Philadelphia History Meetup

Join the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) for a webinar by APT corporate member Vance Lehmkuhl of the American Vegan Center to learn about a 1776 trailblazer on Wednesday, May 27 at 7 pm on Zoom. Where he’s known at all, Anthony Benezet’s reputation is as a refugee from France, educational innovator, and pioneering abolitionist. But with the 250th anniversary of 1776, it’s worth noting how this soft-spoken Quaker paved the way for the Founding Fathers’ “Patriot” crusade.

This webinar for tour guides will highlight Benezet’s key role in popularizing both “natural rights” language (in the 1760s) and public opposition to British slavery among the colonists (in the 1770s), in addition to his seminal role in bringing his fellow Quakers to a game-changing milestone in 1776. We’ll also show how Benezet’s tireless work within the human sphere was tied to his revolutionary advocacy for animals.

This Zoom presentation is free and all are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP on the website by Wednesday, May 27 at 6 pm. Questions? Email Marianne Ruane at president@phillyguides.org. Please join us – it’s a great opportunity to up your tour guide game with some lesser known history!

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) has arranged a tour of the Johnson House in Historic Germantown on Thursday, June 4 at 12 pm. This will be a one-hour docent-guided tour for $5.

The Johnson House Historic Site, an Underground Railroad Station and Center for Social Advocacy, was home to three generations of the Johnsons, a Quaker family who, with others — free and enslaved — worked to abolish slavery, to secure safe passage to freedom along the Underground Railroad, and to improve living conditions for freed African Americans.

The house was owned by the Johnson family from its construction in 1768 until its sale in 1908. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. The Johnson House is one of Philadelphia’s few intact historic sites and way stations on the Underground Railroad that is open for tours.

Payment can be made in the APT Store (‘field trip: tour or site visit’). Contact APT Director-at-Large vpmccafferty@msn.com with any questions. This site is a must visit! Join us for an informative tour.
Photo by Jessica Burghaus from the Johnson House website

The next monthly meeting of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will be held on Wednesday, June 10 at 7 pm. APT has invited scholar and historian Ned Donoghue to speak on his book, Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia’s Quakers in Exile, 1777-1778, which uncovers a Revolutionary War story that is mostly forgotten today.

Did you know that in 1777, the Continental Congress condemned Quakers as an internal threat to the new republic? Neighbors quickly became suspects. The book follows four Philadelphia-area families as they are swept into political crisis. Drawing on letters, diaries, and official records, this is the story of 17 Quakers who were forcibly removed from Pennsylvania and imprisoned in Virginia. Stripped of habeas corpus protections, they became the nation’s first political prisoners.

Norman E. “Ned” Donoghue II grew up in West Chester and graduated from Williams College and Duke Law School. For 34 years, he practiced law as a partner at Dechert, and served five years as a founding fundraiser for both the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in New York City and on staff for The Philadelphia Orchestra Association. Ned writes as an independent scholar/historian. His prime focus has been pacifists during the American Revolution, but he has recently widened his scope to write a manuscript about Woodrow Wilson. Ned lives in Philadelphia and on the eastern shore of Maryland. You can learn more about Ned here.

Come early for dinner and drinks! The meeting will be in-person at Philly’s Gourmet Steaks, 114 Market Street, upstairs, and livestreamed on Zoom. The Zoom link will be available in the APT Tour Talk newsletter the week of the meeting; non-members should contact Marianne Ruane president@phillyguides.org no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the link. A recording will be available on the APT YouTube page for a month following the talk.

APT meetings are open to aspiring and working tour guides as well as anyone with an interest in Philadelphia-focused history. Attend one meeting for free and then it is $60 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting in-person event. Zoom meetings are free. Please join us for convivial company, good food, fascinating presentations, and lively discussions!

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) has arranged a visit to Historic Rittenhouse Town on Monday, June 15 at 11 am. This will be a two-hour outing with a guided tour for $6.

Historic Rittenhouse Town, located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, is an historic village featuring seven original buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, including the 1707 Rittenhouse Homestead and the 1753 Bake House.

In 1687, papermaker William Rittenhouse purchased a plot of land by a tributary of the Wissahickon Creek and with his son, Nicholas, built the first paper mill in British North America. For 40 years the Rittenhouse family were the only papermakers in America! Eight generations of the Rittenhouse family lived and worked there for almost 200 years. At its peak in the mid-19th century, Historic Rittenhouse Town was a self-contained industrial community comprised of about forty buildings which produced paper, textiles, and grain.

Today Rittenhouse Town is a designated National Historic Landmark District that is a museum and education center offering historic tours, papermaking workshops, hearth cooking, demonstrations, and more.
The discounted $6 registration fee can be paid in the event listing on the APT website. Deadline to sign up is Sunday June 14 at midnight. Check out this map from their website. Contact APT Director-at-Large vpmccafferty@msn.com with any questions. Join us for an enlightening and fun day!