Upcoming Event: October is Archives Month Philly

Archives Month Philly, a month-long festival of history-themed events at Philadelphia’s vibrant and diverse archives, special collections libraries, and cultural institutions, is back for a second year!

This year’s headlining events include a chance to view historic lantern slides, an exclusive look at the stories of Philadelphia’s World War I dead, a revealing talk on the famed Wanamaker Organ, and a fun evening of “Philly History Quizzo.” The full lineup of events features programming at more than 15 regional institutions, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Union League, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science.

Part of American Archives Month, Archives Month Philly is an opportunity for archives and archivists to celebrate the value of historical records with a dynamic program of events at many of the Delaware Valley’s most notable repositories.

Archives Month Philly officially starts 5:30 pm October 2 with a talk on Philadelphia LGBT history co-sponsored by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Library Company of Philadelphia. Then, join us on Oct. 8, when the Wagner Free Institute of Science (1700 W. Montgomery Ave.) hosts the second annual Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon in its Victorian-era lecture hall at 6 p.m. The salon will use a historic lantern projector to showcase 19th- and 20th-century glass lantern slides from the collections of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Barbara Bates Center for the History of Nursing, the Historical Society of Frankford, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Also notable this year, with the centennial of the start of World War I, is a presentation on a new online database of the over 2,500 military personnel from Philadelphia who lost their lives in the war. The database, created by volunteers from the academic and genealogical communities, and the stories it has uncovered will be showcased at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (1300 Locust St.) on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. (Registration is required to attend.)

Events continue throughout October with behind-the-scenes tours, ongoing exhibitions, presentations, a sauerkraut-making workshop, and even a historical-hair-themed social evening dubbed “’Staches and Spirits.” For more information, including a full schedule and event descriptions, visit archivesmonthphilly.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

See you around at Archives Month Philly!