Lutheran Historical Institute
Karen Baron, Director, Lutheran Historical Institute
Concordia University College of Alberta (CUCA) was established in 1921 under the name Concordia College to prepare men for the ministry of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The site chosen for the College was the John Fraser estate located in the Highlands District of Edmonton. At the same time as the College was opened, the Missouri Synod formed the Alberta British Columbia District to oversee the development of Lutheran congregations and assume the governance of Concordia College. Dr. Schwermann, the first president of Concordia, was given the task of being the first archivist of the ABC District. Concordia's archives contained not only the college's administrative records but also became the repository for many of the churches' records. The archives was under the jurisdiction of the Concordia library until 1968. At that time, it was separated from the College's administration and a joint Concordia and ABC District committee was struck to form and govern the Concordia Lutheran Archives of Western Canada.
The archival holdings were moved from the College library into the 1893 Fraser Cabin on campus, formerly the girls' dormitory. Although the building itself was of interest historically, it was plagued with environmental problems as an archival repository. It was eventually sold for a dollar and in 1988, the Concordia Lutheran Archives of Western Canada moved into the newly built ABC District office building on campus, which had been especially designed to hold the archives. At this time, the name of the archives was changed to the Lutheran Historical Institute (LHI). The addition of the records of Concordia Lutheran Seminary in 1984 (also situated on the Concordia College campus) and the national office records of Lutheran Church-Canada in 1988 created a four-way partnership with representatives from each institution on the LHI board.
CUCA's administrative records account for approximately 150 metres of the total LHI holdings. The documents date from around 1920 forward and are often in German until 1938. Individuals associated with the University and Lutheran Church-Canada are encouraged to place their private collections in LHI.
The archival holdings of the University contain more than their administrative records. The fonds of the early Concordia College professors, who took leading roles within the church's German immigrant community, contain information concerning immigration and legal matters relating to the German church during the 1920s to the 1940s. Also in the holdings are records about the Concordia Platoon, which was set up by the National Department of Defense to enable the ministerial students to continue their studies while still receiving army training. Correspondence and photographs concerning the Platoon provide some interesting reading.
The archives program is administered by one archivist and a few dedicated volunteers. Concordia students interested in heritage careers have an opportunity to experience working at the archives. Interns from Germany, who are involved with a program administered by Concordia's advancement and library departments, have provided the Archives with valuable help.
A joint project undertaken between the CUCA library and LHI in 2004 will allow access to the LHI special collections library, making research possible to students and faculty. A photographic exhibit entitled "Foundations", covers the first 25 years of Concordia and is currently on display in the Concordia library. The exhibit was developed through an Alberta Foundation of the Arts grant as a joint project of the CUCA library and LHI. A virtual exhibit was also created and is linked to both the CUCA and LHI websites.
A new LHI board is presently being appointed and a new constitution implemented. It is hoped that these new beginnings will see the archives of CUCA develop to its full potential.