Ivy Morris 2022-12-07 09:24:49
From the region’s native inhabitants to exploring the religious beliefs of the area’s people, these are the sites, exhibits, museums, and cultural centers where you can better understand the communities that comprise Pennsylvania’s rich cultural history. EXPLORE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY If there’s one exhibit not to miss at the African American Museum of Bucks County in Langhorne, it’s Building on the Dream: From Africa to Bucks County. The exhibit memorializes enslaved Africans transported to Bucks County in the 18th and 19th centuries and delves into the area’s Underground Railroad—the network of people offering shelter and safe houses as enslaved people fled north in search of freedom. Discover more about the Underground Railroad at the William C. Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground railroad Museum. Following self-made success, William C. Goodridge—an African American businessman—risked his life by creating a secret hiding spot under his kitchen floor and transporting enslaved people on his railroad cars to Philadelphia. See the space and learn more in York. The African American Museum in Philadelphia is the first institution built by a major United States city to house and interpret the life and work of African Americans. Exhibits are (mostly) focused on the region, including photographs from notable resident Jack T. Franklin, who captured cultural and political events including the 1963 March on Washington, as well as notable Black cultural figures including Sammy Davis, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and more. Pennsylvania may be home to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates today, but before racial integration, the Negro League’s baseball teams dominated the region. Discover the legacy of some of the most influential moments of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords at the exhibit on Negro League Baseball at the Western Pennsylvania sports Museum at the History Center in Pittsburgh. Celebrate the lives, contributions, and accomplishments of African Americans on Juneteenth, the United States’ newest federal holiday. The day recognizes June 19, 1865, when Union Army general Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas (the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery)—a full two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued. CULTURAL POINTS OF INTEREST Explore Asian jade and impressive ivory sculptures, tapestries, silk paintings, and more at The Maridon Museum in Butler, which focuses on Chinese and Japanese art and culture. Art education programs and rotating exhibits at Taller Puertorriqueño in Philadelphia focus on Puerto Rican and Latino culture. Taller’s art has unified culture and community for more than four decades: The museum is known as El Corazón Cultural del Barrio (The Cultural Heart of Latino Philadelphia). Founded in 1973, the Philly AIDs Thrift at Giovanni’s Room bookstore in Philadelphia empowered LGBTQ+ community members at the onset of their civil rights movement. The store provided resources to activists and serves as a refuge for community members to this day. RELIGIOUSLY SIGNIFICANT SITES Founded as a community for Harmonites, Harmony’s settlers established the Harmony Museum. The museum interprets the area’s history, including George Washington’s 1753 mission. Explore the museum and eight additional properties. First settling in the Delaware Valley in 1683, exhibits at the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville examine more than 300 years of Mennonite faith, with a special emphasis on Mennonite life in eastern Pennsylvania. The Weitzman national Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia has grown from only 40 objects to a collection of more than 20,000 artifacts that bring the history of Jewish people in America to life. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints, the Priesthood restoration site in Oakland Township is the location of several significant events, including where Joseph Smith translated most of the Book of Mormon. NATIVE AMERICAN MUSEUMS The Pocono Indian Museum in East Stroudsburg takes a comprehensive look at the history of the Delaware Indian, from 10,500 B.C. to the tribe’s decimation at the hand of invading cultures. Displays of ancient artifacts include peace pipes and arrowheads. The Museum of Indian Culture in Allentown continues to progress. While committed to educating on the Lenape’s past and present, the museum collaborates with federally recognized Indigenous Nations. The Walking in the Ancestors’ Footsteps: The Lenape Past and Present exhibit explores the tribe’s language and forced migration to better understand Lenape history and contemporary culture.
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