Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1917-2006 (Creation)
Extent
21.75 cu.ft. (25 boxes and 3.06 TB)
Name of creator
Administrative history
The first issue of “The Witness was published on January 6, 1917. The Rt. Rev. Irving Peake Johnson, of Colorado, was the first editor-in-chief and also formed the first board of directors for the publication. William B. Spofford succeeded Johnson as editor. In the earlier years, The Witness combined traditional church news and advertising with impassioned editorials concerning workers' rights and other issues of religious and social consequence.
Sometime in the 1940s, Irving Johnson and William B. Spofford, along with several other men, established the Episcopal Church Publishing Company (ECPC) that continued to publish The Witness. After Spofford’s death in 1972, publication temporarily ceased. Resuming in 1974 after the formation of a new board of trustees, the first issue featured the irregular ordination to the priesthood of 11 women deacons in Philadelphia.
Although it had undergone changes in frequency of publication and appearance, The Witness retained its emphasis on social action and justice in light of the gospel. Its roots remained Episcopal, but its readership ecumenical. Publication ceased in 2003.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection from the Episcopal Church Publishing Company consists of a full run of The Witness from January 1917 through October 2003 and includes a mix of bound and unbound copies. The issues dating from 2003 to 2006 are paper prints made from the Witness website when the publication moved to an online-only format. The complete run of the publication has been digitized by the Archives.
System of arrangement
Arranged chronologically
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Access to Episcopal Church records is governed by the Archives Public Access Policy. Research requests must be submitted in writing.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The Archives is able to respond to limited requests for reproductions subject to copyright restrictions, internal policy, and the condition of the source documents.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Records of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company
Related descriptions
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Breuer, Sarah Dylan (Subject)
- DeWitt, Robert Lionne (Subject)
- Johnson, Irving Peake (Subject)
- Spofford, Sr., William B. (Subject)
- Sudor, Mary Lou (Subject)
- Wortman, Ethan Vesely-Flad (Subject)
- Wylie-Kellermann, Jeannie (Subject)