DC History Center: Kiplinger Research Library External

Address: 801 K Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20001

Telephone number: 202-516-1363 x302, email correspondence preferred

Contact information: [email protected]

Online catalog External

Guide to our collections External

Hours of service External

Open to the public: Yes, by appointment

Interlibrary loan: No

Reference policy External : Reference requests are accepted by email.

Background note:
The Kiplinger Research Library is the DC History Center’s non-circulating, special collections repository of Washington, DC history. The DC History Center began collecting in 1894 as the Columbia Historical Society and then the Historical Society of Washington DC. Today’s collections include books, documents, journals, maps, photographs, art, and ephemera.

Books and monographs External
The collection holds approximately 600 religion-related volumes, published between 1855 and the present. All materials in the collection focus on Washington, D.C., local history. Religion-related books and pamphlets include histories of local churches, most published by the churches themselves. Some of these also describe the architecture of the churches. A small number of books on area church bodies and denominations are available.

Archives, manuscripts, correspondences, and/or oral histories
The Library holds approximately ten collections with inclusive dates of 1829-1995. Highlights include histories of local churches.

Vertical files

VF 06 External ; Places of Worship Vertical File collection. These consist primarily of newspaper clippings relating to individual places of worship in the District of Columbia and range from 1894; 2014. A finding aid External is available for this collection

Images
Approximately 1,200 images of places of worship in the District of Columbia from the late 19th century to the 1990s, including photographs, slides, and postcards. There is one photograph collection that is entirely of District of Columbia churches. The "Rambler" collection also includes images of some Virginia and Maryland churches.

Databases and/or electronic resources
Researching Places of Worship Libguide External

Church buildings--Maryland; Church buildings--Virginia; Church buildings--Washington, D.C.; Church history--Washington, D.C.