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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Register to Conduct Research at The Pennsylvania State Archives

    Register to Conduct Research at The Pennsylvania State Archives

    Welcome from the State Archivist

     

    In 1681 William Penn founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Charter that gave him the legal right to do so lives today in the Pennsylvania State Archives. About 250,000,000 other documents live in the archives alongside Penn's Charter, and though few of them are as dramatic as the Charter, each one has been selected because it has tremendous historical, legal, or financial value to the Commonwealth.

     

    The records in the State Archives are used for serious purposes - to establish the state's boundaries and protect the property rights of our residents; to prove military service or document changes to our environment - but the documents belong to the people of Pennsylvania and are open to all, even to those who are just curious to see what a Civil War letter looks like. I hope you will consider visiting the State Archives. Come to study your family's past, research the history of your house, or simply to satisfy a curiosity.

    Form

    Please complete this form before visiting the Pennsylvania State Archives

    Research Registration Form (PDF)