bMS 136

Berry Street Conference. Records, 1869-1979.

Summary Information:

  • Call Number: bMS 136
  • Title: Berry Street Conference. Records, 1869-1979.
  • Repository: Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-1911
  • Quantity: 1 box

Administrative Information:

  • Access: There are no restrictions on access to this collection. 

Historical Note:

The Berry Street Conference, which convened for the first time on May 30, 1820, was organized by the Rev. William Ellery Channing. Its purpose was to be a forum where liberal Christian ministers could meet and exchange practical ideas for strengthening their ministries. The conference became an annual event, and it included the presentation of an essay which was delivered at each meeting. The conference has become an integral part of the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, where the reading of the Berry Street Essay is the final event of the gathering.

Scope and Content Note:

This collection includes some of the Berry Street Conference essays, plus correspondence about the conferences and a photograph of some of the early members of the conference, which is dated 1869. Many of the essays from the conference have been lost, so this collection does not include a complete set of the essays. Essays dating from 1993 on have been published in The Selected Essays of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association. See the publication The Berry Street Conference by Rudy Nemser for a listing of all titles, officers, and speakers (not essays) for the Berry Street Conference.

For related collections, please see: bMS 199, bMS 15025/2, bMS 1195/3, and bMS 15021/1.

Container List:

  • bMS 136/1 (1) Berry Street Conference Records, May 25, 1921-May 29, 1973. 
  • bMS 136/1 (2) Essayists of the Berry Street Conference.
  • bMS 136/1 (3) Berry Street Conference Essays. Includes essays for the following years: 1922, 1923, 1944, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1974, 1978, and 1979.
  • bMS 136/1 (4) Correspondence, 1953.
  • bMS 136/1 (5) Correspondence, 1954.
  • bMS 136/1 (6) Correspondence, 1955.
  • bMS 136/1 (7) Correspondence, 1957.
  • bMS 136/1 (8) Correspondence, 1958.
  • bMS 136/1 (9) Correspondence, 1959.
  • bMS 136/1 (10) Correspondence, 1960.
  • bMS 136/1 (11) Correspondence, 1961.
  • bMS 136/1 (12) Correspondence, 1962.
  • bMS 136/1 (13) Correspondence, 1963.
  • bMS 136/1 (14) Correspondence, 1964.
  • bMS 136/1 (15) Correspondence, 1965.
  • bMS 136/1 (16) Correspondence, 1969.
  • bMS 136/1 (17) Correspondence, 1970.
  • bMS 136/1 (18) Correspondence, 1971.
  • bMS 136/1 (19) Correspondence, undated.
  • bMS 136/1 (20) Photographs (3), May 26, 1869.