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Special Collections: Pennsylvania Business History

Materials about major types of Pennsylvania industries and businesses and their histories found within the Special Collections Library.

Overview

Special Collections materials document the history and daily operations of Pennsylvania industries and businesses primarily in the period from 1650 to the 1980s. The collections highlighted in this guide are not an exhaustive list. There are many more materials to be discovered through Special Collections finding aids and the CAT.

Workmen standing and seated along wooden structure of iron furnace.

Image of an iron furnace from the Swigart-Shedd collection. Historical Collections and Labor Archives, Special Collections Library, University Libraries, The Pennsylvania State University.