List of libraries in 19th-century Philadelphia

The following is a list of libraries located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, active in the 19th century. Included are public libraries, academic libraries, medical libraries, church libraries, government libraries, circulating libraries, and subscription libraries.

A

Academy of Natural Sciences
Agnes Irwin's School
Almshouse library
American Baptist Historical Society
American Baptist Publication Society
American Catholic Historical Society
American Entomological Society
American Institute of Architects, Philadelphia Chapter
American Philosophical Society (est. 1743).
American Sunday-School Union
Apprentices' Library Company
Athenaeum of Philadelphia

B

Baptist Historical Society
George E. Blake's circulating library
Board of Missions of Presbyterian Church
Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies
Broad Street Academy Library
Brotherhead's Circulating Library
Burd Orphan Asylum
Byberry Library

C

Carpenters' Company
Catholic Philopatrian Society
Central High School
Chalk's Circulating Library, North Third St.
Challen's Circulating Library
Chase's Circulating Library
Chestnut Hill Free Library
Chestnut St. Female Seminary
Christ Church Hospital
Christ Church Library
Christian Hall Library Company
Church of the Holy Apostle, Sunday School Library
College Avenue Anat. School
College of Physicians of Philadelphia
College of St. Thomas of Villa Nova
Colored Reading Society
Controllers of Public Schools Library
Edward Corfield's circulating library

D

Disston Library
Drexel Institute Library (est.1891)

E

Eastburn Academy Library
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eclectic Medical College
Edwin Forrest Home
Engineers Club
Episcopal Library and Reading Room

F

Female Medical College
Florence Lit. Inst. and Library
Franklin Institute
Franklin Library Association
Free Circulating Library for the Blind
Free Library of Philadelphia (est.1891, opened 1894). Main branch located in City Hall (1894), then in Concert Hall (1895–1910)
- College Settlement branch
- Evening Home branch
- West Philadelphia branch
Free Reading-Room Association of Spring Garden
Friends' Asylum for the Insane
Friends' Library
Friends' Observatory

G

George Institute
German Society of Pennsylvania
Germantown Library
Girard College
Paul Girard's French Circulating Library
Girl's Normal School Library
Grand Army Republic, Post No.2
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania F.A.A.M.
D. Guillemet's French Circulating Library

H

Hahnemann Medical College
Harwood's Circulating Library
Hebrew Literature Society
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Home Teaching and Free Circulating Library for the Blind
Homoeopathic Medical College
House of Refuge
Hirst Free Law Library

I

Institute for Colored Youth
Institution for the Blind
Institution for Deaf and Dumb
Irish Library of the Cathedral

J

James Page Library Company
Jefferson Medical College

K

Kensington Literary Institute (est.1853)

L

La Salle College
Law Association of Philadelphia
Leopold's Circulating Library
Library and Reading Room Association of 23rd Ward (est.1857)
Library Association of Friends
Library Company of Colored Persons
Library Company of Philadelphia (est. 1731), also called the Philadelphia Library
- Ridgway Branch
Library of Foreign Classical Literature and Science
Library of the Four Monthly Meetings of Friends
Lovett Memorial Free Library

M

Mantua Academy
Mariners' Church Library for Seamen
Sarah McDonald's circulating library, S. 11th St.
Mechanics' Institute of Southwark
Medical Institute of Philadelphia
Medico-Chirurgical College
Memorial Free Library (Mount Airy)
Mercantile Library Company
Ann Miller's circulating library
Moyamensing Literary Institute (est.1852)
Mutual Library Co.

N

New Church Book Association
North Broad Street Select School
Northern Dispensary of Philadelphia
Northern Home
Northern Liberties Franklin Library
Northern Liberties Library and Reading Room Co. (est.1830)
Numismatic and Antiquarian Society

O

Odd Fellows' Library

P

Page Library
Peirce College of Business
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania College, Medical Dept.
Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Pennsylvania Hospital Medical Library
Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane
Pennsylvania Institution for Deaf and Dumb
Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society
Philadelphia Board of Trade
Philadelphia City Institute
The Philadelphia Club Library
Philadelphia College of Dental Surgery
Philadelphia College of Medicine
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Philadelphia County Prison
Philadelphia Divinity School
Philadelphia Hospital Library
Philadelphia Library Association of Colored Brethren
Philadelphia Maritime Exchange
Philadelphia Museum library
Philadelphia Public Library (est.1892), administered by the city Board of Education. Also called City Library
- Branch no.1: Montgomery Ave. and 17th St.
- Branch no.2: Broad and Federal St.
- Branch no.3: Frankfort Ave.
- Branch no.4: Roxboro
- Branch no.5: West Philadelphia Institute, 40th St.
- Branch no.6: Main St. and Chelten Ave., Germantown
Philadelphia School of Anatomy
Philadelphia Seminary
Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture
Philadelphia Turngemeinde
Philips' Circulating Library, Third St.
John Phillips' circulating library, South Fourth St.
Polytechnic College
Mrs. S. Potts' circulating library, Walnut St.
Presbyterian Board of Publication
Presbyterian Historical Society
Presbyterian Home for Widows and Single Women
Public Library for People of Color

R

Roxborough Lyceum

S

St. Joseph's College
St. Timothy's Workingmen's Club and Institute
Seamen's and Landsmen's Aid Society
Shallus's Circulating Library
Social Art Club
Society of Students' library
Southwark Library Company (est.1822)
Spring Garden Institute (est.1835)

T

Teachers' Institute of Philadelphia
Theological Seminary (Mount Airy)
Theological Seminary Reformed Presbyterian Church
Theological Seminary St. Charles of Boromeo
Three Monthly Meetings of Friends

U

Union Circulating Library
Union League Library
United States Mint
United States Naval Home
United States Navy Yard
Universal Peace Union
University of Pennsylvania
- Furness Library
- Law Department
- Medical Department

W

Wagner Free Institute of Science
Walnut St. Female Seminary
West Philadelphia Institute
Western Library Association of Philadelphia (est.1854)
Wills Hospital
Wilson's Circulating Library, South 11th St.
Wistar Medical College
Women's Christian Association
Women's Hospital

Y

YMCA Philadelphia
Young Men's Institute

References

C.E. Peterson (1951). "The Library Hall: Home of the Library Company of Philadelphia, 1790-1880". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 95: 266–285. ISBN 9781422381724.
^ William Jones Rhees (1859), Manual of Public Libraries, Institutions, and Societies, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., OCLC 3991453, OL 6937678M
^ Weston Flint (1893), "(Philadelphia)", Statistics of Public Libraries in the United States and Canada, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, hdl:2027/mdp.39015034099997
^ "Politics and Statistics: Pennsylvania", New England Magazine, September 1833, hdl:2027/pst.000020215293
^ William E. Meehan (1896), Rand McNally and Company's Handy Guide to Philadelphia and Environs, NY: Rand McNally and Company
J.F. Lewis (1924), History of the Apprentices' Library of Philadelphia 1820-1920, the Oldest Free Circulating Library in America, Philadelphia, OCLC 626688{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, Philadelphia: A. McElroy & Co., 1837, OCLC 81524238, OL 24395626M
^ Taylor, ed. (1893), City of Philadelphia as it Appears in the Year 1893, Philadelphia: Trade League of Philadelphia; Geo. S. Harris & Sons, hdl:2027/nyp.33433081788949
^ Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
^ Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 1865
Philadelphia Inquirer, February 26, 1864
^ Elizabeth McHenry (2007). "'An Association of Kindred Spirits': Black Readers and their Reading Rooms". Institutions of Reading: the Social Life of Libraries in the United States. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 9781558495906.
McElroy's Philadelphia Directory. 1843.
^ Civic Club Digest of the Educational & Charitable Institutions & Societies in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, 1895{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
"Free Library of Philadelphia", The Citizen, vol. 1, no. 9, Philadelphia: American Society for the Extension of University Teaching, November 1895, hdl:2027/nyp.33433075994610
"History". Walnut Street West. Free Library of Philadelphia. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
"Horner Memorial Library". German Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 11, 1867
Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1867
"Drexel University College of Medicine History". Retrieved December 20, 2010.
"TU Law History". Temple Univ. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
Hirst is sometimes spelled "Hurst"
^ James G. Barnwell (April 1900), "Proprietary Libraries in Philadelphia", Library Journal, 25, hdl:2027/mdp.39015036908088
Ridgway is sometimes spelled "Ridgeway"
^ McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, Philadelphia: A. McElroy & Co., 1839
^ Boyd's Philadelphia Blue Book. Philadelphia: C.E. Howe Co. 1890–1891.
James Mease (1811). Picture of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: B. & T. Kite.
Karen Nipps (Spring 1991). "Ann Shallus's Circulating Library". Journal of Library History. 26 (4): 608–610. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
^ "Public Libraries in the United States", Library Journal, 12, January 1887, hdl:2027/mdp.39015036908666
The City of Philadelphia as it Appears in the Year 1894. G.S. Harris & Sons.

Misplaced Pages

List of libraries in 19th-century Philadelphia

See also

References

Further reading