Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson: A Woman of the American Enlightenment

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson: A Woman of the American Enlightenment By the late 1760s, Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson’s name was known throughout the city of Philadelphia for her evening literary gatherings attended by the city’s intellectual elite. Dubbed “the most learned woman in America” by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton, first historian of the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America, Fergusson’s poetry and journals captured the experience of a woman whose...
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The Bicentennial Raft

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on The Bicentennial Raft In concurrence with the national Bicentennial events of 1976, Pennsylvania counties and local municipalities also staged celebrations for the nation’s birth. Smaller events such as parades, picnics and performances were frequently held throughout the state during the year. One unusual event held in the north-central part of the commonwealth was the Bicentennial Raft project. After the...
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First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry: America’s Oldest Active Service Unit

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry: America’s Oldest Active Service Unit On November 17, 1774, three members of Philadelphia’s Committee of Safety met with 28 citizens at Carpenters’ Hall to discuss forming a volunteer troop amid rising tensions with Great Britain. From that meeting emerged the Philadelphia Light Horse, later known as the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry (FTPCC), or simply the “First Troop.” Its founders pledged to equip and support themselves...
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter Natural rights, individual liberties and the social contract — these Enlightenment ideals were at the core of the transformation of America in the second half of the 18th century. Such values would serve as not only the basis for the American Colonies to dissolve their “political bands” with Great Britain but also the catalyst for internal revolutions that were beginning to foment in the new...
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From the Executive Director

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves not only celebrating a defining moment in our nation’s history, but also reflecting on the deeper, ongoing story of Pennsylvania. I will admit that when we first started planning for 2026, I wondered if the anniversary would resonate with people. Would they care about an anniversary year...
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Fort Pitt Block House

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on Fort Pitt Block House The Fort Pitt Block House, a pentagonal-shaped structure of brick and stone, was built in 1764 as an outlying redoubt of Fort Pitt at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in what is today Pittsburgh. The British constructed Fort Pitt in 1759–61, after gaining control of the Ohio River valley from the French. The fort was built using the star-shaped, bastion trace design...
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Lancaster Gunsmiths of the Early Republic

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on Lancaster Gunsmiths of the Early Republic In August 2026, as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum will open Lancaster Gunsmiths of the Early Republic, a major exhibition exploring the artistry, innovation and historical significance of Lancaster County firearms during the Revolutionary era and the early years of the United States. Presented as part of the national...
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Susanna Wright: Poet and Polymath on the Susquehanna

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on Susanna Wright: Poet and Polymath on the Susquehanna   No right has man his equal to control, Since, all agree, there is no sex in soul; Weak woman, thus in agreement grown strong, Shakes off the yoke her parents wore too long. Those lines of poetry, written in a rigidly paternalistic 18th-century America, establish Susanna Wright (1697–1784) as one of America’s early supporters of women’s equality. More subtly, the poem, entitled “To Eliza...
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German Founders: The Muhlenberg Family and the War for Independence

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on German Founders: The Muhlenberg Family and the War for Independence On July 2, 1776, Philadelphians were living on a razor’s edge. At the State House, the Continental Congress gathered to decide the colonists’ collective fate. Lutheran pastor Henry Muhlenberg (1711–87) recorded in his diary, “It is said that the Continental Congress resolved to declare the thirteen united colonies free and independent.” Two days later, on July 4, he wrote, “Today the Continental...
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Forgotten Founder: Thomas Paine and American Independence

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on Forgotten Founder: Thomas Paine and American Independence Philadelphia was the largest, wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city in all the colonies on the eve of the American Revolution. As the major commercial hub for British North America, the city’s economy was based on trade and commerce and bolstered by shipbuilding, textiles and other industries. Philadelphia was also a hub for political activism, with town meetings and pamphlets disseminating...
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