About the Project
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The Papers of Philander Chase began in the fall of 1995 with the goal of creating a computer index of the complete letters of Bishop Chase. Since then, both the size and the scope of the project have grown. We now hope to publish the complete papers of Philander Chase online. Further, we hope to publish a single print volume of selected Chase papers.
The papers of Bishop Philander Chase comprise a collection of over ten thousand pages of manuscript and printed text. This collection includes over two thousand manuscript letters, nearly one hundred manuscript sermons, two journals, two editions of a two-volume autobiography (Bishop Chase’s Reminiscences, published in 1841-4 and 1847-8), as well as over one hundred other publications (including pamphlets, circulars, and addresses) which Chase authored over the course of his life.
The vast majority of Chase manuscript documents are located primarily at two institutions: Kenyon College and Bradley University; however smaller collections and individual items can be found in dozens of libraries, museums, and private collections worldwide.
The content of these ten thousand pages touches many areas of historical scholarship, including the history of religion and education in America, the early American frontier, and the history of Ohio and Illinois. The Project will also bring to light vivid accounts of life and travels in the early nineteenth century as well as detailed descriptions of places throughout the young nation and the world.
How You Can Help
The Papers of Philander Chase currently has no funding and relies solely on volunteer help. If you would like to lend a hand, please contact us!
Please urge your congressional representatives to fight for the continued funding of
the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Our
nation's documentary heritage is vitally important!!
Documents are the primary sources of history; they are the means by which later
generations draw close to historical events and enter into the thoughts, fears and hopes of the past.
-President John F. Kennedy
January 19, 1963