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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Notable Houses of the du Pont Family (virtual)
This illustrated talk looks at some of the notable houses and gardens of the du Ponts. In the 19th century and first half of the 20th century members of this […]
Behind-the-Scenes at Chester County Archives and Records Services (hybrid)
Since 1982, the Chester County Archives has been preserving and making accessible the historic government records of the Chester County Government. We’ll peel back the curtain for a behind-the-scenes look […]
Horticultural Cousins: John Bartram, Humphry Marshall, and Early American Botany
Joel T. Fry, Curator at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia, will explore the lives of botanists & cousins John Bartram and Humphry Marshall. Pennsylvania Quakers John Bartram (1699-1777) and Humphry Marshall […]
Mapping 1777 Chester County (virtual)
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 interest (mills, taverns, places of […]
Standing on the Border of Two Worlds: The Nature of Cemetery Landscapes (virtual)
Oaklands Cemetery has served as one of West Chester’s primary memorial landscapes since 1854, but it also holds a place within the larger world of well-designed garden cemeteries that redefined […]
Threats on the Seas: Pirates and the Delaware Valley (virtual)
Pirates are often the subject of films and books that depict them as either dashing swashbucklers or dastardly outlaws, but these popular depictions obscure the reality of pirates in the […]