Darlington Memorial Library
Darlington Memorial Library
University of Pittsburgh
601 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412) 624-4491 voice
New! Link to information about the painting "Pittsburgh circa 1804 by George Beck" including several high resolution scans.
The Darlington Memorial Library was given to the University
of Pittsburgh by the daughters of William McCullough Darlington
and Mary Carson Darlington. The initial gift of eleven thousand
volumes was made in 1918 by Mary O'Hara Darlington and Edith
Darlington Ammon. This was followed by Mary O'Hara Darlington's
bequest in 1925 of the remainder of the family's library and
a large part of the family estate. The Darlington family's
tremendous interest in historical research was the force behind
the creation of what was said to be the largest private library
west of the Alleghenies. The collection is particularly rich
in material pertaining to the French and Indian War and to
the history of Western Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley. Both
William and Mary Darlington researched and published in these
areas.
While the main focus of the collection is American history and literature, other highlights of the collection include rare maps and atlases, works on ornithology and natural history, and early travel narratives. The Darlington's son, O'Hara Darlington, amassed fine collections of Victorian literature, sporting books and works of illustrators and caricaturists.
Over the years the collection has been enriched through the generosity of many individuals and organizations, enabling the library to fill in gaps, particularly those relating to the history of this region. Most of the library's monograph holdings can be located through PITTCat, the University of Pittsburgh online catalog. PITTCat also contains brief descriptions of most manuscript collections. More detailed guides and finding aids for individual manuscripts, as well as for maps and newspapers, are available in the library. Click here to view a descriptive listing of the manuscript collection.
- Darlington Memorial Library Hours
- Darlington Memorial Library Staff
- Directions
- Floor Plans
New! Take a virtual tour of the Darlington Memorial Library entrance and main room.
Note: You will need the free QuickTime 6 Plugin to view the tour. This plugin is already installed on computers in the libraries. After downloading and installing the plugin click on the link above to view the tour. Get help navigating the tour here.
Links:
Darlington Digital Library
The George Washington Manuscripts Digital Collection
Ebook edition of The Darlington Memorial Library, by Agnes Lynch Starrett.
Ebook edition of Personal Memories of the Darlington Family at Guyasuta