The main purpose of my final project is to create an overview of the religious fabric of Lancaster from 1850-1950 through the study of the dynamic movement of different ethnic groups within the city. I will be mapping the location, displacement, and creation of churches between these years.
For this project, essentially a study of demographic change within the City of Lancaster through the microscope of it’s churches and their heritage and history, I will be gathering data from a great many resources. First and foremost, I will have to study and observe basic trends in demographic change for these years. To do this, I will be utilizing the US Bureau of the Census data available on the website “factfinder.census.gov”, as well as the appendices in the back of David Schulyer’s book A City Transformed. Next, I will attempt to get a general overview of the history of religion in Lancaster. Lancaster, as one of the oldest cities in a country founded by those in search of religious freedom, is sure to have a fascinating religious history. I have located a good many books and journal articles in both Shadeck-Fackenthal Library as well as the Lancaster Historical Society Archives which could prove to be very useful for study of this topic.
Next, I will attempt to connect these two general themes (demographic change and religious history) by attempting to answer the following questions: Who were the main ethnic groups in Lancaster between 1850-1950? When did they emigrate to the United States and settle in Lancaster? Why did they emigrate (was it for religious reasons?) What were the main religions of these ethnic groups? When they did settle in the city, how did they establish (or attempt to establish) their religion and religious practices within the preexisting religious fabric of Lancaster? (For example, did congregations take over already built churches, or did they build their own?)
In addition, I hope to be visiting the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania over spring break, as my father works at UPenn and will hopefully be able to grant me access to these archives. I will aim to find a few churches, such as St. Andrews United Church of Christ and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, who are clearly steeped in ethnic and demographic history and delve into their archives, as well as stage a few interviews with current members of said churches. Other materials that may come in quite handy include Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, the 1899 Atlas located in the Franklin & Marshall College archives, as well as the maps accompanying said atlas.
