University Archives & Special Collections: Collections

The Susquehanna University Archives serves as the official repository for Susquehanna University and its predecessor institutions, the Missionary Institute of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1858-1895) and Susquehanna Female College (1858-1874).

The Archives contains the rich textual and artifactual heritage of these institutions, including minutes from the original Boards of Directors, faculty meetings, 19th century gradebooks, photographs, slides, films, three dimensional artifacts, sports and memorabilia and collections of alumni papers.

The Archives also features a small but important collection of rare books. Among these collections are the Presidential Libraries, the personal libraries of Missionary Institute presidents Benjamin Kurtz, Henry Zeigler, Franklin Manhart, Peter Born and his daughter Catherine “Cottie” Born, the first female student to attend SU. There are also some volumes from the personal libraries of Susquehanna University Presidents G. Morris Smith and Gustave Weber.

In addition to the Presidential Libraries, the Archives holds an extensive collection of Bibles from the 18th-20th centuries, including several Nürnberg bibles, 18th century religious pamphlets and the personal bible of Missionary Institute graduate and African missionary David A. Day.