Historical Archives of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

The footprints of foreign missionaries have been seen in Taiwan since the Dutch period, not only spreading the Christian faith but also introducing languages and scripts for writing and recording, which became important historical materials for subsequent research on indigenous languages and Dutch history. It was interrupted later but returned to Taiwan in the late Qing Dynasty, promoting modern medicine and education, and establishing a foundation for faith across Taiwan. Over 400 years since the introduction of Christianity, through the diligent collection and preservation efforts of our predecessors, the 'Southern Synod Historical Resource Room' was established in the 1950s at the former site of Sinlau Hospital. This marked the beginning of successively collecting artifacts used by early missionaries, teaching instruments, baptismal documents of believers, and more. After multiple relocations, years of disrepair, and dispersion of church historical materials, the 'Historical Archives of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan' was finally established in 2019 at the original site of the Taiwan Church News Agency. It is hoped that, rooted in the birthplace of the written ministry, more artifacts can be seen by the world again through collection and research, and preserved forever. The museum has two floors. The first floor mainly features a small exhibition area and a reading area, providing access for the public interested in church history and culture. The second floor houses professional constant temperature and humidity storage rooms for artifacts in less ideal preservation conditions. In addition to offering historical material verification, historical compilation, artifact preservation, and general surveys and research, it also provides retrieval services, encouraging more churches to appreciate the beauty of cultural history and promote its preservation and research. Among the historical documents housed in the archives are baptismal registers of believers from the 19th century to the present, minutes, commemorative publications, handwritten letters, ancient books in Chinese, Romanized Taiwanese, English, and Japanese, rare Bibles and hymnals, deeds, maps, photographs, and personal files, which preserve records of the institutional evolution of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and the development of churches across various regions. It also aims to provide comprehensive and sufficient historical data for researchers from all fields to conduct in-depth academic studies. All these reflect the missionary footsteps, the development of faith, and the commitment to caring for Taiwanese society throughout Taiwan.