Historical Committee collection, 1959-2000

Collection

Identifier: MSS-8

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Historical Committee collection dates between 1959 and 2000 and covers one box of 0.5 cubic feet.

The History folder holds writings about the history of the archives and the Historical Committee. It also holds a folder from the Library of Congress dating to 1965 regarding descriptive cataloging.

The dated folders hold various documents, such as correspondence, lists of members of the committee, and memorial service programs.

The Robert Klingberg folder holds materials from Klingberg's file pertaining to the Historical Committee.

The Reports of the Archivist date from 1973 to 1989, which were given to the Historical Committee during their meetings.

The Meetings folders date between 1960 and 1979 and contain meeting minutes.

The Scandia Church folder contains materials from the 1970s, dealing with the move of the church from Waconia to Bethel.

The Facilities folder dates to the 1970s about planning to build a separate archival facility.

Dates

1959 - 2000

Creator

Guston, G. David, Rev. (1907-1998) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for researcher use.

Historical note

A Historical Committee was first created by the Swedish Baptist Conference in 1892, but was not continued. A new Historical Committee was created in 1898 by Carl Lagergren, who served as chair. In 1937, the committee organized into a Historical Society. A constitution was adopted in 1940. The society was changed back into a committee in 1955 as a standing committee within the by-laws of the Baptist General Conference. Since the early 1950s the Bethel Seminary Library held the archives. Administration of the archives was handed over to the Seminary Library in 1965. By the 1980s, the committee shrunk down to just Dick Turnwall. The Friends of the History Center and its Steering Committee became the Historical Committee's successor in 2001.