We Love History!

Do you like history? We love history!

Our Pennsylvania Room is filled (overfilled, really) with local history in various formats. Our main library collection boasts a large selection of books written on historical topics of all kinds. We even have magazines focused on history.

If you like history, take a look at these resources you can access from home with your library card, if you have an internet connection!

PA POWER Library recently added new resources you can access from home. Just click the link and sign in with your Meyersdale Public Library card and PIN number. (Need a card? Don't know your pin? Talk to us!)

Consisting of 450 titles totaling 94,000 pages of text, Introduction to U.S. History: The American Revolution documents the revolution and war that created the United States of America, from the earliest protests in 1765 through the peace treaty of 1783. The collection examines the political, social, and intellectual upheaval of the age, as well as the actual war for American independence through its eight long years of conflict.

Introduction to U.S. History: Slavery in America includes over 600 documents with over 75,000 pages covering key aspects of the history of slavery in America from its origins in Africa to its abolition, including materials on the slave trade, plantation life, emancipation, pro-slavery and anti-slavery arguments, the religious views on slavery, etc.

Consisting of nearly 500 titles totaling about 90,000 pages of text, Introduction to U.S. History: The Civil War documents the war that transformed America, ending slavery, and unifying the nation around the principles of freedom. This collection examines the war in all its complexity; its battles and campaigns, its political and religious aspects, the experiences of its leaders and common soldiers, the home front, and the military campground, from its causes to its consequences. 

Also added to Power Library this year are the National Geographic Magazine Archive 1888-1920

and the Time Magazine Archive 1923-2000, both rich with historical data.

There are plenty of other history resources in Power Library.

AP Newsroom offers photographs, audio sound bites, video, and graphics covering 185 years.

EBSCO E-books and

GALE E-books contain many volumes about history, as well as a wealth of other subjects.

PA Photos & Documents (PP&D) offers collections of Pennsylvania historical documents from libraries around the state -- including collections contributed by our own library. Anyone can view PA Photos & Documents resources -- you don't need to sign in with a library card for this!

• 1998 Southern Somerset County Tornadoes Outbreak -- Oral Histories

• African American Burials in Somerset County

• Pennsylvania Maple Festival Memories

• Photograph Collection

• Rural African Americans of the Allegheny Mountains

• The History Behind the Meyersdale Public Library

• ​Garrett Memorabilia

• William Henry Welfley Scrapbook Collection

• From Dale City to Meyersdale

• Meyersdale Public LIbrary - Springs Historical Society -- Johnston Bender Family Collection

• Meyersdale Public Library -Springs Historical Society -- Miller Machine

For those interested in genealogy, Power Library offers My Heritage Library Edition.

Finally, our own library has contracted access to Fire Insurance Maps Online for maps of Somerset County towns. This are historical maps that are fascinating to view. For instance, the first Meyersdale map in the collection is from 1897, and you can see what was where downtown that long ago! To view these maps, you must first login to your library account with your library card and PIN. (Need a card? Don't know your pin? Talk to us!) Go to your "my account" page and you will see a link near the top of the page for access to Fire Insurance Maps Online.

If you need help with any of this, don't hesitate to ask!

Regarding Power Library PA:

This project is made possible in part by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Library Access funds administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.  The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services or the Pennsylvania Department of Education.