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Research Guides

Religion and Society in the Pacific Northwest: Home

Records of religious congregations and organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and papers of persons involved in these organizations, supporting the study of the region's social, political and economic history.

Special Collections


Special Collections

Location:
Allen Library South Basement

Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00 am - 4:45 pm
Wed 10:00 am - 7:45 pm
See website for additional details

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Tacoma, 1888 (UW8573)

What's in this Guide

As immigrants from Asia, Europe, and other U.S. regions started a new life in the Pacific Northwest, they brought their religious traditions with them, establishing organizations and institutions that linked them with their former homeland. The University of Washington Special Collections houses many resources that document the role of organized religion in the Pacific Northwest and the interrelationship of faith and society.  For oral histories, photographs, and other documents pertaining to the regional Jewish community, see the Washington State Jewish Archives page.

  • Congregations - Records of ethnic congregations and the socially progressive Church of People, Seattle
  • Organizations - Records of church associations and organizations with links to the faith community, documenting social issues of the day
  • TopicsPapers of individuals and records of organizations associated with specific issues such as civil rights, labor rights, peace, and temperance

Special Collections Visual Materials

  Search Special Collections' digital images for photographs of religious activities and organizations in the Pacific  Northwest.  Be as specific as possible; simply searching by "church" yields hundreds of records.

  Many more visual items have not been digitized.  Where significant numbers exist relating to a particular organization, these have been described along with the records of that body.

Subject Librarian