Friends Historical Library

06/24/2026

Before ends, we want to take a moment to tell you about our Q***r Quaker Digital Archives project.

Bill Kreidler (1952–2000) was a teacher, writer, and activist whose work spanned education, nonviolence, conflict resolution, and LGBTQ+ advocacy from the 1970s to early 2000s. An active Quaker, Kreidler was a founding member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting - Quakers, and clerked Friends for Le***an and Gay Concerns (FLGC).

Last summer FHL digitized over a dozen audiocassettes from Kreidler as part of our Q***r Quaker Digital Archives project. Many of these are speeches he gave at Quaker gatherings, including FLGC, New York Yearly Meeting - NYYM and New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, and Friends General Conference.

https://digitalcollections.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/collections/kreidler?items_per_page=50&sort_order=ASC&sort_by=field_edtf_date_created

06/12/2026

There is one week left to apply - deadline is June 19th. Apply now! Good luck from us 🍀

The Friends Historical Association is pleased to offer funding to support contributions to the field of Quaker history. There are three grant opportunities: projects, publication subventions, and research funds. All opportunities run on the same cycle, and applications are due 19 June 2026. Details....

03/24/2026

We're looking forward to this event! Hope to see you there

Register now for the 2026 Friends Historical Association Spring Event!

On May 3 at 1:00 PM, we invite you to join us for a guided tour of Stenton, the Logan Family Home, located at 4601 N 18th St in Philadelphia PA.

In addition to touring the house, we will also have a chance to hear from their curator, Laura Keim, about Stenton’s ongoing research initiative, "Wrestling with Justice: Quakers and Northern Slavery." A transformative Pew-Funded project, “Wrestling with Justice” reinterprets the site by challenging the misconceptions that slavery existed solely in the American South and that Quakers were universally abolitionists. At Stenton, the Logan family enslaved, indentured, and manumitted people. This exhibit encourages visitors to reflect on the complex history of Quakers and slavery, and the legacies of this history in the present day.

Please visit the 2026 Spring Event on our website for more information and to register: https://www.quakerhistory.org/2026-spring-event

03/16/2026

Friendly reminder that the application deadline of March 31 is approaching. We'd love to have you come research with us!

Calling all scholars of Quaker history, Peace history, and allied topics! Swarthmore College Special Collections is now accepting applications for our Moore Research Fellowship for the 2026-2027 cycle.

The Margaret W. Moore and John M. Moore Research Fellowship promotes research during the academic year or summer months using the resources of the Friends Historical Library and/or the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, providing a stipend of $1,500-$6,000 to support such research. Applications are due March 31, 2026.

Please share this announcement with all who might be interested. More details and application instructions are here: https://www.swarthmore.edu/libraries/research-funding

01/29/2026

Calling all scholars of Quaker history, Peace history, and allied topics! Swarthmore College Special Collections is now accepting applications for our Moore Research Fellowship for the 2026-2027 cycle.

The Margaret W. Moore and John M. Moore Research Fellowship promotes research during the academic year or summer months using the resources of the Friends Historical Library and/or the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, providing a stipend of $1,500-$6,000 to support such research. Applications are due March 31, 2026.

Please share this announcement with all who might be interested. More details and application instructions are here: https://www.swarthmore.edu/libraries/research-funding

11/24/2025

Here are some nice pics and info from our wonderful event last weekend, in case you missed it

11/17/2025

Wanted to make sure our followers saw this call for proposals...we are super excited about this conference!

11/04/2025

This is going to be such a great event. We're thrilled to be participating.

Our FINAL fall event!

In two weeks, The Poquessing Trail of History is hosting an afternoon symposium inspired by a book collection that has been hiding in Byberry for almost 200 years...

WHAT WAS PURVIS READING?
Saturday, November 15, 2025
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Byberry Friends Meeting
3001 Byberry Road Philadelphia, PA 19154

Discover the reading habits of Philadelphia Black abolitionist and Underground Railroad leader Robert Purvis (1810-1898), based on the historic Byberry Library Company book collection and circulation records.

View actual books Purvis checked out from the Byberry Library Company, participate in a “scavenger hunt” to find additional Purvis books, and tour the historic Byberry Library and 1808 Byberry Friends Meeting House.

More info and free registration:
https://preservationalliance.com/all_events/what-was-purvis-reading/

10/28/2025

More press for our collaboration with 1838 Black Metropolis!

1838 Black Metropolis and Swarthmore College have partnered to compare two censuses taken of Philly's free Black community in the mid-19th century.

10/27/2025

We're thrilled to announce that the next CQHA (Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists) will be June 12-14, 2026 at Haverford College in Suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! ✨

The Call for Proposals will be released shortly! 📨

(image: roger4336, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)