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Madigan Library

Roger and Peggy Madigan Library · (570) 327-4523

Archives and Special Collections

A view inside the Archives Reading room.
A view inside the Archives Reading room.

Penn College Timeline
The Penn College Archives is the repository for the historical records of The Pennsylvania College of Technology and its predecessors The Williamsport Technical Institute and The Williamsport Area Community College. Its primary purpose is to document and preserve College history and to make that history accessible to administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, members of the community and researchers. Although the materials contained in the College Archives document the history and operation of the institution, they can also provide valuable information on the history of the City of Williamsport particularly during the Depression era and the beginning of World War II.

Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1 - 4 p.m.
By appointment

Papers & Publications of WTI, WACC, and Penn College

Personal Papers

Photographs

WTI Photographs

Being Green
Penn College Mace

The College Mace

The mace is a symbol of authority long used by colleges and universities in commencement exercises to symbolize the power and authority of higher education. The mace, originally a medieval club used as a weapon of war, can also be seen as a staff or scepter. In fourteenth-century universities, the mace was often used to restore order when debates between students and faculty became particularly heated.

The Penn College mace was designed by Frederick T. Gilmour, an alumnus and former employee of the college. The following description is taken from the 1985-1986 Annual Report of the Williamsport Area Community College:

"The base of the mace is formed by 16 fasces bound together by leather thongs. Above the fasces is a walnut cylinder in which 15 semi-precious stones are set. A hexagonal insignia block--featuring a stainless steel engraving on each face--is above the cylinder. The engravings featured are a key, a set of paired gears, an oscilloscope pattern, a micrometer, a divider and a laurel branch. Atop the insignia block is a chrome-plated polyhedron. Capping the mace is an open book.”

The Penn College mace is carried at the head of the commencement procession by the president of the Penn College Education Association.

Special Collections

Collection Development Policy for Archives & Special Collections (PDF)

About Archives & Archivists

Local Newspapers

Links to Local Archives

Klump Academic Center Time Capsule

Questions or comments

Pat Scott, Associate Professor, Librarian, Collection Development and Archives