National Pastime – 1865
An 1865 diary contains experiences with the new sport of baseball.
Genealogy and County Government Records
Join the Chester County archivists as they discuss how to effectively use county government records in your genealogical research.
Osborne Perry Anderson & the African Americans in John Brown’s Army (Zoom)
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 […]
Hybrid Book Discussion – William Still: The Underground Railroad and the Angel at Philadelphia
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 […]
For the County of Chester: The Oldest Record at the Chester County Archives (hybrid)
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 […]
Hinsonville’s Heroes: Agents of Emancipation and Civil Rights (virtual)
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 […]
Thomas Ustick Walter and His Buildings: America’s Premier Architect, 1830-1870 (virtual)
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 […]
Unlikely General: “Mad” Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America (virtual)
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 […]
Profiles: Chester County Clothing in the 1800s (virtual)
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. […]
Chilling West Chester: A Dark History Walking Tour
True tales of murder, mischief and misadventure, pulled from our archives. From the horrors of the Chester County Prison, to the cold-blooded killers tried at the courthouse, to the insidious […]