The David Library
of the
American Revolution

David Library of the American Revolution

Street address: 1201 River Road

Mailing address: PO Box 748

Washington Crossing, PA 18977

215-493-6776; Fax: 215-493-9276

Go to Overview

Go to Hours and Location
Go to Directions

Go to Online Guide to Microfilm and searchable CD-ROM

Go to Research Fellowships
Go to Current Fellows

Go to Events_Schedule

Go to Exhibitions
Go to Publications
Go to Staff

Go to Catalog

Overview

The David Library of the American Revolution is a nonprofit foundation devoted to the study of American history circa 1750 to 1800. The library's mission is the collection and dissemination of information on the period and the support of related programs. It was founded by Sol Feinstone (1888-1980), a businessman, philanthropist, and collector of Americana who emigrated from Lithuania in 1902 at age fourteen.

The library was established in 1959 and opened on its present location in 1974. For years, Feinstone had been passionately interested in educating the American public about the early history of their country. He contemplated several options for displaying his collection of books and original eighteenth-century manuscripts on the Revolutionary period that he had amassed over five decades. While in his early eighties, Feinstone conceived and brought to fruition an idea to construct on his farm in Washington Crossing a library devoted to the study of the American Revolution.

The nucleus of books and manuscripts initially donated by Feinstone has now grown to include 40,000 printed materials in bound volumes and microcards, as well as 10,000 reels of microfilm containing original American, British, Loyalist, French and German records. The collections also hold a wealth of material on women, families, African Americans, and Indians. Facilities include the research library, a conference center, and a residence facility for visiting fellows.

Hours and Location

The David Library, a specialized research institution, is open to the public upon completion of a simple registration form. Admission is free. The Library is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 am to 5 pm. It is closed Sundays, Mondays, and holidays. The Library’s street address is 1201 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA.

Scheduled Closings

The Library will be closed on:

Saturday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day

Saturday, September 5 in observance of Labor Day

Thursday, November 26 through Sunday, November 29 for Thanksgiving Recess

Thursday December 24 through Monday, December 28 for Winter Holiday Recess

We will not be open until 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 12.

Please note that we will be OPEN on Monday, November 23 and Monday, November 30

We will close at 3:00 PM on Thursday, December 31.

The library will also close when weather limits access or causes power outages. We encourage you to call to confirm that we are open before traveling a great distance following a snow storm.

Directions

From New York, New Jersey, and north:
New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 7A
After paying toll, follow signs to Interstate 195 West
Take I-195 to I-295 North
Follow I-295 (I-295 North becomes I-95 South)
Follow I-95 South to first exit in Pennsylvania (New Hope, Exit 51)
Proceed on Taylorsville Rd. North four miles to second traffic light
Make right at second light onto Route 532
Go one mile and make left onto Route 32 (River Rd.)

Go 1.3 miles to the David Library sign on left
Turn into lane and continue up the drive to the library buildings

From Philadelphia and south:
Take Interstate 95 North to last exit in Pennsylvania (New Hope, Exit 51)
Make left at stop sign at end of ramp onto Taylorsville Rd. North
Continue four miles to second traffic light
Make right at second light onto Route 532
Go one mile and make left onto Route 32 (River Rd.)

Go 1.3 miles to the David Library sign on the left.

Turn into lane and continue up the drive to the library buildings.

From points west:

Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 351 (Philadelphia)
Take U.S. 1 North to Interstate 95 North
Follow directions "From Philadelphia and south"

The nearest railroad stations are in Trenton, New Jersey (Amtrak, SEPTA, and New Jersey Transit provide links to Philadelphia and New York) and in Yardley, PA (SEPTA R3 from Philadelphia). Though these stations are the closest in proximity to the David Library, they are still a number of miles away.

If you are planning to stay in the area for more than a day and require accommodations, the Bucks County Visitor's Guide has a list of local hotels, inns and bed & breakfast establishments..

Description of Collections

The David Library is primarily a microform archive of approximately 10,000 reels that contain an estimated 8 million pages of documentation. The collection is supported by a reference collection of 40,000 books and pamphlets in both bound volumes and microcards. Although the main focus is on the American Revolution, in recent years the library has been augmenting its materials on the French and Indian War and the early national periods. Microfilm holdings currently include over 200 collections from domestic and foreign repositories.

Collections are non-circulating and not available through interlibrary loan. Reader-printers capable of copying microform documents, a CD-ROM computer and printer, and photocopying facilities are available. To insure the availability of a microform reader, an appointment is recommended. With prior notice, special arrangements can be made for wheelchair accessibility.

The library is particularly strong in materials from British sources, some of which are not available elsewhere in this country. It has underwritten the microfilming of collections that are relatively inaccessible. Significant collections from Britain include: American Loyalist Claims; Sir Jeffrey Amherst Papers; Lord Cornwallis Papers; Sir Frederick Haldimand Papers; Sir Guy Carleton (British Headquarters) Papers; Admiralty Secretary's Letters; Colonial Office Correspondence; Annual Army Lists; War Office Papers; Foreign Office Papers; and Home Office Papers. In addition to the complete Loyalist claims series, the library also has other materials from Canada and Britain on Americans who opposed the Revolution such as American Loyalist Muster Rolls; Ward Chipman Papers; and Documents Relating to Refugees. Information on German troops may be found in British records and Hessian Documents of the American Revolution.

The David Library also has an extensive collection of American government records on the state and national levels from the U.S. National Archives, the Library of Congress, and other repositories. Notable among these microforms are: Records of the States of the United States (executive, legislative, and constitutional records); Papers of the Continental Congress; Records of Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Governments; Treasury records; the 1790 and the 1800 Censuses; and assorted financial and diplomatic materials. Letters of Delegates to Congress is available for patron use on CD- ROM.

Another strength is military service records. The library has the entire Revolutionary War Pension Application and Bounty Land Warrant Files; Compiled Service Records; Early American Orderly Books; Naval Records Collection; Quartermasters' Returns; Forbes Headquarters Papers; New Jersey Revolutionary War Service Records; and U.S. Numbered Record Books Concerning Military Operations.

A wealth of documentation on frontier and Indian history may be found in the Draper Manuscript Collection; Amherst Papers; U.S. Ratified Indian Treaties; Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan Papers; and Winthrop Sargent Papers. Other material on the frontier and missionary activity can be found in records of the Moravian Church and the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.

Important personal and official papers include those of Aaron Burr; Benjamin Franklin; James Grant; Nathanael Greene; the Hancock Family; Henry Knox; Henry Laurens; the Lee Family; Gouverneur Morris; Robert Morris; Timothy Pickering; Joseph Reed; Arthur St. Clair; Baron von Steuben; Jonathan Trumbull Jr.; George Washington; and Oliver Wolcott Jr. In addition, the collection has a large number of letters, diaries, account books, and journals of other prominent and lesser-known people.

We are implementing our goal of acquiring every American newspaper available on microfilm that relates to our period of specialization. Currently, the library has over 140 newspapers that span most of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries from Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. Some major titles are Connecticut Courant, Boston Gazette, Rivington's Gazette, Pennsylvania Packet, and Gazette of the United States. The Pennsylvania Gazette is available in CD-ROM format.

Many doctoral dissertations from American and British universities are on file. Also available are the Early American Imprints of Charles Evans' American Bibliography, which contain over 36,000 books, broadsides, and pamphlets. Supplementing this collection is the American Periodical Series I, 1741-1800. Finally, the Library's own Sol Feinstone manuscript collection of approximately 2500 original items, which are significant in content, contains information pertinent to many research projects. A comprehensive indexed guide to the Feinstone Collection is available (see Publications).

Online Guides to Microfilm and Searchable CD-ROM Holdings

Guides to the David Library's microform holdings, the core of its research collections, and to searchable CD-ROMs can be accessed below:

Lecture Series: “Perspectives on the American Revolution”

Our Fall 2009 series includes lectures by premier scholars exploring the stories of fascinating characters who participated in the Revolution.

Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 PM - In observance of Constitution Day, actor/historian Howard Burnham returns to the David Library with a dramatic encounter with Charles Pinckney, “the forgotten founding father.” Burnham portrays the framer of the Constitution in A Great Deal of Business: Charles Pinckney Draws Up a Balance Sheet, Snee Farm, 1815.

Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 PM- Stuart Leibiger, professor of history at LaSalle University and author of acclaimed Founding Friendships: George Washington, James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic, will give a lecture, “James Madison: Republican Revolutionary.” A book signing will follow.

Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 PM - Douglas Egerton, "Divergent Paths: William Lee, Harry Washington, and the American Revolution,” a lecture on the parallel lives of two of Geroge Washington’s slaves. Prof. Egerton is professor of history at LeMoyne University and author of the award-winning Gabriel’s Rebellion. His talk will be followed by a book signing of his latest book, Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America.

Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 PM - Marla Miller, professor of history at University of Massachusetts and resident Patrick Henry fellow at the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, will lecture on “Betsy Ross: the Life Behind the Legend” based on research for the updated biography of Ross she is currently writing. A book signing reception for her first book, The Needle’s Eye: Women and Work During the American Revolution, will follow the lecture.

Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 PM - Edwin Burrows, Pulitzer Prize winning historian of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, will lecture on American POWs held on a prisoner ship in New York City. The lecture will be followed by a book signing of his new work Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War.

All events take place in Stone Hall at the David Library of the American Revolution, 1201 River Road, Washington Crossing PA. Each event will be followed by a reception in the Rose Gallery. Lecturers’ books will be available for purchase at preferred prices. These events are admission-free, but reservations are necessary; we will begin taking reservations by phone in August (215-493-2233 ext. 100).

Research Fellowships

The David Library of the American Revolution offers short-term Library Resident Research Fellowships for conducting research in its collections. The Library’s rich resources in microfilm and print on virtually every aspect of the era of the American Revolution (1750-1800) are fully listed at this web site. The stipend is $1600 per month ($1200 if your legal address is within a 100-mile radius of DLAR) plus housing. The term of the Fellowship is a minimum of one month and a maximum of three. Both doctoral and post-doctoral applicants are welcome; doctoral candidates must have passed their general examinations before beginning their fellowships.

The deadline for application for a 2010-2011 fellowship is Monday, March 1, 2010.

Applicants should submit seven (7) sets of the following:

1. Title Page:

Title of Project (entirely in caps.)

Applicant’s Full Name

Affiliation

Date Submitted

Length of Fellowship Requested

Permanent Mailing Address

Email Address

Contact Phone Number

2. Cover Letter: briefly stating their reason for pursuing research at the Library

3. Project statement: 3 to 5 pages

4. Detailed curriculum vitae

5. Writing Sample: 10 to 20 pages (recent work, preferably the project proposal)

6. If the grant period requested is more than one month (30 days), a case statement for the additional support.

Additionally, each application must be supported by two letters of reference (sent directly by the referees).

All application materials including letters of reference must be received by the David Library by the deadline (March 1, 2010). The Library's Academic Advisory Council will make all selections by the end of April, 2010. Application materials and reference letters should be mailed to: Academic Advisory Council, David Library of the American Revolution, PO Box 748, Washington Crossing, PA 18977. Do not send applications or references electronically. (If using a courier service such as Federal Express, use the Library’s street address instead of the Post Office Box: 1201 River Road.) Direct inquiries to mcsweeney@dlar.org, or call (215) 493-6776, x.106.

Exhibitions

The David Library periodically mounts exhibitions in the Rose Gallery of the Feinstone Conference Center adjacent to the library, and at other venues, such as the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia which was host to our exhibit, The Founding of the American Nation: Treasures from the Sol Feinstone Collection, curated by Richard Alan Ryerson. To read a complete description of the exhibit at the American Philosophical Society, click here.

Past exhibitions include: Making America: George Washington and the founding of the American Republic; Private Yankee Doodle Dandy and His Baggage: Material Life of the Continental Soldier; Citizen Yankee Doodle Comes Home; Life in the Confederation Period; E Pluribus Unum: The presidency of George Washington; George Washington: Life and Legacy; Women in the Era of the American Revolution; and “A Radical reformation”: The Revolution in Pennsylvania; A Half-Century of Collecting: Treasures from the Sol Feinstone Collection.

Check back for announcements of future David Library exhibitions.

Publications

Available from the David Library

Guide to the Feinstone Collection of the David Library of the American Revolution.

Edited by David J. Fowler

Forward by Whitfield J. Bell, Jr.

Afterword by Ezra Stone

Washington Crossing, Pa., David Library of the American Revolution, 1994.

530 pages. Cloth. Illustrated. ISBN 0-9643693-0-3.

The Feinstone Collection consists of significant manuscripts and documents authored by both prominent and lesser-known individuals during the American Revolution and early national periods. It contains one of the largest privately held collections of original George Washington letters, as well as important groups of letters of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and the marquis de Lafayette. The organization of the guide corresponds to the arrangement of the microfilm edition of the Feinstone Collection, which is available through Scholarly Resources, Wilmington, Delaware. The Guide describes in detail all of the nearly 2500 items in the collection; its usefulness is enhanced by a chronologically arranged appendix and a comprehensive proper name, place, and subject index.

This valuable research tool regularly sells for $45.00 per copy. For a limited time, the Library is offering the Guide for sale at $20.00 per copy.

Send order and payment of $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling to:

David Library of the American Revolution

P.O. Box 748

Washington Crossing, PA 18977

Staff

Meg McSweeney

Chief Operating Officer

mcsweeney@dlar.org

Katherine Ludwig

Librarian

librarian@dlar.org