Adopt an Artifact – Bishop White Bibles

Bishop William White was the first presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States as well as the Chaplain of the Continental Congress and the rector at Christ Church.  His home is located near 3rd and Walnut Streets and is part of Independence National Historical Park.  Independence Historical Trust is raising funds to conserve eight historic bibles located in Bishop White’s Library.

The Bibles are part of Independence National Historical Park’s museum collection.  The earliest Bible in the collection dates from 1599 and most recent was published in 1821. Among the group is the personal Bible of William Ellery, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island, and Bibles printed by Mathew Carey. Carey’s print shop was located just a few doors down from Ben Franklin’s shop on what is now known as Market Street.

How can you help?

To conserve all eight Bibles, we need to raise $5,825.  You can choose to give any amount towards the total price of the Bibles

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You can choose to adopt an individual Bible for the price to conserve that particular bible. For individuals adopters, your name will be listed on the website as the adopter of that artifact. For a complete list of the Bibles and their prices, see below.

Bibles Available for Adoption

#1  (1817) The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testament (catalog # 6672)

Object Date: 1817        Site of Origin: Brattleborough, VT.        Acquisition Date: 5/2/1966

Conservation Needs: Repair to the leather that is brittle and deteriorating. Repair to the head-cap to prevent further deteriorating and ultimate board separation.

Price to Conserve: $625

#2 (1808) The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testament: together with the Apocrypha. Printed and published by Matthew Carey, Philadelphia. (catalog # 998)

Object Date: 1808        Site of Origin: Philadelphia, PA.       Acquisition Date: 8/6/1962

Conservation Needs: Re-backing the volume. repairs to marginal tears and replacement of Fly leaves with periodic paper.

Price to Conserve: $575

Adoption Pending

#3 (1599) The Holy Bible: Printed at London, [Breeches Bible]. (catalog # 2141)

Object Date: 1599        Site of Origin: London       Acquisition Date: 1/1/1951

Conservation Needs: To preserve the binding and to slow deterioration, will build a clamshell case to house the book. Treat the leather and slow deterioration. The current condition of the book tells a story of its history and the people who owned it. The goal is to make repairs that maintain and preserve the current structure and state of the binding.

Price to Conserve: $740

#4 (1806) The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: translated out of the original tongues. Printed by Matthew Carey, Philadelphia. (catalog # 2141)

Object Date: 1806        Site of Origin: Philadelphia, PA.       Acquisition Date: 6/12/1967

Conservation Needs: Consolidate the deteriorating leather. Volume to be re-backed while retaining the original spine and title label.

Price to Conserve: $610

#5 (1783) The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: translated out of the original tongues. Printed at the Clarendon Press, Oxford. (catalog # 371)

Object Date: 1783       Site of Origin: Oxford, Great Britain       Acquisition Date: 1/1/1951

Conservation Needs: Resewing the text block to the original manner using the original sewing stations. Rebound the book using original materials and period fly leaves to be added.

Price to Conserve: $740

#6 (1818) The Holy Bible Translation and notes by Adam Clarke. Volume III (catalog # 12959)

Object Date: 1818-1820       Site of Origin: New York, NY.       Acquisition Date: 12/7/1966

Conservation Needs: Reform the spine and restore to its original shape. replace panels with replicas matching originals.

Price to Conserve: $840

Adoption Pending

#7 (1818) The Holy Bible Translation and notes by Adam Clarke. Volume IV (catalog # 12960)

Object Date: 1818-1821       Site of Origin: New York, NY.       Acquisition Date: 12/7/1966

Conservation Needs: Reform the spine and restore to its original shape. Replace panels with replicas matching originals. Headbands sewn and the volume re-backed whilst retaining and conserving the original spine leather.Repair a large tear on the back board.

Price to Conserve: $855

#8 (1818) The Holy Bible Translation and notes by Adam Clarke. Volume II (catalog # 7172)

Object Date: 1818-1821       Site of Origin: New York, NY.       Acquisition Date: 12/7/1966

Conservation Needs: Reform the spine and restore to its original shape. Replace panels with replicas matching originals. Treat with consolidating formula to preserve the dry flying leather.

Price to Conserve: $840