Special Collections
Juniata College is blessed with an unusually strong collection of manuscripts and rare books. The collection is rated among the top six German-American research repositories in the nation. What follows is a brief summary of our holdings. To find out more about the collection, please contact the Library Director’s office at Beeghly Library (814) 641-3452.
A.H. Cassel 1820-1908
Background: The story begins with the
passion of an Eastern Pennsylvania Dunker named Abraham Harley Cassel
(1820-1908). Although he enjoyed only six weeks of formal schooling,
he began collecting as a youth and eventually owned one of the great
personal collections of late 19th century America, at least 50,000
volumes. He stored these in his farmhouse near Harleysville, PA.
Cassel hoped that one of the newly emerging Brethren schools would
secure his library intact for posterity. This was not to happen,
but the major portions of his library did find safe havens in several
repositories. A large fraction of his library was purchased for
the new Mt. Morris College, IL, in 1881. A small but excellent selection
went to the Pennsylvania Historical Society in Philadelphia, featuring
rare Pennsylvania-German
imprints. Finally, some 12,000 books, 4,000 pamphlets, and many
manuscripts were purchased by M.G. Brumbaugh and donated to Juniata
College in 1899. When Mt. Morris College folded in 1932, the Cassel
Collection went to Bethany Biblical Seminary in Chicago. In turn,
in 1994 when Bethany moved to Richmond, IN, most of its Cassel Collection
was donated to Juniata College, where it is being merged with the
earlier Cassel books. Thus, Juniata currently holds perhaps two-thirds
of the original Cassel Collection. Although the objects in the Cassel
Collection date from the late 15th century and range over all fields
of knowledge, the core of the collection is the large number of
Pennsylvania-German imprints, that is to say, books published in
North America in the German language. Included in the donation were
scores of manuscripts from early Brethren history, including many
letters written by Alexander Mack, Jr. The collected correspondence
of A. H. Cassel, itself, is a valuable research source.
A Martyr's Mirror, Ephrata 1748
Special Collections: The rare books from the Cassel
Collection form the core of the Library’s Special Collections.
Most are housed in the Treasure Room on the library’s top
floor, the result of generous donations by the family of W. Emmert
Swigart. It is important to note that, in addition to the Cassel
Books, the Special Collections also house important donations from
J. G. Brumbaugh and W. Emmert Swigart. Therefore, it would be appropriate
to speak of the Cassel-Brumbaugh-Swigart collection. Recently, in
the summer of 1999, a donation from the Mutual Benefit Groups in
Huntingdon has added some important works to the Special Collections,
including Saur Bibles, other numerous Pennsylvania-German imprints,
and many histories of counties and states, as well as American Library.
Duplicates, many books from M.G. Brumbaugh’s personal library,
including many also of Pennsylvania-German genre, and other books
of note are housed in the Vault, on the lower level of the library.
The important body of pamphlets derived from the A. H. Cassel collection
is housed in movable stacks, also on the lower level. This is a
prime resource for research. Still in the process of sorting are
Cassel books coming from Bethany, housed on the lower level.
Archives: The College Archives are housed next to the Librarian’s
office on the main level of the Beeghly Library. It contains a non-circulating
reference library, rare books, and manuscripts. The Archives holds
three categories of material: 1) those pertaining to the College;
2) those pertaining to the Church of the Brethren; and 3) those
pertaining to Pennsylvania history.
The outstanding recent acquisition comes from the
Snow
Hill Society (“Nunnery”) of Quincy, PA, the daughter
colony of the Ephrata Cloister. Early in 1997, over 500 rare books
(including MS music books and ledgers) and many manuscripts were
placed in the College Archives for safekeeping. So pleased were
the Snow Hill trustees with the disposition of these materials that
a second donation, the estate of Frank King of New Enterprise, PA,
was added. This includes the venerable Snow Hill press (thought
by some to have originally been used in Ephrata) and other rare
books related to Snow Hill.
Among the older highlights of the archives are the extensive papers
of M.G. Brumbaugh, other members of the extended Brumbaugh family,
Col. Henry W. Shoemaker, W. J. Swigart, John W. Swigart, Joseph
Yoder, and John C. Baker. Of especial interest in the Archives holdings
are the five file drawers containing the correspondence of A. H.
Cassel.
Use of the Special Collections and Archives: Periodically, the
rich holdings of the College are searched by outside scholars, including
those from overseas. More often the materials are consulted by students,
genealogists, and local historians. Already, a number of researchers
have used the recently acquired Snow Hill collection, for decades
stored away and inaccessible.
Most Recent Gift: The most recent generous gift came in 1999 from
the Mutual Benefit Group of Huntingdon, the parent company of Swigart
Associates. More than 1,000 rare books were included, part of the
collection of W. Emmert Swigart that had been housed in the Huntingdon
offices. Among the noted volumes were fifteen copies of the famous
German bibles printed by the Christopher Sauers, father and son,
at Germantown, PA, in 1743, 1763, and 1776. There are many famous,
and rare English language bibles as well, including several Matthew
Carey editions. Many folio bibles printed in Europe are represented,
along with hymnals and devotional books. The latest gift is especially
strong in Pennsylvania history, a particular interest of W. Emmert
Swigart. Rare county histories, volumes from the published Pennsylvania
Archives, geographical studies, biographies, and publications of
historical societies are found in this category.
Taken together, the Special Collections housed in several locations
in the Beeghly Library of Juniata College presents a treasure trove
of research materials. They attract a number of scholars from North
America and from Europe each year. As more researchers discover
these rare books and papers, we can anticipate increased exploration
of their contents.
D. F. Durnbaugh, Archivist