Church Archives Have Stories to Tell

Archivists from four DC churches—dating to the city’s early years—tell why their collections are valuable and explore how to save them.

Why do researchers often overlook church archives when trying to tease out the stories of the past? After all, churches represent some of DC’s oldest institutions—they might even be called our oldest grass-roots organizations. And how can we ensure that these treasure troves are preserved and made accessible to church members and researchers?

In this virtual program on March 2, 2022, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, archivists from four churches in four different DC neighborhoods will explore these questions, describe the state of their collections, and highlight some of their holdings:

· All Souls Unitarian in Columbia Heights, founded in 1821
· Riverside Baptist in Southwest, founded in 1857
· First Baptist, Georgetown, founded in 1862
· Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church of Christ in Shaw, founded in 1869 and closed in 2018

In addition, they will discuss some of the challenges they face (or faced) in running an all-volunteer operation, often with limited resources. Derek Gray, of the People’s Archives at the Martin Luther King DC Public Library will moderate the panel and help determine next steps. If you are a researcher with an interest in Washington, DC or a member of a church wondering about the preservation of its history, this program is for you.

Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sc-ytrDgvHNUxAOctDSueFcyxQJ6E9R0J

Meeting link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89145523561