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The Bronx County Historical Society

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The Bronx County Historical Society
AbbreviationBCHS
Named afterCounty and borough of the Bronx
Established1955; 69 years ago (1955)
FoundersBurt Gumpert, Joseph Duffy, Theodore Schliessman, Fred E.J. Kracke, John McNamara, Ronald Schliessman, Theodore Kazimiroff, and Vincent Hunt
Legal statusprivate, non-profit
Purposeeducational and cultural
Headquarters3309 Bainbridge Avenue, The Bronx, NY 10467
Location
CEO
Gary Hermalyn
Bronx Historian
Llyod Ultan
CAO
Teresa Brown
Curator Emerita
Kathleen A. McCauley
PublicationThe Bronx County Historical Society Journal
SubsidiariesMuseum of Bronx History, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, The Bronx County Archives
AffiliationsHistoric House Trust, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,
Websitebronxhistoricalsociety.org

The Bronx County Historical Society is a private non-profit organization that collects and disseminates historical material and information about the New York City borough of the Bronx.

The Society collects items such as books, reports, photographs, objects, and other artifacts about The Bronx as well as archival records documenting groups and individuals in the borough. It provides information to thousands of people each year through its Research Library and The Bronx County Archives, by mail and over the phone, and via digital communication.[1] The Society also works with the Bronx Library Center and branch libraries in sharing these resources. The Bronx County Historical Society planned to start their digitization project in 2017.[2][3]

The Society honors Bronx High School valedictorians with an annual awards ceremony held at the Museum for Bronx History.[4] The Society is also the largest publisher of books and articles about the Bronx and produces the oldest continuously published historical periodical in New York City, The Bronx County Historical Society Journal.

The Bronx County Historical Society's research library at 3309 Bainbridge Avenue (far left) and The Bronx County Archives at 3313 Bainbridge Avenue (far right)
Some of the books published by The Bronx County Historical Society

The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library

The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library is the only facility in New York City solely dedicated to the collection, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of The Bronx. The diverse materials in its collections document the growth and development of The Bronx from its early days as part of Westchester County in the seventeenth century, through its annexation to the City of New York in the nineteenth century, and up to the present.

The Research Library houses over 7,000 books, directories, pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals, a growing number of which now also exist in digital formats, as well as more than 200 atlases and sheet maps. Its extensive Photograph Collection is comprised of 30,000 photographs and slides, which include around 3,000 rare and vivid nineteenth- and early twentieth-century glass negatives; and 1,600 postcards, which primarily depict early twentieth-century Bronx scenes. The Research Library also has a sizable A/V Collection, which contains more than 200 audio cassettes, 300 reel-to-reel tapes, 150 phonograph records, and 200 video cassettes and DVDs. Finally, the Research Library's unique Vertical File Collection includes more than 400,000 newspaper clippings and other print ephemera on a comprehensive variety of Bronx subjects.

The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library is open by appointment 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays. For more information about visiting the Research Library, see bronxhistoricalsociety.org/research-appointments/.

Partnerships and special projects

The Bronx County Historical Society is a joint sponsor with Fordham University's Department of African and African American Studies of the Bronx African American History Project.[5][6] Over 230 oral histories have been done so far, four major archival collections accessioned, and many books, articles, and exhibitions have been produced.[7] The oral histories are being cataloged at the Bronx Archives Building.[8]

In 2010, the Society launched the Bronx Latino History Project, which highlights Latinos who lived or contributed to the Bronx throughout its history.[9][10] Because the Latino population is the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the borough since the mid-20th century (comprising more than half of the county's population), the Society’s education department is continuing the process of increasing its collections to reflect the Bronx's ethnic diversity.[11]

Inside the Bronx County archives
Glover's Rock, Pelham Bay Park: "Near this site on October 12, 1776 Col. John Glover and 600 patriots held off British and Hessian forces under Gen Howe long enough to save Washington's troops from destruction, enabling them to withdraw to Westchester and ultimate victory. Bronx County Historical Society 1960"

Official historians of the Bronx

See also

References

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Zoe. "In Photos: Exploring the Bronx County Historical Society's Hidden Archives". Curbed New York. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Clarke, Erin. "Bronx Historical Society to be Revamped, Jump into the Future". Time Warner Cable News. Time Warner Cable News. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  3. ^ Cruz, David. "BCHS Embarks on Digital Preservation of Relics" (PDF). Norwood News. Norwood News. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bronx County Historical Honors Top Students". Bronx Times. June 17–23, 2010.
  5. ^ Wall, Patrick (April 5, 2013). "Ten Year Project Records Story of Blacks in the Bronx". DNA Info. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "Bronx African American History Project". Fordham University. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, David (October 22, 2004). "Lost and Found: An Era in The Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  8. ^ "Bronx Jazz Scene Back in Swing at Historical Society". Norwood News. December 14, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Samuels, Tanyanika (October 18, 2011). "Injecting life into Bronx's Latino history". The New York Daily News. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  10. ^ "Bronx Latino Project Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month". News 12 The Bronx. September 16, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "QuickFacts - Bronx County (Bronx Borough), New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  12. ^ Thomas, Robert Mcg. Jr. (January 20, 1997). "Dr. William A. Tieck, Minister And a Bronx Historian, 89". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  13. ^ Bell, Blake A. "Historic Pelham: Mysterious Rock Construction on Two Trees Island Off the Shores of Pelham". Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Hellman, Geoffrey T. (March 21, 1953). "Bronx Historian". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  15. ^ "The Bronx African American History Project staff". fordham.edu. Fordham University. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
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