ExPErIEnCEs 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Philly AIDs Thrift at Giovanni’s room Philadelphia visitPA.com 43
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