Culture
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Washington Crossing Historic Park Celebrates Black Revolutionary War Reenactors
One of Bucks County’s most historically-significant areas is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting local actors they work with. Washington Crossing Historic Park, located in the namesake area of Washington Crossing, has become known in and out of the area for regularly hosting reenactments of famous battles related to the Revolutionary War. Recently, the park…
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WSJ: Bucks County American Revolutionary War Reenactor Shares Thoughts on the ‘Vibrant’ Movement
The numbers of American Revolutionary War reenactors have been dropping nationwide, as an older generation retires or dies out, writes Ken Wells for The Wall Street Journal. Younger recruits have been hard to come by due to endless distractions in the time of social media along with the cost since a full Revolutionary War soldier’s…
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Fort Mifflin is Being Threatened By Extreme Rain and Rising Tides
The survival of Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, which played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War and our nation’s founding, is now being threatened by climate change, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY. The military installation on the Delaware River was one of the local strongholds during the Revolutionary War. “Fort Mifflin was instrumental in forcing…
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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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George Washington’s Former Headquarters in Fort Washington Hits Market for $3.295M
A historic home in Fort Washington that was George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War has hit the market for $3.295 million, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The residence, named Emlen House after the Quaker family that built it in 1717, spans almost 8,000 square feet and has recently undergone extensive renovations.…
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New Hope Home of Famed Woodworker and Architect in Need of Repairs
George Nakashima, the renowned woodworker and architect, relocated to New Hope from Washington after being held in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, writes JD Mullane for the Bucks County Courier Times. In the 1940s, Nakashima was hired by a fellow architect and friend, performing intense labor in exchange for a piece…
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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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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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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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Pennsylvania Archaeologists Find Site of George Washington’s Friendly Fire Intervention
Pennsylvania archaeologists have uncovered the site where George Washington saved lives by stopping a friendly fire incident, blocking musket fire with his sword, writes Aurora Martínez for Smithsonian Magazine. The incident occurred in 1758 during the French and Indian War, thirty years before Washington became the nation’s first president. In his biography, Colonel David Humphreys…
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When Washington’s Army Ran Out of Food at Valley Forge, Polly Cooper of Oneida Indian Nation Helped Feed Them
When General George Washington’s army ran out of food while taking refuge in Valley Forge during the winter of 1777, Polly Cooper of Oneida Indian Nation helped save them from starving, writes David Streater for The McDowell News. Washington chose to settle in Valley Forge for the winter after a battle against the British military…
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Ken Burns’ Delaware Valley Roots: How His Mother’s Battle with Cancer Forged a Passion for Storytelling
Before Ken Burns became the United States’ most admired documentary filmmaker, he was a quiet boy growing up in Newark, Delaware, the son of a University of Delaware professor and a mother whose long struggle with breast cancer defined his childhood. Long before The Civil War, Brooklyn Bridge, Vietnam War, or Mark Twain cemented his…
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The Greatest Event Since the Birth of Christ? Ken Burns Says It Began in the Delaware Valley
When Ken Burns, the celebrated documentary filmmaker behind The Civil War and The Vietnam War, calls the American Revolution “the most important event in world history since the birth of Christ,” even seasoned historians blink. It’s a breathtaking claim, but look around the Delaware Valley, and suddenly it doesn’t feel far-fetched. From Philadelphia’s Independence Hall,…
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Licking the British: Local Revolutionary War Reenactor Mimics Battle Formations with Popsicle Sticks
While spring is usually a big season for Revolutionary War reenactors, most have had to find new ways to enjoy their hobby during the pandemic that has caused the cancelation of the majority of events for the second year in a row, writes Cameron McWhirter for The Wall Street Journal. Kenneth Gavin, Interpretive Field Guide…
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Untangling a Revolution: How Ken Burns and His Team Brought America’s Revolution to Life
Everyone thinks they know the story of the American Revolution including the midnight rides, the musket smoke, George Washington at Valley Forge. But filmmaker Ken Burns saw something deeper waiting beneath the marble myths. In his new documentary series The American Revolution, premiering this month on WHYY, Burns and longtime collaborators Sarah Botstein and David…
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One of Bucks County’s Most Famous Historical Events Will Soon Jingle in Your Pocket
Starting April 5, the coins from buying your morning paper or breakfast sandwich may have imagery that resonates with Bucks County residents, according to a press release from the U.S. Mint. Unveiled late last year, the new Quarter Dollar commemorates the Christmas Eve crossing of Washington and his troops for a surprise attack on British and Hessian troops in Trenton. This pivotal maneuver…
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This Couple Has Biked Through 49 States but Always Returns to Greater Philadelphia’s Circuit Trails Network
Fresh off a 622-mile cycling trip through Portugal, Manny and Marsha Menendez are already back riding on the trails — this time, their route is much closer to home. Having pedaled through 49 of the 50 states, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand, they have logged thousands of miles, yet they remain loyal riders of our…
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Iconic Painting ‘George Washington Crossing the Delaware’ Celebrates American Leadership
The iconic painting “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze depicts General George Washington on a boat as he is leading his troops in a surprise attack across the Delaware River, writes for The Indian Express. However it is the American flag that waves gallantly overhead that resonates most deeply with many observers and…
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