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Collections Management

Our Collections

Beaver's Attic: Permanent Collection a Resource for Educators, Scholars,
Writers and the Merely Curious

The museum's permanent collection of 8,000 artifacts keeps growing in meaningful ways and is of interest to educators, scholars, writers and filmmakers. The work is managed by a “regular crew” of volunteers who meet every week. The donations are scanned, labeled and catalogued in two searchable databases, and then preserved carefully to await future inquiry. Among the specialty themes of the collection are:

Appointments , Certificates, Deeds, Diplomas – Papers related to the appointments of political and civic minded individuals and certificates for roles in the town or the county, many of which are no longer in use. Includes deeds for such notables as Agnew, Fisher, Leet and Lacock. The diplomas are largely related to the Greenlee and the Walton families.

Authors and Writers – material regarding Rudyard Kipling's 1889 visit to Beaver as well as books and articles penned by local writers, including Priit Vesilind of the National Geographic .

Beaver Area School District – Materials related to school facilities, faculty, locations, various buildings and graduates such as photos, letters, diplomas, catalogs, football and musical programs; virtually all Shingas yearbooks since 1909.

Beaver Landmarks – Documentation of stores, buildings and houses that may still be located in the town, in the form of photos, deeds, wills, property transfers, letters and memorabilia.

Beaver Bicentennial – Materials related to the planning and carrying out of the celebration in 2002

Beaver Boro – Extensive archive of Beaver Boro materials: minutes, photographs, facilities and personnel.

Beaver College & Musical Institute – One of our larger, more complete collections is related to Beaver College: photos, diplomas, receipts, stock holdings, and records related to staff and various name changes.

Beaver Organizations – Many groups have deposited their archives here to be properly preserved, such as fundraisers, plays, membership, maps, handbooks, letters and photos. Among them are the Women's Club, Junior Women's Club, Rotary Club, Century Club, Scouts, Field Club and churches. Rotary's archive includes member lists, minutes, pins, receipts and news articles.

Beaver Terrace Land Company – Two boxes of records, receipts and maps related to this company

Bridgewater – Records of businesses no longer operating in Bridgewater, such as Mulheim. Includes records of floods in 1884, 1913, 1936 and 1954.

Brighton Township – Records related to the farming background of Brighton Township and Morgan Carriage Works near the Brighton Township Little Red Schoolhouse.

Brkich, Amber – Memorabilia related to Brighton Township's Amber Brkich, winner of CBS Survivor All Star in 2004.

Butler Family Scrapbooks – Scrapbooks from the family of track star Bill Butler and his teammates, coach and family in the form of letters, newspaper articles, invitations, papers and ledgers, in addition to 35 trophies and medals.

Canal Records - Two boxes of records, newspaper articles, photos and drawings related to the construction and the uses for the Canal.

Cemeteries – Beaver and Clark Park - A nearly complete listing of the 700 individuals who rest in the “Old” Beaver Cemetery along with considerable data about them and their families; includes photographs of nearly all of the headstones that were removed in the early 1960s.

Churches – We attempt to keep records such as photos, membership rolls, newspaper articles, letters, programs for plays and various fundraisers, and information related to ministers such as Rev. Joshua Monroe.

County Courthouse – There have been five courts and four courthouse buildings in Beaver. We have material related to each one. The Heritage Foundation, as an integral part of the new courthouse dedication, has keepsakes from the day.

Curtiss-Wright/Westinghouse – Documentation of the plant's vital role in the growth of the region, and as a place of employment in Vanport, as it supplied war efforts.

Davis, Robert Ogden – A noted Beaver Republican Legislator; we have his diploma, letters of appointment and letters of congratulations, newspaper articles and the map file from his office

Faulk, Norman – A noted attorney and historian. He passed on many of his memoirs to us.

Fort McIntosh Bank – Photos going back to the beginnings of Fort McIntosh Bank such as receipts, letters and various historical documents as well as news articles.

Fort McIntosh Site – The site of Fort McIntosh will always be a reminder of what Revolutionary patriots believed in and fought for. We have most of the 80,000 artifacts unearthed during 1970s archaeology as well as significant documentation of the fort and its significance to the development of the nation. Our archive of Gen. Lachlan McIntosh includes engraved portraits and an original letter written from Fort McIntosh.

Galey Family – The John Galey family played a large part in our knowledge of the area in the early to mid 1900s. We have an extensive collection related to family life in this time.

Glass Lantern Images – 164 original glass images depicting Beaver College and local landmarks, all cleaned, repaired and digitally copied.

Heritage Foundation and Museum - Information related to projects, events, people and places related to the history of the Heritage Foundation.

Houses by Mail – A series of slides of Beaver Area homes delivered and built by Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Landmarks – A collection related to local landmarks such as the Beaver County Jail and the Beaver Fairground.

Legal Community – Documentation of Beaver's role as the county seat and center of legal justice, including printed legal opinions from the 19th century, and reprints of speeches given by Daniel Agnew, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Letters – About 75 letters not related to anyone or anything significantly specific but telling of the times in which the writers were living.

Linn, Mayor Robert - Guinness Book of World Records holder as the longest serving Mayor (1946-2004), several hundred significant artifacts such as photos from his youth, letters, newspaper articles, awards, plaques, official seal as Mayor, campaign memorabilia, medals, and awards and commendations.

Log House – Growing collection of material regarding our reconstructed log house, such as the story behind its discovery, donation, storage, reconstruction and current use.

Medicine - Documentation of Beaver's flourishing medical practitioners, including personal history, photographs, letters, receipts, bank book, and medical equipment of Dr. Melvern M. Mackall, a longtime physician with a practice at 381 Third Street.

Maps – Old maps of Beaver and local railroads.

Mementos – Extensive collection of buttons, pins, buckles, commemorative plates, ceremonial artifacts, trade symbols, combs, shoehorns, license plates, emblems, bottles, letter openers, commemorative envelopes, tickets, towels, pom-poms, mugs, candy dishes, ornaments, reproductions of buildings, paperweights, key chains and banks.

Military – Posters, letters, uniforms, ration stamps, programs, postage stamps, news stories, photos.

Mulheim Family – The Mulheims owned a dry goods store in Bridgewater. We have scrapbooks, photos, letters, cards, postcards, receipts, contracts, recipes, and news articles.

Museum Objects – Three-dimensional artifacts such as the dolly and wagon used when the museum was a railroad freight station. Includes Boro artifacts placed here for safe-keeping such as a water fountain and original log “water pipe”; a barstool from the original Wooden Angel; and chutes used by Cook-Anderson for coal delivery to homes.

Music – Collection of music related objects such as a conductor's baton, drum from the high school; record albums by local notables and books written by local musicians.

Newspapers – Hundreds of individual newspapers and tabloids with stories related to a person or event in Beaver, plus bound editions of the Beaver County Times spanning several decades.

Photo and Postcard Albums – Six albums of photos and postcards, ranging from personal and organization photos, to houses, buildings, farms, pets, floods, tornadoes, military personnel and businesses long gone: Snitger's store, Churm's store, Cook-Anderson Lumber Co. and Cook-Anderson builders, Anderson's Furniture and Appliance Store.

Quay, Matthew Stanley - U.S. Senator who was perhaps Beaver's most famous citizen. We have 50 original, vintage newspaper articles, statues, pamphlets, books, political flyers, political satire cartoons and prints.

Railroad – Memorabilia includes photographs, novelty items, historic postcards, booklets, pocket watches, letters – related to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad and other lines – including research by Wayne Cole, a well-known authority and author.

Scott Family – Tells the story of a pioneer Brighton Township family from 1786-1953 in letters; deeds, wills, photographs receipts, news articles, certificates and personal items. 1,000+ letters and other priceless artifacts are in this fabulous collection.

Sports – Memorabilia of sports teams including the Knee-High team and high school football, basketball, track and swimming stars, including medals, programs, newspaper stories, jackets, equipment.

Vanport – The Vanport records are not as complete as we would like. We have a small count of books, novelties, bicentennial information and novelties, banners, news stories and plaques.

For more information, please contact info@beaverheritage.org.

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