Religion and Politics

In Church Attics, Clues to the Private Life of Early America

In The New York Times, Michael Paulson reports on the efforts of James Fenimore Cooper Jr. and Margaret Bendroth, two historians attempting to collect the treasure troves of centuries-old historical material lying in storage in old churches. The challenge is in persuading church leaders to let Cooper and Bendroth take the documents, Paulson reports. “In some cases, churches are excited to do so. But for some of the churches, letting go of documents is difficult — the papers, even if brittle and faded, are a form of patrimony, like silver and pewter communion vessels, to be treasured.”

Read at The New York Times

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