American Baptist Historical Society Dedicates the American Baptist Samuel Colgate Historical Library & Archives Center
Link To AB Historical Society's Web Site
The Historical Society's new home on the Atlanta campus of Mercer University is the fifth home for the collections since the Society was founded in 1853. The move consolidated the Archives Center, which was located at Valley Forge, PA, and held the archives of the mission societies of ABC USA as well as the Baptist World Alliance, with the Society's merged collections with the Samuel Colgate Historical Baptist Library in Rochester, NY.
"Now all the collections in our care are on one floor and under one roof!" said ABHS Executive Director Deborah Van Broekhoven.
After tours of the new facility, including the basketball court-sized compact shelving unit, provided by partners Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, when ABHS was in Rochester, and moved and rebuilt by Mercer University, a panel discussion of historians from across the country shared stories of Baptist history from their research and life experience, continuing the discussion of why Baptist history matters.
Said the Rev. Dr. Albert P.Brinson, Atlanta native, co-chairman of ABHS's History Matters capital campaign, and retired national ABC staff member, "This is a special moment. That now, here in Atlanta, we celebrate the open house of the largest center for Baptist history. And we are a part of this Baptist history. So Atlanta celebrates. .
Founded in 1853, the American Baptist Historical Society holds the largest and most diverse collection of Baptist materials in the world. Focused on Baptists in the United States, the collections include the personal papers of prominent Baptists, minutes from Baptist associations from the early 1700s to the present representing many different Baptist denominations, archives of the mission societies of the American Baptist Churches, USA, Danish Baptists and Free Will Baptists, the archives of the Baptist World Alliance, local church records, missionary and church artifacts, and newspapers and magazines representing the worldwide Baptist press.
Please click the link below to view the video presentation from the Dedication Celebration: