We’re Inspired, Too

Drawing inspiration from The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, a new encyclopedia effort is underway in Cheshire, Connecticut.  We’re pleased that the town historian, Jeanné Chesanow, shares our commitment to building a strong community for history and connections between the past and the present.  Read about her project in a Cheshire Patch report, where you can also add comments to encourage this endeavor.

Welcome to Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery

We are pleased to add the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery to our growing Civic Advisory Board, which helps to assure that the Encyclopedia project serves community needs.   Gwen Kaminski, Director of Development and Programs for the Friends of Laurel Hill, has helped us plan our “Green Country Town” roundtable, coming up in May at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  The President and CEO of Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries, Pete Hoskins, will be a panelist for the program.  Welcome to these supportive friends of the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia project!

Welcome to the Team

As The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia expands, so does our team of editors. We are pleased to welcome the following colleagues, whose work you will begin to see in the Encyclopedia over the next several months:

  • Donald D. Groff, a veteran journalist, is our new managing editor.
  • Tyler Hoffman, Professor of English at Rutgers-Camden, is an associate editor who will oversee topics related to literature and theater.
  • Jean Soderlund, Professor of History at Lehigh University, is associate editor for early American topics up to 1800.
  • Roger Turner, Associate Fellow at Dickinson College, is associate editor for topics in the areas of science, technology and medicine.

The expertise and talents of these individuals undoubtedly will enrich The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia in many ways as the project continues to grow. Welcome to the team!

William Penn Foundation Grant

We are pleased to announce that The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia will enhance its digital platform with a two-year, $81,040 grant awarded by the William Penn Foundation to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers–Camden, the Encyclopedia’s institutional home. The grant will allow us to add photo galleries of material artifacts; place-mapping; new text about Philadelphia’s history; links between history and the news; and more.  We look forward to working with our civic partners as well as the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University in developing these new features.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, works to close the achievement gap for low-income children, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. With assets of nearly $2 billion, the Foundation distributes approximately $80 million in grants annually. Learn more about the Foundation at www.williampennfoundation.org.

Working Group:
Philadelphia, the Nation, and the World

Invitation to graduate students and other interested scholars: The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, based at Rutgers-Camden, is forming a working group to do original research into Philadelphia’s connections with other regions of the United States and the world. You can help us enhance the Encyclopedia with these topics and break new ground – and perhaps find a thesis, dissertation, or book topic in the process. We anticipate a meeting early in the spring and research during the summer. Modest compensation is available for accepted essays, which will be peer-reviewed.

Let us know if you are interested! Send an email with a brief description of your interests and qualifications to Charlene Mires, cmires@camden.rutgers.edu.

Guidelines for Writers: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/about/guidelines-for-writers/

Your chance to see new exhibits at the Philadelphia History Museum!

Our next program in the Greater Philadelphia Roundtable series, “City of Neighborhoods, City of Homes,” will take place at the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent – a great chance to see the new exhibits there prior to the program.  Make sure to register in advance for the program at https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/events.  Here’s a preview of the museum’s new offerings:

The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent recently reopened, in part, as a preview to the museum’s full reopening this summer. A three-year renovation has upgraded the pre-Civil War structure (the original home of the Franklin Institute) adding new galleries and two currently opened exhibitions with more to come this summer.

Start in the orientation gallery where City Stories: An Introduction to Philadelphia welcomes visitors in a multi-layered exhibition featuring almost 30 artifacts that help illustrate Philadelphia’s transition from the “greene country towne” founded by William Penn to the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed to the Workshop of the World and the World Champion Phillies. City Stories features an original media presentation with contemporary Philadelphians sharing their feelings on the city of neighborhoods.

Philadelphia Voices: The Community History Gallery serves as a preview space for the five additional galleries to be unveiled this summer. Celebrated artifacts displayed here, including Joe Frazier’s boxing gloves, George Washington’s pocket watch, and a Passmore Williamson family portrait, provide a further glimpse into the Museum’s extensive collection.

The Philadelphia History Museum: 15 South 7th Street
http://www.philadelphiahistory.org
Free and open to the public Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy