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The Congregational Library & Archives offers numerous resources for teaching, whether you are preparing an entire course or adding vibrancy to a single lesson plan.

The online catalog and the digital archive contain primary source documents such as first-person narratives from marginalized people groups, personal letters from historical figures, and diaries written by common people. Vital and church records from many of the earliest towns in New England provide chances to explore community history. Transcriptions are available alongside some of our online collections, making them more accessible to students.

Research guides for topics as diverse as studying Black & Indigenous individuals and churches, the Salem Witchcraft Trials, and Plymouth’s Pilgrims connect documents and themes together. Free video content explores subjects pertaining to history, literature, and religion with leading scholars and church figures.

Interested in having your students transcribe a page and see their work published later on our website? Please contact us at nehh@14beacon.org for information on how to add a transcription exercise to your class.

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Online Catalog

From manuscripts to books, sermons, digitized records, and so much more, search our catalog to discover all the items we hold at the CLA.

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Digital Archive

Our digitized material covers an array of locations and topics, and we are continuously adding new resources you can access anywhere.

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Black & Indigenous Research Guide

A guide to locating the CLA's records relating to Black and Indigenous people in early New England Congregational churches.

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Salem Witchcraft Trial Records

The CLA's guide to documents related to Salem's witchcraft crisis available through our NEHH project and the University of Virginia.

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Plymouth's Pilgrims Curriculum

A four part introduction and discussion guide created in 2020 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Plymouth landing in 1620.

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Congregational Library & Archives on YouTube

The CLA's YouTube channel features videos from our diverse range of programs that help to preserve and share the 400+ year Congregational story.

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