Join me this year as we explore some well-known and lesser-known mostly historic sites in Philadelphia in a monthly program called “I’ve lived in Philadelphia Forever But Have Never Been To ______.”
“Forever” can mean a short time or many years, and maybe you have visited the site a long time ago, or never. We'll visit locations from the 18th Century to the present time every month throughout 2026. I welcome your suggestions of places you'd like to visit.
Last year we visited everywhere from City Hall to the Bok building. We started the new year with two 18th Century landmark homes in Society Hill, the Powel House and the Hill-Physick House, both properties of the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks. Next was the Free Library and their Rare Book Department and in May we had a very special visit to the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry’s Armory. In June we had a tour and chance to try some beverages at the Man Full of Trouble Tavern in Society Hill. In July we visited the Philadelphia City Archives and in August Historic Fair Hill. In September we were introduced to the German Society of Pennsylvania and in October.
In October we’ll visit the Museum of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States.
It was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century it sustains this mission in three principal ways. It honors and engages leading scholars, scientists, and professionals through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in semi-annual Meetings.
We will gather at the Museum of the American Philosophical Society, 104 South Fifth Street, where Cathy Person, Head of Education Programs, will introduce us to the current exhibit, These Truths: The Declarations of Independence, which explores how Americans used and reproduced the document during the first fifty years of its history.
At first it served as a pronouncement of news, later a political tool, and then transformed into a national symbol. The creation of the Declaration was a process, not an event, and its story is more complex than assumed. The many copies of the Declaration in the exhibition offer a reminder that the Declaration’s “truths” were never static and each era reevaluated their meaning.
These Truths draws on the APS’s extensive Library and Museum holdings. Highlights of the exhibition include a first printing of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the chair Thomas Jefferson sat in while writing the Declaration of Independence, John Binns’ 1819 printing of the Declaration, and William James Stone’s 1823 printing of the Declaration.
The tour will last approximately 45 minutes, and there will be time for us to enjoy the exhibit more on our own.
The Museum gallery is located in Philosophical Hall at 104 South 5th Street. The entrance to the building is level with the sidewalk, but there are 11 steps up from the entrance to the floor where the gallery is located. There is a wheelchair lift and an elevator available for those who need or prefer it. There are no steps into the gallery itself.
The Museum is accessible by public transportation, especially buses going east on Chestnut Street.
Cost: $6 ($5 donation to the American Philosophical Society and $1 for FitC administrative costs.) No refunds for cancellation.
Number: Limited to 15 attendees.
This is a rain or shine event.
Thanks to FitC Volunteer Organizer: Joan Wells
Questions about registration or cancellation? Contact mignon.adams@gmail.com
