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June 19, 2013

June 18, 2013

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The paths to understanding American history all converge in Philadelphia and its historic countryside. Even before William Penn founded the city and built his estate in Bucks County, Native Americans and Swedish colonists recognized the region as an attractive place for trade and settlement.

Here Americans defended their liberty, achieved technological success, and forged the ideals of the American Dream. Today’s visitor can enjoy the legacy from more than three centuries of political, economic, social, and cultural achievements — all within the Philadelphia area.

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  • Tides of Freedom
    African Presence on the Delaware River

    Compelling new exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum

    Independence Seaport Museum on the Delaware River.

    Uncover 300-years of history and the African experience along in Philadelphia during Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River, a new exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum.

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  • Paul Robeson House Museum

    Historic home of local Civil Rights leader

    Honoring the life, legacy, philosophy and historical significance of Philadelphian Paul Robeson.

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  • Penn Treaty Park

    Historic spot of peace along the Delaware River

    Penn Treaty Park in Northern Liberties.

    According to legend, Pennsylvania founder William Penn signed his treaty of peace with the local Lenape tribe under an elm tree just off the Delaware River in 1683.

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  • The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent

    New and improved history near Independence Hall

    Exterior of the Atwater Kent Museum.

    History renews itself this fall at the reopened and renovated Philadelphia History Museum. The historic 1826 building, located just around the corner from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, has been an exciting gateway into Philadelphia History for nearly 70 years.

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  • Cathedral Basilica of
    Saints Peter and Paul

    The largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania

    Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

    Opened in 1864, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter of Paul serves as the principal or Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as it houses the chair or “cathedra” of the Archbishop.

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  • Revolutionary Germantown Festival

    A special day to discover America’s history along Germantown Avenue

    Reenactors at the Revolutionary Germantown Festival.

    You are never far from history when in Germantown, one of Philadelphia’s most historic neighborhoods. However, it is on full display during the Revolutionary Germantown Festival, a day-long festival that celebrates the rich history of Germantown and features the annual reenactment of the Battle of Germantown, the only military battle ever fought within the borders of Philadelphia.

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  • Pennypacker Mills

    Get a glimpse of Pennsylvania’s past

    Scenes from a Civil War reunion at Pennypacker Mills

    A tour of this colonial-revival mansion brings back early 20th-century middle-class living, but harkens to America’s glorious colonial past.

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  • The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation

    Honoring the memory of George Washington’s nine slaves

    The President’s House on Independence Mall

    President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation explores the paradox of slavery and freedom at the nation’s first executive mansion, in which Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived during their terms and where nine enslaved people served the first president.

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  • Bastille Day Festival at Eastern State Penitentiary

    Eastern State Penitentiary celebrates with a day-long party

    Eastern State Penitentiary

    Grab a pitchfork and storm the walls! Whether you’re a revolutionary or a royalist, there’s something for you in this celebration of all things French at Bastille Day at the Eastern State Penitentiary.

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  • The Liberty 360 3-D Show
    at the PECO Theater

    Let history surround you in this revolutionary, new 3-D show

    Audience members at the new 3-D Liberty 360

    See Philadelphia’s history in a very new way! Liberty 360 in the state-of-the-art PECO Theater is Philadelphia’s first indoor, 360-degree, 3-D panoramic show, designed to the immerse viewers in the symbols of freedom.

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