picture viewing in the state between 1915 and 1956, contain information about films of an anti-Semitic nature. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 23, Records of the Department of Public Welfare – some patient records of the various state hospitals mention the patient’s religious affiliation.  Among the Secretary’s records is Correspondence Relating to Birth Control and Planned Parenthood, 1958-1959 (1 box) {#23.2}, consisting of letters from constituents for and against a policy to offer birth control advice to welfare clients. 

 

Record Group 25, Records of the Special Commissions – the records of three commissions - Presentation to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of William Penn’s First Charter, 250th Anniversary of the First Landing of William Penn, and the William Penn Tercentenary Committee - refer to Penn’s religious beliefs.

 

Record Group 26, Records of the Department of State – many series of this group pertain to a range of religious matters in the Commonwealth.  Of special note are [Digital Images]:

 

• • Basic Documents of Pennsylvania Including Proprietary Charters and Deeds, Indian Deeds, and State Constitutions, 1681-1873 (48 items) {#26.2} – the Great Law of 1682 (Document #26.2.7) provided for religious toleration in the colony.
  • Executive Correspondence, 1790-1969 (108 boxes) {#26.8} – letters and petitions to the Governor.
  • Charitable Solicitations Registration File, 1924-1961, 1963-1987 (234 cartons) {#26.106}
  • Charter Books, 1812-1875 (8 volumes) {#26.108} – contain charters of many religious organizations.
    

 

Record Group 27, Records of Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary Governments – the Commonwealth’s governing bodies of the Revolutionary period dealt with all aspects of civil and military life, including religious concerns.  Records of Mennonites and others who hosted escaping British prisoners may be found in this group. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 30, Records of the Pennsylvania State Police – the State Police confiscated administrative files and publications from the Ku Klux Klan in the Commonwealth. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 31, Records of the Department of Commerce – the various photograph files of this group contain pictures of churches. 

 

Record Group 33, Records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania – some of the cases before the Court involved religious matters or had religious undertones. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 46, Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission – include some references to the “Washington at Prayer” image and materials relating to the Washington Memorial Chapel. [Digital Images]

 

Record Group 47, Records of the County Governments – the Lehigh County Probation Office Annual Reports, 1961-1966, 1969-1974 (12 volumes) {#47.350} contain detailed statistics on juveniles served by the County Probation Department, including aggregate numbers by religious preference.

 

Record Group 57, Records of the State System of Higher Education – yearbooks and catalogs mention the religious activities and classes offered to students at institutions with the System. 

 

Record Group 68, Records of the Pennsylvania Heritage Affairs Commission – Act 156 of 16 December 1992 that established the Commission as an independent entity defined heritage affairs so as to include religious groups.