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Archival Resources

Please note: Some of our pages and links seem to have disappeared when our new site format was created. We are doing our best to correct that situation. Here are direct links to three archival projects that you may have been looking for, each a product of the Historical Society of Dauphin County or in association with other educational institutions.

THE RAWN JOURNALS, 1830-1865     

Browsing his journals, one might think that Charles Rawn took note of everything he did, as well as anything that happened to him, while he lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from the 1830s to the 1860s.

THE  OLD EIGHTH WARD OF HARRISBURG

Take a tour of the Old 8th Ward, where photographs of the community as it appeared in the early 1900s are presented beside photographs taken in May 2005. 

THE McCORMICK FAMILY PAPERS

The McCormicks were a prominent family in South Central Pennsylvania who greatly influenced history and commerce in that area of the country. 

The Archives

The archives contains collections of historical records and photographs of individuals and families, businesses, agencies, organizations, institutions, schools, churches, military units, and other entities located in Dauphin County. Records include letters, diaries, manuscripts, legal documents, deeds, certificates, invoices and receipts, account ledgers, scrapbooks, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, invitations, maps, and many other types of materials collected through the years. Many of the items are original documents.

Our archives has approximately 900 manuscript groups with deeds dating back to the 1700s. We have collections of many prominent Harrisburg families such as the Elder, Harris, Kelker, Cameron and McCormick families. We also have collections from the Harrisburg Academy and the Pennsylvania Female College as well as records of the many regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteers called to duty in times of war. The City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County Government, the American Red Cross, the League of Women Voters of the Harrisburg Area, and the Bell Telephone Company are other examples of our larger collections.

How do I Access the Collection?

Research requests are handled through our librarian when you come to the library. If you cannot visit Harrisburg to do your own research, our librarian can conduct on-site research for an additional fee. If you are interested in using this service, please complete a query form to assist us.

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