Skip to Main Content

Religion Collections in Libraries and Archives: Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia

Salvation Army National Archives

Introductory Information

Salvation Army National Archives External

Address: 615 Slaters Ln, Alexandra VA, 22314

Telephone number: 703-684-5500

Contact information: [email protected]

Online catalog External

Digital Collections link External

Access Policies

Hours of service: By appointment only

Open to the public: Yes

Interlibrary loan: No

Reference policy: Reference requests are accepted by: chat, telephone, email, in-person

Background note:
The Archives was founded in 1974, as the Salvation Army was preparing for its 1980 centennial in the United States. The Archives was first housed in Territorial Headquarters in New York City, but has since been transferred to National Headquarters, located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Content

Books and monographs
5,000 books, with inclusive publication dates from 1865 to the present. Subject areas covered are Salvation Army history, theology, social services, World War I and women.5,000 books, with inclusive publication dates from 1865 to the present. Subject areas covered are Salvation Army history, theology, social services, World War I and women.

Periodicals and newspapers
1,000 bound volumes. Inclusive dates of the collection are from 1880 to the present. Subject areas covered are Salvation Army history, salvationism, and the Salvation Army in the United States. Of particular interest are Salvation Army periodicals The Young Salvationist, The Officer, The Musical Salvationist, and the War Cry, a biweekly periodical with issues as early as 1884.

Archives, manuscripts, correspondences, and/or oral histories
1,500 cubic feet of materials, with inclusive dates from 1880 to the present. Subject areas covered are the Salvation Army in the United States, salvationism, women in the clergy, and missions and missionaries. The collection includes personal papers of officers, correspondence, diaries, and literary and research projects.
Unpublished finding aids are available for all processed collections. There is limited access to unprocessed materials.

Microforms
750 microfiche, 2,000 microfilms, covering the subjects of the Salvation Army in the United States and salvationism.

Vertical files
55 vertical files, with inclusive dates of 1880 to the present. Subject areas covered in this collection include Salvation Army in the United States; William Booth, 1829-1912; and Evangeline Booth, 1865-1950.

Images
100,000 photographs, with inclusive dates of 1870 to the present. Subject emphases of this collection include events and individuals of the Salvation Army in the United States; William Booth, 1829-1912; Evangeline Booth, 1865-1950; and salvationism. Also included are over 1600 lantern slides depicting late 19th and early 20th century scenes of Army work.

Digital collections: Included in Online Catalog. External

Subject Headings

Booth, Evangeline, 1865-1950; Booth, William, 1829-1912; Christian biography; Evangelicalism; Missions and missionaries; Salvation Army; Salvation Army--History; Salvationism; Women and religion