Archives
Our mission and goal of the Bethany Children’s Home Archives is to collect, identify, organize and preserve records and memories of this institution, in an accessible manner – easy to view and use.
To help keep the Boehringer Education Center and Archives (BECA) available, we must charge a small fee for our services. Entrance to the facility is always FREE. Donations are greatly appreciated.
Research Services
$25/hour
Can’t make it to our center? Interested in help with your research? We are happy to help you! For a pre-paid fee, we can investigate materials in our collections and respond to your historical or genealogical research request. We will provide photocopies of primary resources to assist you with your research.
In-house document retrieval services
$15 up to 10 copied pages. $.50 for each additional page.
Digital copy services
$10 up to 10 pages. $.50 for each additional page.
Boehringer Education Center & Archives Hours:
If you are interested in visiting the center, please reach out for an appointment. Entry and exit are at the Welcome Center, parking available at the Center.
Please reach out to:
Dana L. Hoffman
Director of Development
dhoffman@bethanyhome.org
Next Homers Breakfast:
To Be Announced
Goals of the Archives Project
As mentioned above, our mission and goal of the Bethany Children’s Home Archives is to collect, identify, organize and preserve the historical records and memories of Bethany, in an accessible manner – easy to view and use. The Archives are organized and operated in a professional manner, following institutional archival guidelines. All records are available for use by other institutions, researchers, staff members, Alumnus and their families, current residents, and the public at large (based upon a Collections Management Policy).
In our case, the BETHANY CHILDREN’S HOME ARCHIVAL COLLECTION was created and compiled by and for Bethany. Also, it is held internally. However, it is not in singular locations nor fully identified. Within this context, we need to consider the Archives as the historical records of the institution and the companion manuscripts (the historical papers of an individual or family member).
An inventory is an itemized list or catalog of the specific items within the archive. These are numbered and listed as they are entered into the collection. Since only sporadic listings were made of our original holdings, no records exist, so they will be created from scratch – as though they have just arrived in one big delivery. Faced with this jumbled mass of records with no basic documentation, we have grouped them together, creating natural but artificial groups.
Most of the holdings of the Bethany Archives belong to and have been in the custody of the institution, but most have not been properly stored or cared for. However, some have been stored while others were deposited in attics and basements. No one had been delegated the authority or responsible with these records. In conclusion, the records are being retrieved and moved to one location, to be identified, grouped, labeled and preserved.
Explore the Archives
History Timeline
Leadership Timeline
FAQ Archives
Bethany Memorial Trees
Support the Archives Project
Our goal is to preserve and nurture the history and artifacts of Bethany Children’s Home. This year, our focus is on moving the historical files to new cabinets, digitizing records, and creating a living history through videos of Bethany.
Alumni are encouraged to contact the Office of Development at (610) 589-6828 to schedule a time for us to record your personal experiences at Bethany.
Bethany would like to find and negotiate the return of some of the older materials sold off during the auction of items from the Administration and Santee Buildings and the old schoolhouse.
Our orgainzation is consolidating the oldest records found on campus including financial records since the late 1800’s, the Alumni Records from Frick Cottage; and we are working to create an updated history of Bethany since the Ray Vandevere book.
We greatly appreciate any of the following in support of the Archives Project:
- Any photographs, artifacts, books, and documents related to Bethany
- Your written and financial support to Bethany Children’s Home for the Archives and the Archives Project.
- Donations of archival quality supplies. Please call for more information.
Enjoy a presentation by Archivist Emeritus Carl Bloss on Bethany’s history:
Archives Newsletters
2021 September Newsletter
Please enjoy the above presentation by Archivist Emeritus Carl Bloss.
Get In Contact With Us
Mailing Address
Bethany Children's Home
P.O. Box 93
Womelsdorf, PA 19567
Contact Us
Phone: (610) 589-4501
Fax: (610) 589-5771
Email: info@bethanyhome.org
To make a referral to any of our group home programs, please email Bethany at bethanyreferral@ bethanyhome.org.
For employment inquiries, email LBracken@bethanyhome.org.
Learn how you can make an impact at Bethany!