Home Before the Leaves Fall, a collaborative digital history project hosted by Villanova University, is set to launch on June 28th, 2014, the 100th anniversary of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination. The project will feature curated, thematic articles highlighting under-utilized and newly digitized primary sources from libraries and archives around the Delaware Region, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, Swarthmore College, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Initial topics include WWI poetry, naval and chemical warfare, propaganda, and industry, with numerous articles and topics to be added over the next four years. Home Before the Leaves Fall will also serve as the host site for various digital humanities projects, including a comprehensive database of soldiers from Philadelphia who died in the war compiled by Ruth S. Martin, Ph.D.
On June 26th at 6:00pm, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will host a launch party to celebrate and preview the project. The event will feature a lecture by Peter Williams, author of Philadelphia: The World War I Years, as well as digital and document displays of WWI materials from participating institutions. More information about the event is available at hsp.org.
Check out Home Before the Leaves Fall at wwionline.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr for news and highlights from the project.
Delaware Valley Archivists Group 