Learn how to research your Chester County, PA historic property

Learn how to research your Chester County, PA historic property About this event: Researching the history of your property can be a rewarding experience. Getting started, however, can seem overwhelming. It requires an understanding of the basic methods of historical research. Knowing where resources can be found and how to interpret them is a fundamental […]

Virtual Book Discussion – How to Be An Anti-Racist

Join Chester County History Center's thought-provoking history book discussions and connect with others in the community. Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism—and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even […]

The Story of Philadelphia’s Chinatown

Dr. Cecilia Chien explores the history of Asian Americans in Philadelphia from the 1800s to the present. There are myriad Asian American communities. They differ in country of origin, ethnicity, language, class, religion, gender, and more. From the colonial era to the present, generations of Asian immigrants and their American-born descendants have transformed the face […]

‘Don’t Forget the Ladies’: A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law

In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. The common law relegated women to “protected” – second-class – status, and understanding how they were treated under the law provides clues to finding their […]

Chats from the Stacks: The 1777 Chester County Property Atlas

Explore and discuss the Chester County Archive's award-winning Chester County Property Atlas with those who created it! In 2020, the Chester County Archives staff unveiled their award-winning 1777 Chester County Property Atlas. This project highlights property owners, roads, and notable sites of interests (mills, taverns, places of worship, etc.) in existence in September 1777 during […]

A Lenape Among the Quakers: The Life of Hannah Freeman

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 7:00pm-8:00pm via Zoom On July 28, 1797, an elderly Lenape woman stood before the newly appointed almsman of Pennsylvania’s Chester County and delivered a brief account of her life. In a sad irony, Hannah Freeman was establishing her residency—a claim that paved the way for her removal to the poorhouse. Ultimately, […]

For the Union: Launching Lincoln’s Quest for the Presidency in Chester County

The book "For the Union" tells the story of how Quaker abolition, a hanging, a slave riot, and a newspaper in West Chester helped launch Abraham Lincoln's presidential campaign in 1860. The first biography of the presidential candidate was published at what is now known as the Lincoln Building in downtown West Chester. It ultimately […]

Chats from the Stacks: The Making of Visible Storage

Learn how visible storage was planned and implemented to feature the museum collection. More than 800 artifacts from the museum collection are viewable by visitors every day in the new visible storage gallery. Learn how artifacts were selected, how they were installed, and how their stories connect them to Chester County. This project was completed […]