Welcome to the Pennsylvania Center for Folklore
The Pennsylvania Center for Folklore (founded in 1990 as the Center for Pennsylvania Culture Studies) is committed to studying, documenting, and interpreting historical and contemporary cultural traditions and communities, especially in Pennsylvania, in order to promote greater knowledge of the diverse range of folklore and folklife across the commonwealth, region, and nation.
National Connections
Advised by a board of experts from several Penn State campuses, as well as institutions and organizations regionally and nationally, the Center develops and supports research, collections, courses, degrees, and events related to folklore and folk cultures.
Image left: An old, wood-slat barn sits on the side of the road in rural Pennsylvania.
Academic Affiliations
The Center is affiliated with the Penn State Harrisburg School of Humanities and its American Studies program.
Archives
Explore our distinctive collections of documents, photographs, audio, and visual recordings showcasing Pennsylvania folklore.
Collections
The Pennsylvania Center for Folklore partners with the American Folklore Society to catalog multi-format collections.
Digital Projects
Access several online databases housing digitized collections of Pennsylvania folklore.