Pennsylvania Charter Day

Sunday March 8, 2020

Happy 339th Birthday, Pennsylvania!

"Charter Day" is  to commemorate the granting of the Charter to William Penn, from King Charles II,  in March of 1681.While other colonies at the time were under England’s rule, Penn became the owner outright of 28 million acres of land.

Throughout Pennsylvania on March 8 2020, admission to State Museums will be free, (Scroll down for a full list of participating museums) and the original charter issued to William Penn will be brought out from the vault and put on display at the State Museum.

In our area, the Joseph Priestly House in Northumberland will be celebrating Charter Day by unveiling: Dr. Joseph Priestley's Fizzy Water.  Costumed docents will be in each room of the house to share the history of our great site and Dr. Priestley himself will be performing 18th Century Chemistry Demonstrations in the Pond Building.  Food will be available from the When Pigs Fly food truck. The museum will be open, with free admission, from 1-4pm
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph-Priestley-House-Museum-183615968366918/

At The State Museum In Harrisburg Pa, You Can View William Penn's Personal Copy Of The Original Charter
Each year the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission sets aside one day in March as Charter day.  On that day, you can view the original charter.  The Charter will remain on display through 12 noon, Friday, March 15. For the remainder of the year, the Charter is safeguarded in a special vault within the Pennsylvania State Archives.
(Read more about the charter here)

Admission to The State Museum is free on Charter Day, Sunday, March 8, and includes visits to the Planetarium, the Curiosity Connection and galleries. Free admission to the Planetarium and Curiosity Connection is limited. Timed tickets are available at the Front Desk. http://statemuseumpa.org/event/charterday/
The Museum is located at 300 North St. Harrisburg, PA 17120 

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 15th Amendment, the Pennsylvania State Archives will also exhibit two rarely seen documents: Pennsylvania’s Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery (1780) and the state’s ratification of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1869), which ensured the right of Americans to vote, regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

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A List Of State Museums Participating In Charter Day:

Alleghany County
Pittsburgh - Fort Pitt Museum

Beaver County
Ambridge - Old Economy Village

Berks County
Womelsdorf - Conrad Weiser Homestead
Birdsboro - Daniel Boone Homestead

Bucks County
Morrisville - Pennsbury Manor (William Penn's estate)

Centre County
Boalsburg - Pennsylvania Military Museum

Delaware County:
Chadds Ford - Brandywine Battlefield Park

Erie County - 
Erie - Erie Maritime Museum & Flagship Niagara

Lackawanna County
Scranton - Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum 12-5pm

Lancaster County
Ephrata - Ephrata Cloister
Lancaster - Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Lebanon County
Cornwall - Cornwall Iron Furnace

Luzerne County
Weatherly (near Hazelton) - Eckley Miners’ Village

Montgomery County
Horsham - Graeme Park
Fort Washington - Hope Lodge

Northumberland Count
Northumberland - Joseph Priestley House

Potter County
Galeton - Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

Venango County
Titusville - Drake Well Museum

Westmoreland County
Jeanette - Bushy Run Battlefield

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https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/04/sights-to-see.html