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Local History Resources
A guide to local history resources in Binghamton University Libraries' Special Collection
Guide Contents
Special Collections Librarian
Jeremy Dibbell
he/him
Contact:
Special Collections, Bartle Library
jdibbell@binghamton.edu
607-777-4823
jdibbell@binghamton.edu
607-777-4823
Subjects: Special Collections
This guide is designed to familiarize researchers with the local history resources available via the Special Collections Department of the Binghamton University Libraries and through the Libraries more generally. Links to relevant online resources are also provided.
Local history resources focus on the history of Broome County and surrounding areas, and include a variety of material formats, including books and periodicals, newspapers, postcards and other printed ephemera, photographs, and artifacts. Archival collections include personal and business records, letters and diaries, photograph albums, and more.
Generally, local history materials may be found either through the online catalog by narrowing your search using the "Library/Collection" facet on the left sidebar and selecting "Special Collections," or via ArchivesSpace.
To use materials in Special Collections, please email speccoll@binghamton.edu to make an appointment.
If you are having trouble locating a resource, or are not sure whether we might have something you're looking for, please email speccoll@binghamton.edu and we'll be happy to help.
Types of Resources
Archival collections include personal and business records, letters and diaries, photograph albums, printed ephemera, and more. As collections are processed, guides are added to ArchivesSpace, but many additional collections remain to be processed; if you have questions about archival collections, please write to speccoll@binghamton.edu.
- Local History Collections in ArchivesSpaceGuides to a number of archival collections related to local history are available via ArchivesSpace. The link above will display materials centered in and around Broome County; if you are interested in other locations, you may search for them by subject in ArchivesSpace.
- Mark Kulikowski CollectionThe Mark Kulikowski Collection is a diverse collection of historical material from and about the Broome County region. The collection consists of area newsletters, programs, bulletins, newspapers, booklets, magazines, music and music scores, posters and flyers, photographs, postcards, memorabilia and artifacts. Dr. Kulikowski also donated many books, serials and videos about local businesses, industries, municipalities, churches and life in the Broome County area; these have been cataloged separately and are searchable through the online catalog.
- Civil War CollectionsSpecial Collections houses numerous collections relating to the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Primarily consisting of letters and diaries, some of the collections also include photographs, postal covers, account books, and other ephemera. The letters are generally written from soldiers at the front or in military hospitals to family members at home in upstate New York. Regiments represented include the 14th United States Infantry; 27th, 85th, 104th, 109th, 121st, 129th, 153rd, 168th, 179th and 182nd New York Infantry; 3rd New York Cavalry; 1st New York Cavalry (Veteran); 50th New York Engineers; 8th New York Heavy Artillery; and the 69th New York Volunteer Artillery. Other writers served in the U.S. Military Telegraph Service or in medical practice at military hospitals. Material from several of the collections has been digitized and is available via New York Heritage Digital Collections.
- Local History PostcardsMore than 500 local history postcards have been digitized and are available via the link above.
- Digital CollectionsSeveral of the Libraries' digital collections will be of interest to the local history researcher, including a number of oral history projects.
The Local History collections include books and other media relating to such topics as:
- Architecture
- Broome County Medical Society reference material
- Church histories
- City directories of Broome County and other counties 1869-1972
- Military history
- Genealogical material
- Histories of Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott and other municipalities within Broome county
- Histories of Broome County
- Histories of businesses and industries
- Histories of counties and municipalities in upstate New York
- Proceedings of the Common Council (City of Binghamton) 1875-1977
- Proceedings of the Broome County Board of Supervisors
- Yearbooks from local high schools
These may be located through the online catalog by narrowing your search using the "Library/Collection" facet on the left sidebar and selecting "Special Collections."
Special Collections hold various types of maps that may be useful for local history research, including:
Plat Maps
A plat map is a document drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. It gives the legal descriptions of pieces of real property by lot, street, and block number. It shows the land as subdivided into lots showing the location and boundaries of individual parcels with the streets, alleys, easements, and rights of use over the land of another. Usually a plat map is drawn after the property has been described by some other means, such as a government survey. Once a plat map is prepared, property descriptions are defined by referring to the appropriate map.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were created to help insurance companies determine the potential risks when underwriting fire insurance policies for buildings. These maps contain detailed information about buildings. Today they are utilized for historical research, social and cultural history, researching the built environment, historic preservation, urban planning and genealogical research.
- Sanborn Maps in Special CollectionsWe hold physical copies of several versions of local Sanborn Maps; use the link above to find the online catalog records for each.
- Sanborn Maps Online via the Library of CongressThe Library of Congress provides digital access to many additional Sanborn Maps, including several versions of the Broome County maps.
Atlases and Other Maps
Various other sorts of maps may also be useful: we hold several examples of maps of local topography, parks, road maps, zoning and land uses, as well as historical atlases of the area. Some examples are given below.
These materials may be found through the online catalog by narrowing your search using the "Library/Collection" facet on the left sidebar and selecting "Special Collections."
If you are having trouble locating a resource, or are not sure whether we might have something you're looking for, please email speccoll@binghamton.edu and we'll be happy to help.
Some physical copies of local newspapers are housed in Special Collections; the Libraries also provides access to various local newspapers through our electronic databases, and there are various other online resources for local newspaper content, linked below.
Note that the Binghamton Press newspaper changed names frequently, so depending on your time period you might find useful to search:
Binghamton Press (1904-1905)
Binghamton Press and Leader (1905-1927)
Binghamton Press (1927-1960)
The Evening Press (1960-1985)
Press & Sun Bulletin (1985-present)
- Local History Newspaper CollectionThis collection contains newspapers from various organizations, newspaper businesses, service oriented agencies, historical societies, school districts, libraries, and businesses in Broome County and surrounding localities. The newspapers are arranged alphabetically by title and date from 1862 to the present, with the majority of the collection dating from the 1990s to the present time.
- Mark Kulikowski CollectionThis collection contains several local newspapers not included in the Local History Newspaper Collection.
- New York Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)This database includes archival material from 21 newspapers covering New York State, including Binghamton, Elmira, Ithaca, New York, Rochester, and Rockland. Note that the Binghamton newspapers change names with some frequency, so you may need to search under multiple titles depending on the time period. See the Publication List for a full list of newspapers included.
- NYS Historic NewspapersThe NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers published in New York. Binghamton University's student newspapers, Colonial News (1946-May 1970) and Pipe Dream (September 1970-1974) are available, as are various other area publications.
- George F. Johnson Memorial Library Community History ArchiveThis digital archive contains a variety of local newspapers, such as the Endicott Bulletin/Daily Bulletin and the Lestershire-Endicott Record, among others.
Local history periodicals may be individually cataloged, or they may be included in archival collections. Some examples of each are listed here.
- Local History Newsletter CollectionThis collection contains newsletters distributed by local organizations, service oriented agencies, historical societies, school districts, libraries, and businesses in Broome County and surrounding localities. The newsletters reflect a wide variety of interests, such as political, social, health, and environmental concerns and issues, as well as arts, education, historical accounts, and religion. They include calendars of events, available services, and informative articles. Dates range from 1927 to 2014.
- Mark Kulikowski CollectionThis collection contains a few newsletters not included in the Local Newsletter Collection.
Selected periodicals from local businesses, industry and organizations:
