Moravian Church in North America

Northern Province Moravian Archives receives grant to improve manuscript storage

The Moravian Archives of the Northern Province received a grant of $148,085.00 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to install new shelving in the Archives' manuscript vault. This matching grant will enable the Moravian Archives to improve storage conditions for its centuries-old holdings and to double the capacity of the manuscript vault.

The Moravian Archives houses the earliest documents relating to the history of Bethlehem and the Moravian Church in America. Hundreds of scholars visit the Moravian Archives every year to consult the Archives' collections. The National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., awarded this grant as part of its Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program.

"This grant is a wonderful recognition of the national importance of the collections held here in Bethlehem," says Moravian Archivist Paul Peucker.

The current fire-secure and climate-controlled facility on the campus of Moravian College was completed in 1977. "In recent years, it became clear that the vault was reaching its capacity and something needed to be done. By installing movable shelving the current space can be used much more efficiently. We can actually double the storage capacity." In addition to new shelving, the NEH grant will also allow the Archives to install a hanging system for its collection of 18th- and 19th-century paintings.

Michael Long, president of the Board of Directors of the Moravian Archives, made the official announcement about the grant at an event celebrating the winners of the Archives' "Lehigh Valley Landscapes" art contest on August 15.

The Moravian Archives will be closed to the public during the first six months of 2013 when the new shelving will be installed.

For more information on the Northern Province Moravian Archives, click here.

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