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 part of the process. Join Chester County, PA archivists for a presentation about […]
Get in a festive mood with this 80-90 minute walking tour, brought to you by the historians and educators at Chester County History Center. Your costumed guides will take you to West Chester's early churches, department stores and cultural sites, learning about what the winter holidays meant to the people of West Chester from the […]
Get in a festive mood with this 80-90 minute walking tour, brought to you by the historians and educators at Chester County History Center. Your costumed guides will take you to West Chester's early churches, department stores and cultural sites, learning about what the winter holidays meant to the people of West Chester from the […]
Throughout time, clothing has revealed a great deal about who we are. In the early 1800s, clothing in Chester County represented individual identity, personal choice, and place within the community. People here had access to global trends through Philadelphia and other regional ports. They accepted or rejected fashion styles based on what they could afford, […]
Get in a festive mood with this 80-90 minute walking tour, brought to you by the historians and educators at Chester County History Center. Your costumed guides will take you to West Chester's early churches, department stores and cultural sites, learning about what the winter holidays meant to the people of West Chester from the […]
What made Anthony Wayne an “unlikely general”? He was not President George Washington’s first choice to lead an army against the confederation of Ohio tribes blocking America’s advance across the Ohio River in 1792. Wayne, a notorious womanizer, heavy drinker, and spend-thrift, had just been removed from Congress for voter fraud. Though he had fought […]
Born in Philadelphia, Thomas U. Walter was internationally renowned in the mid 1800s, rising to the position of architect of the U.S. Capitol from 1851 to 1865, during which time the current dome was added. While his work spanned the globe, he designed a number of buildings in West Chester during his career, including the […]
Dr. Cheryl Renée Gooch, author of Hinsonville’s Heroes: Black Civil War Soldiers of Chester County, Pennsylvania (The History Press), traces the stories of 18 residents of Hinsonville, a free black community in southeast Pennsylvania, who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War. The former 19th century village of Hinsonville near Lincoln University […]
Traveling exhibit featuring U.S. Colored Troops during the U.S. Civil War, curated by Ms. Shayne Davidson, professional illustrator and amateur genealogist. On view February 10 through July 1. Free with regular admission. To learn more click here.
Take an in-depth look at the oldest record preserved at the Chester County Archives and learn about its significance over 340 years. On February 14, 1683, local residents assembled at the House of Defense for their regular court session. When the court clerk, Thomas Revell, opened the court docket, however, he did something a little […]
This is the first major biography of the free Black abolitionist William Still, who coordinated the Eastern Line of the Underground Railroad and was a pillar of the Railroad as a whole. Based in Philadelphia and well-connected to Chester County abolitionists, Still built a reputation as a courageous leader, writer, philanthropist, and guide for fugitive […]
Author Eugene L. Meyer tells the story of Osborne Perry Anderson, a native of Chester County, who joined with abolitionist John Brown in an ill-fated raid on Harpers Ferry in October 1859 to seize its federal arsenal, incite a slave rebellion, and end slavery. Anderson was one of five African Americans soldiers in Brown's raiding […]
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
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