Penn State Mark Penn State Mark University Libraries Website
Libraries Home > University Park Libraries > Arts and Humanities Library > History

Pennsylvania History

The library maintains an extensive collection of materials relating to the history of Pennsylvania, and Centre County. In addition to books and journals, we have the personal papers of prominent individuals, and important collections of historical documents.  Reference tools can aid you by providing background and contextual information.

Related Guides:
Genealogy & Family History | Art in Pennsylvania | Earth & Mineral Sciences: Pennsylvania Resources

Click on the links below to learn more about each resource type.
Guides to Sources | Facts, Dates, and Places | Locating Books | Newspaper, Magazine & Journal Articles | Collections of Texts & Images | PA Government Documents | Atlases & Maps | Information on Individuals |
Useful Web Sites | Getting Help

Guides to Sources

Bibliography of Pennsylvania History.  2nd Edition,  Call # Z1329.P39 1957, Arts and Humanities Reference, Pattee Stacks Floor 2.  A list of works (books and journals) about PA History.  Continued by: Bibliography of Pennsylvania History: A Supplement.

Guide to the History of Pennsylvania Call # F149.G85 1993.   Arts and Humanities Reference, Pattee Stacks Level 2.   A collection of essays describing themes in Pennsylvania history.

Guide to Historical and Genealogical Research in Pennsylvania, Call # Z1329.H73, Arts and Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2, Rare Books, 1st Floor Paterno.

Keystone Treasures: A Guide to Museums and Historical Organizations in Pennsylvania, Call # AM12.P4C88 2000, Arts and Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Level 2.

PA - Online - a searchable bibliography of books, articles and dissertations

Guides to Archives & Special Collections:

Penn State and Centre County Materials in the Rare Books Room and Pennsylvania Historical Collections and Labor Archives, Call # Z5816.P4S75, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2. 

Guide to African American Resources at the Pennsylvania State Archives,  Call # E185.93.P41H63,  Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2. 

Guide to Photographs at the Pennsylvania State Archives. Call # CD3474.P472 1993, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2

Guide to the Manuscript Groups in the Pennsylvania State Archives, Call # CD3474.P45, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2

Additional information can be found at: PSU Special Collections,  Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
 

Return to the List of Topics

Locating Books

Search The CAT to look for books owned by the library.  The CAT will tell you which books we own and where they are located.   

The library provides access to collections of E-Books, including netLibrary, History E-Book Project, and Evans Digital Edition (1639-1800)

General Works on Pennsylvania History

County Histories

Materials Not at Penn State

Access PA (Pennsylvania public, school and research libraries)
PALCI (Other Pennsylvania Academic Libraries)
WorldCat (OCLC's Catalog)
CIC University Libraries (Big Ten) (Search all the library catalogs of the Big Ten)
RLG  (Research Libraries Group's Union Catalog)

If you still cannot find what you are looking for ask for HELP.   

Return to the List of Topics

Newspaper, Magazine and Journal articles

The sources below allow you to search for articles on a topic.

America: History and Life -- An index to articles relating to U.S. and Canadian history
American Periodicals Series Online, 1740-1900 -- Full-text of American magazines and journals that originated between 1741 and 1900
Muse  -- Contains the full-text of recent journal articles in various fields
JSTOR -- Contains the full-text including back issues of journal articles in various fields
Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies

Index to Early American Periodicals to 1850,  Call # Microprint.e765, News & Microforms Library, Ground Floor, West Pattee
Poole's Guide to Periodical Literature, 1806-1902,  Call # AI3.R4, Arts and Humanities Index Tables, Pattee Level 2

Publications focusing on Pennsylvania History:  (Current Issues are in the Arts and Humanities Reading Room, 2nd Floor Pattee West Wing)

Newspapers
The News and Microforms Library web site has a list newspapers in the Pattee/Paterno Libraries.  You should also search our online catalog, The CAT,   To identify newspapers in other libraries use the guides below.

For more information on locating newspapers, consult the Historical News Sources Guide.

Return to the List of Topics

Online Newspapers & Journals (Note: Full-text may only be available selected years)

Most Newspapers on the Web often provide access to only a few years or a few days.  A guide to newspapers on the Web can be found on the News and Microforms Library web page.  A few historical sources for earlier years include: 

Accessible Archives  Full text of 18th and 19th Century News, including: The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1800,  Pennsylvania Newspaper Record: Delaware County, 1809-1870 & Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue, Chester County, 1809-1870

Daily Collegian (1887-1987) Full text of Penn State's student newspaper

America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922

New York Times Historical, 1851-1999  Not a PA newspaper, but often covers significant events occurring in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers

Scholarly Journals Online

Archive of Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies

Muse and  JSTOR provide the full-text of recent journal articles in various fields including history.  Some examples are:

Return to the List of Topics

Collections of Texts and Images

The library has acquired many collections pertaining to the history of Pennsylvania.  Some of these require the use of printed guides.  Ask for HELP locating materials in these collections.  Unless otherwise indicated, the items below are located in the News and Microforms Library, Ground Floor, West Pattee.  Consult Microfinder for a larger listing of major collections in microformat.   Most original copies of documents are kept in the Special Collections Library.   

Access Pennsylvania Digital Repository - A statewide digitizaation service on behalf of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries.  Includes digitized collections created by libraries and other entities located throughout Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Franklin texts (93 sources written by Ben Franklin)

Early American Imprints. 2nd Series, 1801-1819,  Call #  Microprint .Ea76 2d ser. Guide: Call # Z1215.E923.  The set contains approximately 50,000 titles published in the U.S. from 1801-1819.

Evans Digital Edition (1639-1800).   E-text collection containing  works published in the U.S.  from 1639-1800.

Federal Population Census.  Pennsylvania. 1790-1930.  Call # FILM D22.  The population census schedules are the single larges source of information on individuals and communities in PA.

PA's Past: Digital Bookshelf

Unearthing the Past: Student Research on Pennsylvania History -- This site is a collaborative effort between the library and the Penn State History Department. The essays are written by history students at Penn State. Each essay provides an introduction to a unique and interesting episode in Pennsylvania History. Select the primary source documents to read to see historical events through the eyes of people who were there.

Pennsylvania Archives.   Call # 974.8P3a,  Dewey Collection Pattee Stacks Level 2,  132 volumes of early Pennsylvania records including military, tax, land, naturalization, marriage, and baptism records, ship passenger lists, and numerous other items. Volumes are available online as a demonstration project at: http://demos.iarchives.com/anc_04/search.jsp

Pennsylvania History Online  A collaborative digital project among the Pennsylvania Statewide Library Resource Centers.  To see what is currently available, click on "Browse Collections".

Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Papers  Microfilm A52, Microfilm A253
Guide: Call # BX7642.P4P2 1976.   The collection documents the activities of the organization and contains primary sources pertaining to the abolition movement.  Later emphasis was on civil rights, education and employment.

Published American Colonial Records, Call # FILM D164, Guide: Call # Z1237.P82.   A collection of the most important published colonial and state records from their beginnings to about 1800.

Historic American Buildings Survey. Pennsylvania,  Call # Micro 4 HABS.  Photographs and written descriptions, prepared by the Historic American Buildings Survey, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, National Park Service.  Arranged by counties.

Pennsylvania (Colony). Records of the Provincial Council 1682-1776,  Call # FILM A53, Guide: Call # F146.P45.  Reproduction of the manuscript Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania along with published Minutes of the Provincial Council,  and the Executive and Crown Correspondence of the Governor-in-General (referred to as the Papers of the Provincial Council).

Pictorial Collections. Pennsylvania History.  (PAHIST)

Three Mile Island Collection.  Videotapes, reports, and photographs that were generated during the 1979-1990 cleanup and recovery of the Three Mile Island 2 (TMI-2) nuclear reactor

Times of Hope and Sorrow  A catalog of Pennsylvania photographs from 1935-1946. Includes links to online photos.

Return to the List of Topics

Locating Information about Individuals

Personal Papers and Other Primary Source Materials

The library has acquired materials by and about prominent Pennsylvanians including Albert Gallatin, Joseph Priestley, Mary Grew, and William Penn.  To determine if the library has sources for the person you are interested in try a keyword search in The CAT using their name combined with one of the following terms: Letters, Papers, Sources, Correspondence, Diary/Diaries, Archives.

Many personal papers are NOT  published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents.  To identify other libraries that have items of interest consult the guides below.  The Useful Web Sites section of this guide contains links to libraries focusing on Pennsylvania History.

American National Biography Online -- Offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation.

Archival Resources -- Enables searching for archival materials from over 150 institutions. The records contain detailed information about collection contents, organization and accessibility. 

ArchivesUSA -- A subject guide to special collections in archives across the country.  Additional information can be found in the detailed finding aids contained in the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS), Call # MICRO 4 NIDS, News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee.

Texts and other documents are available online for many individuals, from the prominent to the obscure.  Try an Internet Search Engine (e.g. Google.com, AltaVista.com), or ask for Help.

Return to the List of Topics

Biographical Sources

The easiest way to locate a biography is to do a Browse Subject search in The CAT.  Enter the name of the person as a subject.  For autobiographies do an Author search.

Many people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!)  In these cases your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia.   Typically these sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's life and accomplishments.  The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources.  The ones below will get you started. 

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography. Call # F148.E58. Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee. Selected volumes online.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index  An online index to biographies published in biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries on all topics/regions/disciplines.

The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Index,  Call # F146 .P655.  Pattee Stacks Level 1.  An index to topics covered in the magazine, including individuals. Back issues are available online.

Pennsylvania Scrap Book Necrology, (Obituaries from circa 1891-1904, mostly of PA Civil War veterans).

Return to the List of Topics

Pennsylvania Government Documents

The Social Sciences Library, 2nd Floor Paterno, is the main repository of Pennsylvania documents.  The Pennsylvania documents librarian is Stephen Woods (swoods@psu.edu, 814-865-0665), 208 Paterno Library.

PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE:

Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2004 Contains election returns for president, governor, and the state legislators. Includes Legislative Directories listing the members by session from 1682-present.

PA House Journal, 1791-1942.  Call # 328P34, Cato Annex.  Request campus delivery online, or at any circulation desk.

PA Senate Journal, 1804-1942. Call # 328P35, Cato Annex.  Request campus delivery online, or at any circulation desk.

For more see the Pennsylvania Legislative Information Guide.

PENNSYLVANIA LAWS:

Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania, from 1682 to 1801.  Call # KFP25 .A2, Social Sciences Library Legal Alcove, 2nd Floor Paterno.

Statutes At Large. Online version of the public and private laws of Pennsylvania up to 1809.

Laws of Pennsylvania. Call#: KFP25.A3, Social Sciences Library Legal Alcove, 2nd Floor Paterno.

For more see the Pennsylvania Courts Guide, the Pennsylvania Statutes Guide, and the Pennsylvania Regulations Guide. 

Return to the List of Topics

Facts, Dates, and Places

Dictionary of Pennsylvania Historic Places, Call # F150.D53 1998, PA Center for the Book, 201 B Pattee, Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, 5th Floor Paterno.

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania, Call # F147.E52.   Latest edition in PA Center for the Book, 201B Pattee, and Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, 5th Floor Paterno.

Guide to the State Historical Markers of Pennsylvania, Call # F150.B49 2000, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2

National Historic Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania

Online PA Maps & Atlases 

PA History: People, Places, Events, Things

Pennsylvania Facts, Call # F146 .P279, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2

Smull's Legislative Handbook, 1868-1922, Call # JK3630 .A29, Social Sciences Library, 2nd Floor Provides lists of state officials, biographical sketches of legislators, lists of post offices, newspapers, county officials, elections results and more.  Continued by the Pennsylvania Manual, 1923-present.

Return to the List of Topics

Atlases & Maps

The sources below can be found in the Maps Library, Ground Floor Paterno, unless otherwise noted. The Special Collections Library, 1st Floor Paterno also has a good collection of historical maps.

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, Pennsylvania, Call # G1201.F7A8 1996 Pa.

Atlas of Pennsylvania, Call # G1260.A86 1989

Descriptive List of the Map Collection in the Pennsylvania State Archives : Catalogue of Maps in the Principal Map Collection (MG 11), Call # Z6028.P45, Rare Books & Manuscripts Reference Collection, 1st Floor Paterno

Fire Insurance Maps from the Sanborn Map Company, Pennsylvania, Call # FILM D312 and D322a, News and Microforms Library, Ground Floor West Pattee.

Geography of Pennsylvania, Call # F149.8.G46

Map and Blueprint collection : Historical Collections and Labor Archives, Penn State Room, Rare Books Room, Pennsylvania State University Libraries, Call # GA195.P45 1995.

Online PA Maps & Atlases 

Pennsylvania Gazetteer, a Comprehensive Reference to all of the Places in the State, Call # F147.P47 1986

Return to the List of Topics

Useful Web Sites

Many other parts of the guide also contain useful web resources, particularly the Collection of Texts and Images section.  The links below are for general sites that provide starting points for research. 

Penn State History Program at University Park

Unearthing the Past: Student Research on Pennsylvania History -- This site is a collaborative effort between the library and the Penn State History Department. The essays are written by history students at Penn State. Each essay provides an introduction to a unique and interesting episode in Pennsylvania History. Select the primary source documents to read to see historical events through the eyes of people who were there.

Pennsylvania History Online  A collaboration among the four Pennsylvania Statewide Resource Centers: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Free Library of Philadelphia, Penn State University Libraries, and the State Library of Pennsylvania to provide access to historically and culturally important artifacts, images and documents.

Explore PA History  A set of documents and essays centered around PA's state historical markers.

Historic Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania's Documentary Heritage  Created by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission. 

Access Pennsylvania Digital Repository.  A statewide digitization service on behalf of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries using the CONTENTdm software product licensed through OCLC.  The service permits the storage and retrieval of digitized collections created by libraries and other entities located throughout Pennsylvania.

LIBRARIES & RESEARCH COLLECTIONS OF INTEREST

The PA State Library maintains an extensive list of libraries in Pennsylvania

The  Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations maintains a directory of County Historical Societies of Pennsylvania

Return to the List of Topics

Help

Can't Find what you are looking for here? 

Help is Available.   

In-person:  Arts and Humanities Reference Desk, 2nd Floor Pattee.

Telephone:  History Librarian, Eric Novotny, 814-865-1014 

E-mail:  History Librarian, Eric Novotny, ecn1@psu.edu. 

IM: HistoryLibrarian  

For other options, including real-time chat,  see our ASK service page.

Return to the List of Topics

For help or to send comments, email Eric Novotny, Humanities Librarian for History, at ecn1@psu.edu; IM: HistoryLibrarian
last updated: 5/6/08
©2005 The Pennsylvania State University
Privacy and Legal Statements
U.Ed. LIB 05-101