Historical Collections and Labor Archives

The Historical Collections and Labor Archives (HCLA) since 1958 has collected and cataloged a variety of primary sources on Pennsylvania and U.S. industrial society. Unless restricted by donors, these collections are open to research by students, scholars, and members of the public.

HCLA has approximately four hundred individual groups of archival records and manuscript collections and many additional oral histories, photographs, newspapers, leaflets, pamphlets, sound recordings, microfilms, movie films, maps, and posters dating from 1650 to the 1980s. Additional historical sources on Pennsylvania and Centre County can be found in the University Libraries' Rare Books and Manuscripts and Penn State University Archives. Selected Finding Aids are available online.

Pennsylvania Business and History

Documents on Pennsylvania's core industries, firms, and entrepreneurs form one significant group of HCLA's collections. There are account books dating from the mid-eighteenth century for several charcoal iron furnaces; correspondence of steel magnates and executives Andrew Carnegie, Charles Schwab, and William B. Dickson; business records for nineteenth- and twentieth-century anthracite and bituminous coal firms; and records for the Pennsylvania Railroad's Central Division and numerous subsidiary railroads. The letters and papers of prominent efficiency engineer Harrington Emerson also contain rich information on business operations. New collections on the enterprises that made Pennsylvania an industrial titan are being added through the Corporate Records Program, a concerted effort to preserve business documents of significant companies.

Eighth Air Force Archive

The Eighth Air Force Archive acquires and preserves original primary source documentation and reference materials devoted to the history of this important strategic bombing group during World War II, and the role that 8th Air Force veterans played in defeating the Axis powers. The Archive also collects records of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society, documenting the Society's relationship with various state 8th Air Force veteran's groups, and other World War II era combat, aviation and support organizations active in preserving the historical legacy of "The Mighty Eighth," through publications, reunions and the building of war memorials.

Labor History

HCLA's holdings on the labor movement trace the continuous effort by working men and women to win dignity and prosperity. Records of unions include minute books, executive board documents, and office files for important organizations, including the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers, Pennsylvania Federation of Labor, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers of America, Amalgamated Lithographers of America, and the International Photoengravers Union. There are also collections of records for many local unions and central labor bodies in Pennsylvania.

HCLA has personal papers for several notable labor leaders from the United Steelworkers and United Mine Workers, including Philip Murray, David J. McDonald, I. W. Abel, Clinton S. Golden, and William Mitch. Letters, diaries, reports, and photographs from several union organizers and staff members are included in the labor materials.

United Steelworkers of America Archive and Oral History Collection

In 1967, HCLA became the official repository for the historical records of the United Steelworkers of America. Since then, this body of material has grown to 2,750 cubic feet of records, plus thousands of additional items. The archive has documents from the union's national headquarters, district and sub-district offices, and local unions; publications, newsletters, and newspapers; photographs; and movie film. Complementing the Steelworkers' official records are nearly two hundred oral histories of former union officers, staff members, and rank and file activists. Each interview has been transcribed and indexed.

Notable Pennsylvanians

The lives of many fascinating individuals can be studied in other HCLA collections. The letters of Governors James A. Beaver and William W. Scranton, the architectural photographs of Fay S. Lincoln, the manuscripts of pioneer sociologists Jessie and Luther Bernard, the musical scores of Charles W. Cadman, and the confidential reports of narcotics expert Harry J. Anslinger provide a variety of choices for research within this group of material. Experiences of Civil War soldiers are described in a number of collections of letters and diaries, including a large group of material on the 100th Pennsylvania Volunteers (the Mary Gyla McDowell collection).

Jack Rabin Collection on Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists

The Jack Rabin Collection on Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists is a compact but highly complex, multi-layered compilation of documents, sound recordings, and visual images. Some of its components, including copies of records of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and many hours of oral history of the renowned civil liberties lawyer Clifford Durr, support or complement major holdings in other American archives; archival interrelationships are noted below. Other components of the Rabin Collection are unique and of considerable historic significance. Parts of the collection can be viewed on-line and through the Guide to the Jack Rabin Collection on Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists.

Access to Collections

HCLA welcomes all researchers to examine its collections. A small number of the collections are restricted, however, and those planning to visit should contact HCLA in advance for information about the materials they wish to see.

Researchers may learn more about individual collections by requesting HCLA's finding aids. Summary information on many collections is available from Penn State's University Libraries' on-line catalog (LIAS "The CAT") and the Library of Congress's National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. Researchers may also find descriptions of HCLA collections in two national bibliographic databases: the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) and the On-line Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC). Selected Finding Aids are available online. HCLA participated in the Making of America II Testbed Project to scan images from selected collections and make them available from one server at the University of California, Berkeley in a distributed environment. For more information contact James P. Quigel jpq1@psulias.psu.edu (814) 865-7931.

Services

Photocopies of documents can be made on the premises, with permission from the staff. Copies of photographs and oversize material can also be obtained from facilities at Penn State.

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