The Bronx County Historical Society

The seal of The Bronx County Historical Society, which depicts Jonas Bronck and a Native American surveying the Bronck farm "Emmaus" in 1639
Abbreviation	BCHS
Named after	County and borough of the Bronx
Established	1955 (1955)
Founders	Burt Gumpert, Elizabeth Siedenstein, Joseph Duffy, Sol Elbaum, Theodore Schliessman, Fred E.J. Kracke, John McNamara, Ronald Schliessman, Theodore Kazimiroff, Coralie Doherty, and Vincent Hunt
Legal status	private, non-profit
Purpose	educational and cultural
Headquarters	3309 Bainbridge Avenue, The Bronx, NY 10467
Location	Norwood, Bronx, New York City, U.S.
CEO	Gary Hermalyn
CAO	Teresa Brown
Librarian and Archivist	Dr. Steven Payne
Curator Emerita	Kathleen A. McCauley
Publication	The Bronx County Historical Society Journal
Subsidiaries	Museum of Bronx History, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, The Bronx County Archives
Affiliations	Historic House Trust, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,
Website	bronxhistoricalsociety.org

The Bronx County Historical Society is a private non-profit organization that collects and disseminates historical material and information about the New York City borough of the Bronx, as well as southern Westchester County, New York.

The Society collects items such as books, reports, photographs, objects, and other artifacts about the Bronx as well as archival records documenting groups and individuals in the borough. It provides information to thousands of people each year through its Research Library and The Bronx County Archives, by mail, over the phone, and via digital communication.^[1] The Society also works with the New York Public Library's Bronx Library Center and its branch libraries in sharing these resources. The Bronx County Historical Society is digitizing select portions of its collections.^[2][3]

The Society honors Bronx High School valedictorians with an annual awards ceremony held at the Museum of Bronx History.^[4] The Society is also the largest publisher of books and articles about the Bronx and produces The Bronx County Historical Society Journal, the oldest continuously published historical periodical in the New York metropolitan area.

Partnerships and special projects

The Bronx County Historical Society's research library at 3309 Bainbridge Avenue (far left) and The Bronx County Archives at 3313 Bainbridge Avenue (far right)

Some of the books published by The Bronx County Historical Society

The Bronx County Historical Society is a joint sponsor with Fordham University's Department of African and African American Studies of the Bronx African American History Project.^[5][6] Over 230 oral histories have been gathered so far, fourteen associated archival collections accessioned, and many books, articles, lectures, musicals, commemorations, and exhibitions have been produced.^[7] The oral histories are being cataloged at The Bronx County Archives.^[8]

In 2010, the Society launched the Bronx Latino History Project, which highlights Latinos who lived or contributed to the Bronx throughout its history.^[9][10] Because the Latino population is the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the borough since the mid-20th century (constituting more than half of the county's population), the Society’s education department is continuing the process of increasing its collections to reflect the Bronx's ethnic diversity.^[11]

Inside the Bronx County archives

Glover's Rock, Pelham Bay Park: "Near this site on October 12, 1776 Col. John Glover and 600 patriots held off British and Hessian forces under Gen Howe long enough to save Washington's troops from destruction, enabling them to withdraw to Westchester and ultimate victory. Bronx County Historical Society 1960"

BCHS Research Library

The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library is the only facility in New York City solely dedicated to the collection, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of the Bronx. The diverse materials in its collections document the growth and development of the Bronx from its early days as part of Westchester County in the seventeenth century, through its annexation to the City of Greater New York in the late nineteenth century, and up to the present.

The Research Library houses over 7,000 books, directories, pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals, a growing number of which now also exist in digital formats, as well as more than 200 atlases and sheet maps. Its extensive Photograph Collection comprises 75,000 photographs and slides, which include around 3,000 rare and vivid nineteenth- and early twentieth-century glass negatives; and 1,600 postcards, which primarily depict early twentieth-century Bronx scenes. The Research Library also has a sizable A/V Collection, which contains more than 200 audio cassettes, 300 reel-to-reel tapes, 150 phonograph records, and 200 video cassettes and DVDs. Finally, the Research Library's Vertical file collection includes more than 400,000 newspaper clippings and other print ephemera on a comprehensive variety of Bronx subjects.

The Bronx County Archives

The Bronx County Historical Society founded The Bronx County Archives in 1974 to act as a repository for Bronx municipal records. Since that date, The Bronx County Archives have acquired a dedicated building, located next door to The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, equipped with moisture- and temperature-controlled storage space. The Bronx County Archives currently house 114 individual collections, which comprise around 3205 cubic feet and uniquely document many aspects of Bronx history. These aspects include Bronx businesses and economic development; city planning and infrastructure; civic organizations and clubs; culture and cultural institutions; capital disinvestment and urban devastation; education; healthcare; housing and cooperatives; local history; municipal records; politicians and political parties; and radicalism and community activism. The Bronx County Archives also contain especially rich documentation of Black and Jewish life and culture in the borough. A growing number of archival collections document Latino life and culture in the Bronx as well. As of July 2020, finding aids have been created for the majority of collections and will be provided to researchers upon request.

National landmark historic houses

In addition to the Bronx County Historical Society Research Library and The Bronx County Archives, The Bronx County Historical Society also administers two national landmark historic houses, the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the former home of the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, and the Valentine–Varian House, a colonial-era farmhouse that also hosts the Museum of Bronx History.

BCHS publications

Since its founding in 1955, The Bronx County Historical Society has published, authored, commissioned, and produced popular books, monographs, pamphlets, periodicals, bibliographies, research aids, classroom guides, primary source collections, radio broadcasts, videos, musical performances, and other special interest items on many aspects of Bronx history. In addition, since 1964 the Society has published an annual journal on Bronx history that contains scholarly articles, reminiscences, oral histories, book reviews, and poetry.

Below is a partial list of books and pamphlets published or authored by The Bronx County Historical Society, 1955–2020:

Official historians of the Bronx

The official historian of the Bronx, though independently appointed, is traditionally headquartered at The Bronx County Historical Society.

• Ángel Hérnandez (2023–present)^[12]
• Lloyd Ultan (1996–2023)^[12]
• William A. Tieck (1989–1996)^[13]
• Theodore Kazimiroff ^[14]
• Cyrus C. Miller^[15]

See also

• Gary Hermalyn — CEO of the Bronx County Historical Society.
• Mark D. Naison — The Bronx African American History Project.^[16]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bronx County Historical Society.

• The Kingsbridge Historical Society — focuses on the Kingsbridge area of the Bronx.
• East Bronx history Forum — focuses on the East Bronx.