Congregational Library & Archives

Pilgrim Congregational Church, Des Moines, IA. A sticker on the back indicates the photo was sent in 1909 to “The Congregationalist” at 14 Beacon Street, Boston. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

Freshman Class of Yankton College, Yankton, SD. Founded in 1881, Yankton was a liberal arts college affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

Portrait of Rev. Lemuel Haynes (1753–1833). Haynes was ordained in 1785 as the first Black Congregational minister. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

Applications for our 2026-2027 research fellowships are now open, and we'd love to have you join us to work on your project at 14 Beacon!

Visit https://congregationallibrary.org/fellowships to explore opportunities for academic and non-academic researchers.

Due to popular demand, we have added an ADDITIONAL virtual Christmas with the Puritans event on Tuesday, December 16th from 1-2:30 pm EST. All the information you need to register is on our website at https://congregationallibrary.org/events/christmas-puritans

The Congregational Home Missionary Society, pictured at the Massachusetts State House while commemorating the 75th anniversary of their founding in 1901. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

Pieterskerk (Saint Peter's Church), Leiden, Netherlands. c1928. This was the pulpit of John Robinson, leader of the Pilgrims, while they were living in Holland. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

TODAY: Join us on Zoom at 1 pm EST for a virtual book talk with Dr. Edward E. Andrews on his new book "Newport Gardner's Anthem."

Registration is free and open to all via our website: https://congregationallibrary.org/events/newport-gardners-anthem

First Congregational Church & Parsonage, Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. 1882-6. These prints were sold for $1 to support “one of the most elevated (6240 ft.) parsonages in the US.” | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

This Giving Tuesday, let Rev. Dr. Maxwell Grant, Chair of our Board of Directors, share how your support can help us preserve the Congregational story; amplify new voices; and inspire scholars, students, and history enthusiasts.

Partner with us today at congregationallibrary.org/donate

Original Reading Room at Congregational House, early 1900s. You can see the largely unchanged room today on a visit to the Congregational Library & Archives. | 25 Days of Congregational history for Christmas 🎄

Explore our Image Catalog online anytime: https://ow.ly/A5LM50XzWXr

In this post-Thanksgiving letter sent 250 years ago today, Rev. John Cleaveland asked his son, Dr. Parker Cleaveland (who was serving as a surgeon in the Continental Army), to buy some rattan cloth and send it to him in Ipswich as soon as possible.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving from 14 Beacon!

As our friends from the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches urge us in their 2025 Thanksgiving Proclamation, "let our hearts be filled with deep and abiding thankfulness."

It’s been 6 months since Project Archivist Anne Woodrum began her work with the Historic Connecticut Collection. We hope you'll join us December 15th either in-person or via Zoom to hear Anne share some highlights from her work so far.

Learn more and register for free: https://ow.ly/9jTs50Xxszs

YouTube video by CongregationalLibrary NEHH@20 Digital Exhibition Launch

Learn more about our new digital exhibition celebrating 20 years of the New England’s Hidden Histories Project’s work to preserve, digitize, and transcribe early Congregational church records in the video from our NEHH@20 Exhibition Launch: youtu.be/1dwQ_0WiRGU

“There's something about the materiality of interacting with something that you know was held and created by the person whose words you're reading… It is a way of speaking with and interacting with a record from hundreds of years ago.”

Tickets for our “Christmas with the Puritans” program are selling fast. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy an evening of festive, puritan-approved fun on December 10th or 11th. Find all the details at https://congregationallibrary.org/events/christmas-puritans

Join us on December 3rd for a virtual conversation with Dr. Edward Andrews, author of “Newport Gardner's Anthem,” which tells the story of Occramer Marycoo, an important, yet often forgotten Black leader.

Registration is free and open to all: congregationallibrary.org/events/newpo...

TODAY: Join us at 1 pm EST to hear Dr. Jeffrey Griffith speak about John Hancock’s Congregational roots. It promises to be a Revolutionary event you won't want to miss!

Learn more and register for free at congregationallibrary.org/events/just-...

Great question! Wearing gloves while working with old/fragile books can actually be more dangerous and risk tears because you lose some ability to gently handle the pages when you can't feel them. Clean hands and careful handling is all you need!

Examining the past compels us to consider the voices documented in manuscripts alongside the many voices that were obscured. Learn more about investigating silent Indigenous voices in early American documents from Anthony Trujillo in our NEHH@20 exhibition: ow.ly/JrFV50XtCaE

This recently catalogued rare book is a mid-17th century English history of the Crusades that includes wax seals and a manuscript letter. Most of the writing appears to be by Rev. John Dampier (1778-1841) of Somerset relating to the history of his family.

Thanks to everyone who joined Zachary and Billy for their Archives Edit workshop last Friday. We loved having you with us at 14 Beacon for the day!

YouTube video by CongregationalLibrary The Bicentennial of the American Unitarian Association and Congregational History

Hear much more about the intertwining histories of Unitarianism and Congregationalism from Dr. Dan McKanan in the video from our “Bicentennial of the American Unitarian Association and Congregational History” program, now available on our YouTube channel at youtu.be/aq5QFmlr7oo

“There were other aspects of puritanism, especially Congregational polity, a love of freedom, that they thought was the real essence of puritanism, which is why they sincerely thought that they were the authentic heirs of puritanism.”

The papers of the late Rev. John Mack were recently donated to the CLA by his wife, Barbara Gerlach. Materials in the collection chart his remarkable life and include dozens of his sermons and writings.

Explore the full collection at congregationallibrary.org/sites/defaul...

See more of Green’s handwritten notes from the Revolutionary era in our digital archive at congregationallibrary.quartexcollections.com/Documents/De...

250 years ago today, Boston merchant Joshua Green took these notes from a sermon he attended on 1 Peter: “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”

TODAY: Join us on Zoom at 1 pm EST for a virtual program exploring the historical and theological foundations of Armenian Congregationalism with Rev. Dr. Haroutune Selimian.

Registration is free and open to all: congregationallibrary.org/events/armen...