MG-360. PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE MEMORABILIA COLLECTION, 1910-1920 {unprocessed}
The Department of State Police was created in 1905 to help
preserve law and order throughout the Commonwealth and to cooperate with and assist local law enforcement officers in the apprehension of criminals. When the State Highway Patrol that was originally established to enforce motor vehicle laws was merged with the department in 1937 and the name of the agency was changed to the Pennsylvania State Police in 1943. This collection contains memorabilia donated by various individuals. A seventy-fifth State Police anniversary booklet published in 1980 includes a photograph of African American secretaries among various employee group portraits. A clipping taken from The Washington Reporter, Washington, Pennsylvania, dated July, 1937 contains a report from Topeka, Kansas concerning two women who were allegedly attacked by three "negroes." One section of the paper entitled "Afro-American Notes" carried information about the local community and various African American church groups.