In honor of Charter Day, PHMC will offer free admission to many of the historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trails of History.
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) will celebrate the commonwealth’s 338th birthday on Charter Day, Sunday, March 10, with a rare display of William Penn’s original charter and documents relating to the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. In addition, PHMC will offer free admission to many of the historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trails of History.
Pennsylvania was created when England’s King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn in 1681. Once each year, the Pennsylvania State Archives exhibits the original document for a limited time at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. The 338-year-old Charter is written on parchment using iron gall ink. The State Archives preserves the document in a high-security vault, shielding it from strong light and environmental fluctuations.
In addition to the Charter, the Archives will display documents relating to the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote, including Pennsylvania’s copy of the “Joint Resolution of Congress Proposing an Amendment to the United States Constitution Extending the Right of Suffrage to Women” and Pennsylvania’s “Joint Resolution for Ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Admission to The State Museum is free on Charter Day, Sunday, March 10 only, and includes visits to the Planetarium, the Curiosity Connection and galleries. Free timed tickets are required for the Planetarium and the Curiosity Connection.
Additionally, The State Museum will present a talk by Andrew Murphy, professor of political science at Rutgers University and author of the new biography William Penn: A Life. The presentation titled William Penn: Four Mysteries will focus on the things we wish we knew more about Pennsylvania’s founder. The program is scheduled for 2:00 PM in the First Floor Gallery. A book signing will follow.
The Pennsylvania Charter and women’s suffrage documents will remain on display at the museum until 1:00 PM, Friday, March 15, when the documents will be returned to the vault for another year.
In addition to programming at The State Museum, many historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trails of History will offer free admission on Sunday, March 10.
Participating historic sites and museums include:
• Brandywine Battlefield Park, Chadds Ford
• Bushy Run Battlefield, Jeannette
• Conrad Weiser Homestead, Womelsdorf
• Cornwall Iron Furnace, Cornwall
• Daniel Boone Homestead, Birdsboro
• Drake Well Museum, Titusville
• Eckley Miners’ Village, Weatherly
• Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata
• Erie Maritime Museum & Flagship Niagara, Erie
• Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh
• Graeme Park, Horsham
• Hope Lodge, Ft. Washington
• Joseph Priestley House, Northumberland
• Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, Lancaster
• Pennsbury Manor, Morrisville
• Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, Scranton
• Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Ulysses
• Pennsylvania Military Museum, Boalsburg
• Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg
• Somerset Historical Center, Somerset
For more information on Charter Day 2019, visit www.statemuseumpa.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639