Subscription Papers

Subscription Papers

Subscription papers (sometimes just referred to as subscriptions), were documents drawn up by leaders of a group soliciting public donations to raise funds to construct individual buildings.  I have seen several of these documents, dating from the second quarter of the 18th century through the middle of the 19th century.  They might be for the purpose of building schools, churches, or public buildings.  Sometimes only a single page, they typically describe the goal of the project, including giving a brief description of the building to be constructed.  They usually end with a list of the persons who have pledged donations and the amounts each person pledged.  

My best opportunity to exploit the information contained in a subscription paper came with my study of the Oxford, Pennsylvania octagon schoolhouse.  That document also identified the person who handled the money for that school’s construction, identified several men who contributed materials or who labored for its construction, identified when (down to the day) when construction began, and provided an approximate date for its completion.  Oxford Valley & the Origin of the Eight-Square Schoolhouse

Surviving subscription papers will be few and far between, but researchers should be aware that such papers were frequently drawn up when buildings of this character were planned.