Culture
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Major $27M Renovation, Expansion Planned for College of Physicians and Mütter Museum
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, along with the popular Mütter Museum it operates, is preparing for a major $27 million expansion and renovation, writes Rosa Cartagena for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The campus at 22nd and Chestnut Streets will receive a new accessible entrance, expanded galleries, educational along with event spaces, a renovated gift shop,…
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Exactly 240 Years Later, 10-Acre Farm by Brandywine Battlefield Preserved in Perpetuity
The 10-acre Dilworth Farm at 1370 Birmingham Road near the Brandywine Battlefield has been successfully preserved in perpetuity, 240 years after the battle, writes Bill Rettew for the Daily Local News. Politicians, land conservationists, historic preservationists, and other stakeholders recently joined the public at the site of the Revolutionary War battle to mark its official…
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St. Hedwig Church in Chester Will No Longer Be a Catholic Church
The Philadelphia Archdiocese has declared that St. Hedwig Church in Chester will no longer be used as a Catholic church, writes Cory Sharber for WHYY. Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez approved the relegation on Sunday of the 100+-year-old church to “profane but not sordid use,” effective Jan. 1, 2026. That means it will no longer…
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Before the Revolution Was Fought with Guns, Philadelphia’s Thomas Paine Sparked It with His Pen
Before the Revolution was fought with guns and bayonets, Thomas Paine fought it with words. Words that were sharper, louder, and more dangerous than any weapon on the field. Long before the Continental Army clashed with British troops enforcing British rule, Paine’s pen and Robert Bell’s printing press jolted the American colonies toward a destiny…
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Independence Hall Closing Its Doors For Final Preparations For Nation’s 250th Anniversary
Independence Hall will be closing its doors to visitors until January as preservation work is completed at the site of the Declaration of Independence ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, writes Tom Dougherty for CBS News Philadelphia. This closure will allow crews to complete their interior work in the building, which the park service says…
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Amish Builders Restore Monument to American History in Chesterbrook
Pennsylvania’s oldest bank barn, located at the DuPortail House in Chesterbrook, has been restored by a team of Amish builders from near ruin to its former glory, writes Ryan Richards for Main Line Media News. The efforts to restore the grand old barn built in 1792 were led by Luigi DiFilippo, president of DuPortail House.…
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The Global Fight for American Freedom: 7 Immigrants Who Aided the Revolution
When we picture the American Revolution, names like George Washington or Benjamin Franklin often dominate the narrative. But the fight for independence depended on global talent foreign-born immigrants-turned-volunteers who crossed oceans and joined a cause that was not yet theirs. According to Claire Barrett of HistoryNet, seven such men played pivotal roles in shaping strategy,…
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Temple University Moving Forward with $35 Million Terra Hall Renovations
Temple University is moving forward with plans to turn Terra Hall on South Broad Street into a vibrant hub for education, collaboration, and innovation, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal. Temple purchased the landmark former University of the Arts property earlier this year for $18 million and has approved a $35 million renovation…
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500 Miles of Circuit Trails Redefine How Communities Connect Across Greater Philadelphia, South Jersey
On any given weekend, the Schuylkill River Trail hums with life — runners weaving past families on bikes, friends meeting at the water’s edge, and walkers and riders using the trail to get where they need to go. Across the Delaware River in Camden, walkers and cyclists follow the revitalized waterfront to the Ben Franklin…
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Nearly 300-Year-Old Cemetery in West Caln is Bursting with History, Making it a Chester County ‘Hidden Gem’
St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Caln has a historic cemetery, making it a hidden gem in Chester County, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News. The church was founded in 1729, along the main road from Philadelphia to Lancaster. There are over 3,500 tombstones in the graveyard, with one of the earliest stones…
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Marquis de Lafayette’s Role in American Revolution and Shaped Chester County History
Marquis de Lafayette first became entranced by stories of American freedom fighters at Lexington and Concord in 1775, writes Malcolm Johnstone for County Lines Magazine. Lafayette joined the American Revolution, as his father was killed when he was just two years old by the British. With his inheritance, Lafayette purchased a sailing boat and traveled…
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The Revolutionary War’s Tide Turned in Bucks County. Washington’s Crossing Changed Everything
By the last week of December 1776, a full year before the winter encampment in Valley Forge, the fields and riverbanks of Bucks County felt as cold and uncertain as the fate of the Revolution itself. After defeats in New York City and a desperate retreat across New Jersey, George Washington and the Continental Army…
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Lancaster Art Vault: A Vibrant Creative Hub Breathing More Life Into Downtown
Just steps from Lancaster’s Gallery Row and the convention center, a once-quiet corner at Orange and Queen Streets now pulses with creativity. The Lancaster Art Vault, a 15,000-square-foot gallery and artist studio collective located at 100 North Queen Street in the heart of downtown Lancaster, has rapidly become one of the city’s standout arts destinations…
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How Philadelphia Became the Birthplace of American Independence
Why Philadelphia? When most people picture the American Revolution, they see muskets flashing in Boston, redcoats marching through New York, or Washington’s army crossing the Delaware River on that frozen Christmas night. But the true heart of the struggle, where ideas turned into action and independence took root, was right here in Philadelphia, a city…
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How George Washington’s Favorite Cocktail Was Inspired by a Quaker Social Club in 1732 Andalusia, Bensalem
A social club formed by a group of Quakers in 1732 in the modern-day Andalusia neighborhood of Bensalem inspired George Washington’s favorite cocktail, writes Jen Peng for Tasting Table. On the land leased from the Lenni-Lenape tribe, the group of Quakers established the Colony in Schuylkill, otherwise known as the Fish House. The name spoke…
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Was The Revolutionary War America’s First Civil War? You Decide
When Ken Burns sat down with Joe Rogan last month and called the American Revolution “our first civil war,” it caught a lot of people off-guard. The phrase stopped Rogan cold, and it’s been bouncing around ever since. Was Burns exaggerating for dramatic effect, or was he pointing out something we’ve missed all along about…
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Find Local History and Your Next Cozy Read at Baldwin’s Book Barn
Beloved bookstore Baldwin’s Book Barn is a local literary treasure trove like no other, writes Marilyn Sanders for PhillyBite Magazine. Housed in an 1822 stone barn, the world-renowned shop blends local history with an extensive literature collection. The multi-floor space features books, maps, prints, and more. William and Lilla Baldwin started their business journey in…
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Valley Forge Explained So a Fifth-Grader Could Understand: Cold, Courage, and a Comeback
Most of us have heard of Valley Forge, but not many people really understand what happened there, or why it mattered so much. It wasn’t a battle, and no famous victory was won in the snow. But the winter encampment at Valley Forge was one of the most important turning points of the American Revolution.…
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