Become a Member or Renew Your Current Membership
Join the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Since its founding in 1824, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania has relied on the support of individuals. Benefits of membership include subscriptions to HSP publications, special tours and events, public lectures, research-by-mail services, and free admission to the research library.
Renewing Members
Renew your membership today to ensure that you don't miss a single issue of PMHB or Sidelights, or any of the other great benefits HSP has to offer. Simply select the level at which you wish to renew and move to check out. If you are uncertain about your current level or if you have questions about upgrading your membership, contact our membership office at 215-732-6200, ext. 235 or membership@hsp.org. Thank you for your continued support of one of our nation’s greatest treasures!.
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OR Download and Send Membership Form
You may also choose to download our membership form which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader and fax to (215) 732-2680 or mail in to:
Membership
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Benefits
Free admission to the research library
Members have regular access to HSP's nationally-significant and extensive library of over 21 million documents, including over 600,000 printed items, over 20 million manuscript items, and 300,000 graphic items by receiving free access to the Society's magnificent library. Members also have free access to the Albert M. Greenfield Microform and Media Center, that holds over 17,000 reels of microfilm collections, and draws scholars and genealogists from throughout the country. All membership levels will have access to the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania's collections as well.
Lectures and programs
The Society offers its members a large calendar of lectures and programs, some of which are for members only and feature renowned historians and authors such as the African-American genealogist, Tony Burroughs, and the book author Beth Kephart. Also held are regular teacher workshops, "how-to-conduct-research" sessions and helpful information on conserving precious documents. Members also receive regular History Happenings e-mails notifying them of upcoming special programs.
Subscription to Society publications
Members receive the semi-annual Pennsylvania Legacies history magazine that explores a variety of topics in Pennsylvania, and the quarterly Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, a scholarly journal that gives members insight into a variety of topics from state and local history to culture and genealogy. The Society's membership newsletter, Sidelights, provides up-to-date information on all Society activities, from upcoming events to the most recent additions to the collections. Members also receive monthly History Hits e-mails that highlight a particular document or set of documents in the collection.
Support the educational mission
Members help support the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's educational mission to "collect and share the stories of Pennsylvania," with a particular focus on supporting K-12 educators. Every year, the HSP conducts teacher workshops both onsite and throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, posts lesson plans online, publishes materials for educators to use in their classrooms and works with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to tailor curricula that ties into statewide educational standards. HSP staff also travel around the state taking programs directly into the classroom and working with other education providers to design programs and historical events. In addition, HSP, in partnership with the Library Company of Philadelphia, offers a large number of fellowships to help promote ongoing research in Colonial and U.S. History and Culture. By joining HSP, members are helping people of all ages gain a better understanding of our nation's long and rich history.
The Treasures Society
Members of the Treasures Society are the Society's major supporters and play a vital role in the preservation of HSP's treasured collections, providing, for instance, support to matching grants for programs such as Save America's Treasures.
A member of The Treasures Society receives all the benefits of yearly membership into The Historical Society of Pennsylvania including the following:
- Subscription to the popular Pennsylvania Legacies
- Subscription to the scholarly Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
- Invitation to our annual meeting
- Semi-annual mailings of our membership newsletter Sidelights
- Unlimited research visits to the library
- Discounts on library services
- Invitations to general membership events
- Access to "Behind the Scenes" tours
- Special "Treasures Society Only" visits with antiquarians and other history "insiders"
- Additional members-only tours and events
For more information about HSP's Treasures Society, please call Marygrace Gilmore, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, at (215) 732-6200 ext. 217 or mgilmore@hsp.org.
Institutional Membership
Institutions, Corporations, Organizations (libraries, colleges, for-profit corporations, or other non-profit organizations, etc.) may purchase subscriptions or memberships at special institutional rates.
Please download the Institutional Membership/Subscription Form for more information.
Questions? Please call 215-732-6200, ext. 235 or send an e-mail to membership@hsp.org.
