The Archives Collection comprises institutional records about the founding of the Providence Athenæum, members, collections, library rules and regulations, local booksellers, and the reading habits of our members since 1753.

Register Book, 1753-1836. Providence Library Company.

The founders of the Providence Library Company, including Stephen Hopkins and Moses Brown, met in March 1753 to draft the following proposal that is recorded on the first page of the Register Book. Stating the mission of the newly-founded library, it reads,“Whereas a Collection or Library of Usefull and Edifying Books will most certainly tend to the Benefit and Instruction of the Inhabitants of this Town and County of Providence and the Rising Generation thereto belonging –".

Proprietor’s Book, 1836-2010. Providence Athenæum.

A page from the Proprietor’s Book of the Providence Athenæum showing original shareholders including Moses Brown with share number one.

Share of Marshall Woods, 1848. Providence Athenæum.

Marshall Woods, a graduate of Brown University, earned a medical degree from the University of New York in 1848, the year that he subscribed to the Athenæum. Woods was a director of the Providence National Bank and Brown University's treasurer from 1866 to 1882.

William Strickland. Drawing for the Design of the Providence Athenæum, circa 1835-1836.

The Providence Athenæum is the only known building designed by William Strickland (1788-1854) in New England. He grew up in Philadelphia and was one of the first American-trained architects. He became one of America’s most distinguished classical architects and, as the first president of the National Association of Architects, contributed to the professionalism of architecture.

Richmond Fountain, Ware & Van Brunt, 1873.

The drawing by Ware and Van Brunt, a Boston architectural firm, for the design of the Richmond Fountain at the Athenæum. The funds were donated by Mrs. Anna Richmond in 1873.

Circulation Records of Thomas Davis, December 1848. Charging Book, Providence Athenæum

The charging books of the Providence Athenæum detail the circulation records of members, their families, and friends. Edgar Allan Poe checked out a book on Davis’s share on December 21, 1848, a few days before his planned marriage to Providence poet Sarah Helen Whitman. His signature appears sixth from the top in the righthand column.

Bill of Sale, George H. Whitney, No. 8 Westminster Bookseller, Providence, October 1855.

The Athenæum routinely purchased books for the collection in the 1840s and 1850s from George H. Whitney, a local bookseller and shareholder of the Athenæum. This receipt includes the purchase of a first edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman on October 29, 1855 for $1.25.

The Charging Books (or circulation records) documenting the titles that our members and guests were reading in the nineteenth century facilitate the study of reading habits at the Providence Athenæum, and in most cases, these volumes are still on the shelves. Receipts and letters as well as other manuscripts in the Archives document how the Athenæum acquired books, and additional records document the names of members who were on the library’s various committees. The committees charged with the daily operations of the library included the Board of Directors, finance, buildings and grounds, membership, and the library committee who selected books for the institution. Many of the manuscripts contained in this collection provide valuable historical information about the cultural, intellectual, and civic leaders of Providence in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. There are also extensive collections of photographs and ephemera relating to the library.