Restoration Movement Libraries
Connecting with Our Past, Looking to Our Future
Across the country, educational institutions and parachurch ministries with roots in the Restoration Movement curate literature and historical items that connect us with the past, inform us in the present and guide us into the future. We asked librarians and archivists to tell us about their collections and how the public can access them.
Libraries
Abilene Christian University
Abilene, Texas
Collection
44,464 catalogued items, including books, tracts and pamphlets, periodicals, and A/V items in various formats. This includes 5,720 bound volumes and 2,400 catalog records for loose issues. The library maintains a hymnal collection of 3,820 items from the various streams of the Restoration Movement and related groups.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
The pulpit from Ahorey Presbyterian Church, Ahorey, Ireland, from which Thomas Campbell preached before emigrating to America in 1807. A collection of four personal, handwritten journals belonging to Alexander Campbell.
Institutional Archives
Institutional archives and permanent records for Abilene Christian University, including papers from professors, notable alumni, and other leaders. Of special interest to readers of Christian Standard are the papers of Leonard Ginther Wymore, Luther Doniphan Burrus, and George Stansberry.
Public Access
The library is accessible during normal business hours. Advance appointments are appreciated.
Contact Information
Erica Pye ([email protected]) or Mac Ice ([email protected])
Boise Bible College
Boise, Idaho
Collection
574 volumes
1,035 copies, including popular Restoration Movement books, rare books, reference books, and general circulation books. The library maintains 14 unique Restoration Movement periodicals, as well as issues of Christian Standard dating back to 1884.
Institutional Archives
Portions of the personal libraries of founding members of Boise Bible College, Orin Hardenbrook (founder and president 1945–1947), and Kenneth Beckman (founder and president 1949–1972).
Public Access
The library is accessible during normal business hours.
Contact Information
Julie Russell, librarian ([email protected])
Central Christian College of the Bible
Moberly, Missouri
Collection
600 volumes, 81 periodicals.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
1809–1909 centennial medal, original foundation stones from the Brush Run church.
Public Access
The library is accessible during normal business hours.
Contact Information
Disciples of Christ Historical Society
Bethany, West Virginia
Collection
37,000 volumes, 4,300 periodicals.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
Amber glass Communion bottle used in worship by Thomas and Alexander Campbell.
Institutional Archives
As a stand-alone institution, the DCHS is a general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) serving all three streams of the Restoration Movement. The collection contains donations of materials from former professors (class notes, research notes, and publications), as well as materials from local ministers (biographical information, sermons, and publications).
Public Access
The collection is accessible to the public during normal business hours. Research visits require appointments.
Contact Information
Shelley Jacobs, archivist ([email protected] or 615-327-1444)
Elliott Library and Museum
Florence, Kentucky
Collection
5,000 books, 3,000 periodicals.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
Materials from the 1909 Disciples Centennial Convention. The library maintains archaeological and historical artifacts from the expeditions and travels of Dr. Wilke Winter, Dr. Rueben Bullard, and Dr. Ward Patterson.
Institutional Archives
The library is connected to Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and maintains the archives of Cincinnati Christian University and Cincinnati Bible Seminary. Class notes and writings of many CCU and CBS professors, including video recordings of classroom lectures by Dr. Lewis Foster, Dr. Jack Cottrell, and others. In addition, the library curates 20,000 rare books, many of which have connections to the Restoration Movement.
Public Access
The library and museum are accessible during normal business hours; special visits and research by appointment.
Contact Information
Jim Lloyd, library and museum director ([email protected] or [email protected])
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee
Collection
2,899 items, 1,368 unique titles classified as Restoration Movement materials, including 90 different periodicals.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
Memorabilia from the 1909 Disciples of Christ Centennial Convention, including a 360-degree panoramic photograph of the Communion service, a shadow box containing various items including a Communion goblet and a commemorative plate, and a silver Communion set believed to have been used at the service.
Institutional Archives
Glass Memorial Library is the repository for the Johnson University Archives. Archival collections include presidential papers for Ashley Johnson, Emma Johnson, Alva Ross Brown, R. M. Bell, and David Eubanks. The library has a limited number of collections of class notes and other writings of professors, which include Robert E. Black and John M. (Jack) Lowe.
Public Access
The collection is accessible to the public during normal business hours. Access to archives by appointment.
Contact Information
Carrie Beth Lowe, library director ([email protected])
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee
Collection
2,964 volumes, 118 Restoration Movement periodicals.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
Portrait of Marshall Keeble, the most widely known Black evangelist in the 20th century among noninstrumental Churches of Christ. Keeble founded the Nashville Christian Institute (1940–1967), a private academy established to educate young African Americans for ministry and evangelism. David Lipscomb bobblehead doll (David Lipscomb founded the Nashville Bible School, later named Lipscomb University, in 1891).
Institutional Archives
Institutional archives are kept in the library, including a limited number of class notes and writings of professors.
Public Access
The collection is accessible to the public during normal business hours.
Contact Information
Sara Harwell, archives specialist ([email protected] or 615-966-6033.
Louisville Bible College
Louisville, Kentucky
Collection
LBC has a dedicated section referred to as the “Restoration Library” which is comprised of Restoration authors exclusively. This section of the collection has 1,692 volumes. The “Restoration Library” is shelved separately from the general collection. Several hundred Restoration periodicals are on hand. A partial list of the journals in the collection include:
- The Evangelist (1832), The Christian Baptist, The Christian Messenger (1826–1844), The Millennial Harbinger (1830–1870), The Christian Evangelist (from 1945), The Voice of Evangelism (1946–1956), Lard’s Quarterly (Vols.1-5), The Sword and Staff (1957–1960), The Restoration Herald, The Gospel Advocate (1948 on), The Lookout and Christian Standard (from 1949).
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
The library has several artifacts on hand for viewing, including some original monthly editions of The Millennial Harbinger from the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s.
Institutional Archives
Writings and research materials from Dr. James Kurfees, Dr. Charles Lee, Dr. Tom Mobley, and others are in the process of being catalogued.
Public Access
The library is available to the public by appointment for tours and study purposes.
Contact Information
Call 502-231-5221 or contact President Kerry Allen ([email protected]), Dr. Jason Anderson ([email protected]), or Dr. Terry L. Peer ([email protected]).
Manhattan Christian College
Manhattan, Kansas
Collection
700 volumes, 11 periodicals containing hundreds of back issues.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
In a certain respect, Jolliffe Hall (the building MCC’s campus that houses the library, chapel, classrooms, and the History Room) is itself an artifact of the Restoration Movement. Jolliffe Hall was built in 1928 and classes were first held here in 1929. On the second floor, the MCC Library administers a special History Room that features such original items as flooring, student desks, slate chalkboards, an administration desk, the original altar and candle sticks from the chapel, portraits of three of the school’s seven presidents, the ordination document of Dr. T. H. Johnson, the first academic dean and second president, and many books and artifacts from the Restoration Movement.
Institutional Archives
Dissertations of current and past faculty, works authored by current and past faculty, along with written, video, and audio course materials. The library maintains the personal libraries of many MCC faculty members and administrators, along with written lectures and audio recordings of many prominent Restoration Movement leaders.
Public Access
The library is accessible during normal business hours. Appointments are appreciated for access to special collections and tours.
Contact Information
Caleb May, director of library services ([email protected] or 785-539-3571, ext. 113)
Milligan University, Emmanuel Christian Seminary
Milligan, Tennessee
Collection
The Milligan Libraries houses two archives, one related specifically to Milligan history and the other to the Stone-Campbell Movement more generally. The lending collection of Milligan Libraries holds several thousand books that are in some way related to the Stone-Campbell Movement, and within the Helsabeck Archives of the Stone-Campbell Movement there are more than 8,000 books related in some way to the Restoration Movement. The Helsabeck Archives of the Stone-Campbell Movement contain more than 400 Restoration Movement periodical titles in a combination of print and microfilm.
Artifacts and Memorabilia of Interest
Among many other items, the library maintains the records of the North American Christian Convention and the records of First Christian Church, Chicago, along with a chalice that once belonged to Alexander Campbell.
Institutional Archives
The Holloway Archives holds primarily archival material related to the history of Milligan, while the Helsabeck Archives of the Stone-Campbell Movement focuses both on the history of Emmanuel Christian Seminary and the broader Stone-Campbell tradition. Both archives contain collections of some professors.
Public Access
The collections are accessible to the public during normal business hours. Access to archives by appointment.
Contact Information
David Kiger, Ph.D., director of libraries & theological librarian ([email protected])