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CHRISTIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM

April 12, 2014 By Howard Kramer 4 Comments

Hagerstown, Maryland

The United States has many museums and exhibit spaces featuring the history, culture and art of the Christian faith.  The vast majority of these are tied to colleges and universities, large churches or religious institutions.  There are relatively few independent Christian exhibition spaces, and one of the hidden gems is the privately run Christian Heritage Museum in Hagerstown.  This small but surprising exhibit hall has displays of rare Bibles, artwork and such, but what really differentiates this museum is the collection of historic papers, many autographed by some of Protestant Christianity’s greatest theologians.

History

The Christian Heritage Museum was founded by Gene S. Albert Jr.  Albert, a former seminary student, developed a great interest in Christian history during his time as a student and, by extension, an interest in historic religious art and artifacts.

He began collecting items of Christian interest in the 1970s.  Among these were Bibles and pieces of artwork.  A successful businessman, Albert’s personal collection grew substantially, and soon was sufficient to warrant interest from the general public.

Of particular interest was Albert’s collection of autographs, including both independent signatures and signatures on all sorts of documents and paraphanelia.  Over the last four decades, he has assembled what may be the world’s finest collections of private autographs of Protestant interest.

The Christian Heritage Museum is one of the most unique historical museum experiences anywhere.  With permission, some of the artifacts and books can be handled, and it is one of the very few places where the public can touch a Bible more than four centuries old.

Visiting

The Christian Heritage Museum is surprisingly located in the humble structure of a restored, century old farmhouse.  It features exhibits on rare books, mostly Bibles of course, artwork, and odds and ends.  Some of the highlights include a complete original edition of the King James Bible, the Eliot Indian Bible (the first to be published in America), and even pages from original Wycliffe and Gutenberg Bibles.

The museum’s real treasure is its phenomenal collection of autographs.  Many of the biggest names in Protestant history are represented, beginning with such giants as Martin Luther and John Calvin.  Signed documents of well-known American and English theologians can be found, including Charles Wesley, John Witherspoon, Cotton Mather and Francis Asbury.  There is even a letter from William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, and an original copy of the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers, handwritten and signed by Sabine Baring-Gould.

The Christian Heritage Museum is located on the north side of Hagerstown, approximately four miles from the city center.  As of this writing no visitor information was available.  Web: www.christianheritagemuseum.com (official website).

Filed Under: Historic Bible, Museums and Libraries Tagged With: US-Mid Atlantic

Where would you like to go?

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Comments

  1. Barry Hone says

    September 16, 2019 at 10:06 am

    I have a bible leaf that says “This leaf is guaranteed to be a original 1792 announcement domini John Brown Bible leaf. First bible printed in New York. This bible was published by subscription only, George Washington being the first subscriber. It was printed in 40 parts in a period of two years.” Leviticus . Can you tell me about this? Is it a copy or the real page? Just found in parents closet. My name is Barry Hone and I live in Ohio. Thank you

    Reply
    • Howard Kramer says

      September 22, 2019 at 8:35 pm

      Sounds like a really cool and piece, but unfortunately authenticating historic documents is way outside of my capabilities. Would love to find out what you find out, though.

  2. Kenny Rowlette says

    September 1, 2015 at 11:07 am

    I just ran across your website: it is very well done and filled with great information.

    I am the Director of the National Civil War Chaplains Museum which is located on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.

    Please note our website at Chaplainsmuseum.org.

    We are the only museum in the nation which is totally dedicated to honoring the preachers, priests, and rabbis who ministered to Confederate and Union officers and soldiers during the Civil War. We also honor the 5000+ delegates of the US Christian Commission who supported Union chaplains during the war.

    We would like for you to include in your listing of religious sites in the US.

    Please advise if you need more info than what is provided by our website.

    Re the Christian Heritage Museum: my understanding is that Gene Albert sold most of his collection to the
    Greenn family (Holly Lobby) and retains a small portion of it. I know that a couple or so years ago his wife and he moved Lynchburg. As a matter of fact, I am meeting with him tomorrow afternoon for some business. If you wish to contact him, please e-mail me, and I will send you his phone number.

    Thank you.

    Kenny Rowlette
    Director, The National Civil War Chaplains Museum
    434-582-2087

    Reply
    • Howard Kramer says

      September 19, 2015 at 4:28 pm

      Thanks for the update! As you can see, I don’t check the comments frequently. I was actually in Hagerstown a few months ago and wondered what had happened.

      I’m currently writing a book on the 250 most important religious sites in America. Not certain yet if I’m going to include museums, but I would do a feature on the National Civil War Chaplains Museum for the website (I’m always looking for interesting article ideas).

      Sincerely,
      Howard Kramer

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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