By Xandra O’Neill, Guest Blogger

Xandra O’Neill is a project archivist, genealogist, and writer, and a lifelong resident of Lower Merion. In 2024 she completed her Master’s in library science with a focus on local history and archives, and she is currently nearing completion of her certification in Judaica and Hebraica librarianship through the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She sees herself as a protector of stories, using archival work, genealogical research, and writing to help ensure that the stories of the past survive for those in the future. While completing her Master’s degree, she did her internship with the Lower Merion Historical Society, working on the flat file collection as well as creating a guide to the Jewish community of Lower Merion and Narberth.

After over 100 years of service to the community, the Woman’s Club of Bala Cynwyd (WCBC) donated their records to the Lower Merion Historical Society (LMHS) in the spring of 2024. Mindful of the wealth of information contained in this collection, the Society applied for and was awarded an Historical and Archival Records Care Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to process the WCBC materials. When Collections Committee Chair Erin Betley reached out to ask me if I would process the collection, I was eager to explore the materials and make them accessible to the community. In addition to sound stewardship, access is a key responsibility of an archival repository and historical society.

The materials arrived at the Historical Society in many boxes and trunks, and it was important to get a sense of what the collection consisted of to organize it in a way that reflected the work of the club and made the materials as accessible as possible to researchers. When the processing was complete, I presented the results of my work as part of a program hosted by LMHS. The recording of the presentation is here and the prezi available online here or as a downloadable pdf here. The collection is catalogued here and a finding aid will also be available soon so potential researchers will be able to see what the collection contains.

Woman’s Club of Bala Cynwyd materials as they were processed

What became clear as I worked through the materials was that this collection holds significant research value not just for the Woman’s Club, but also for Lower Merion and Narberth more broadly. By making these materials accessible to researchers, the possibilities for research at LMHS expand significantly. Researchers can focus on the work of members of the club, as was done by LMHS student intern Breya Scarlett with her research paper and presentation “To Be of Use Somewhere in France,” and the materials can also be used to corroborate, refute, and expand upon research being done about other aspects of the community. The antique show programs and materials found in the administration and governance series illustrate this well because of the information that can be found about businesses that existed in the township and relationships with other organizations that the WCBC forged.

My hope is that this collection shows the community that the Lower Merion Historical Society can be a trusted steward of local history and that it brings in many researchers to expand on the scholarship that stems from the materials found here.

Levering Mill Tribute House on Bala Ave in Bala Cynwyd, former headquarters of the Woman’s Club of Bala Cynwyd