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Saint Vincent Archives

Shadows of our Past, Pathways to our Present, Foundations for our Future

Located in the Dale P. Latimer Library, the Saint Vincent College Archives contains historically valuable material documenting the first Benedictine Archabbey and College in America. Founded by Boniface Wimmer in 1846, the Archabbey, College, Seminary, and Parish continue to evolve, remaining a resilient and active community embracing the challenges, responsibilities, and demands encountered since its founding. The goal of the Archives is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the primary and secondary resources associated with the growth and development of this community. The Saint Vincent College Archives maintains records, papers, photographs, printed materials, and audio-visual recordings of people and events that have helped shape this institution of higher learning. In many ways, such materials are shadows of our past, pathways to our present, and foundations for our future. The availability of these historic scholarly resources at Saint Vincent is an important contribution to the academic mission of the College.

Archive Materials

A bound ledge book with cursive writing

College Records

The Archives’ collection includes records from academic and administrative offices at the College. Many of the records include correspondence from sources outside the college as well as internal communications.

Newspaper clippings in a large scrapbook

Printed Material

The Archives’ printed collections consist of a wide variety of materials including yearbooks, journals, news and press releases, college magazines, departmental publications, fliers, and brochures publicizing on-campus events and performances, and articles written for and by students. Course catalogs; sports programs and media guides; newspaper articles; and student, faculty, and alumni directories can also be found within the Archive.

An assortment of black and white photographs in a frame.

Photographs

Historic images are contained within the Saint Vincent College Archives including rare and fragile glass plate negatives dating from the late 19th Century. Other photographic formats include black and white prints, color prints, slides, negatives, film, and digital images. The topics depicted in the photographic records cover a wide spectrum and have been amassed over many years from personal albums, news reports, campus marketing and communication sources, and also by monks who sought to record the daily life of the community as well as the extraordinary events which have transpired here since the late 19th century.

A laptop computer sitting on a wood desk.

Digital Material

The Saint Vincent College Archives’ digital collection continues to develop every day as more materials are being transferred into the digital medium. In association with other campus departments, the digital collection includes periodicals, sports history, and other Saint Vincent College publications.

Old metal key the size of a human hand.

Artifacts

The Saint Vincent College Archives preserves a selection of historical objects that reflect campus life and tradition. Some items have been restored to ensure their longevity, while others are carefully maintained in their original condition. These artifacts offer a tangible link to the college’s past and its evolving story.

Research Requests

The Archives is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. An appointment is required to view the collections.

Email the archivist, Mr. Guy Davis, at guy.davis@stvincent.edu to set up an appointment regarding the collections.

Please allow a few days of lead time to prepare materials for your appointment when scheduling a visit. When possible, material requests will be provided in digital format.

Contact Information

Guy J. Davis
Archabbey and College Archivist, Collection Curator
guy.davis@stvincent.edu 
(o) 724-805-2967 (c) 724-787-9392

Saint Vincent College Archives
Dale P. Latimer Library
Saint Vincent Archabbey, College, and Seminary
300 Fraser Purchase Road
Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650-2960

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