Lecture – Who Was Here?

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

The American Revolution was fought by a diverse group of people covering all ranks of society. From privates to generals, and those who supported the army, many of these patriot's stories have gone untold. Join museum curator Kimberly McCarty as she highlights some of the individuals who participated in Washington's legendary crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776. This event will be held in-person in the Visitor Center Auditorium. It will also be live-streamed over Zoom. If COVID restrictions are required, it will be changed entirely to virtual. Registrants will be notified of changes. Registration is required. Register on Read More

Lecture – ‘She Had a Husband in the Camp’: Following the Army During the War for Independence

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Sunday, March 19 at 1:30 PM, join Carrie Fellows, Executive Director of the Hunterdon County (NJ) Cultural & Heritage Commission as she examines the life of the women who followed the Continental Army during the revolution. Through glimpses found in period references, writings, and images, this talk will explore the reasons why women left reasonably secure situations for the uncertainty of following the army. It will describe some of the duties women performed and how they were compensated for them once they were “on the rolls.” How has popular culture portrayed women in this situation, and how have those Read More

Lecture – The Doans and The Revolution

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Sunday, May 7 at 1:30 PM, Washington Crossing Historic Park welcomes curators Annie Halliday and Clint Flack from the Mercer Museum to discuss the notorious Doan gang, their background, and activities early in the revolution. The Doan gang was a group of British loyalists, the most notorious members being five brothers and one cousin from the Doan family of Plumstead. The gang was composed of around 30 members who were accused murderers, attainted traitors, horse thieves, and ferried British prisoners of war to British lines. They were also guilty of robbing tax collectors, their most famous crime being the Read More

Lecture – “Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778” with Ricardo Herrera

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Thursday, June 1 at 7 PM, Ricardo A. Herrera will discuss his new book, Feeding Washington's Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778 (Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 2022) at Washington Crossing Historic Park. In this major new history of the Continental Army’s Grand Forage of 1778, award-winning military historian Herrera uncovers what daily life was like for soldiers during the darkest and coldest days of the American Revolution: the Valley Forge winter. Here, the army launched its largest and riskiest operation—not a bloody battle against British forces but a campaign to feed itself and prevent Read More

Lecture – “Founding Friendship: George Washington, James Madison, and the Creation of the American Republic”

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Sunday, June 4 at 1:30 PM, join Stuart Leibiger as he discusses his book Founding Friendship: George Washington, James Madison, and the Creation of the American Republic. Dr. Leibiger analyzes the rise and fall of the friendship and political collaboration between these two Revolutionary Statesmen. After teaming up to help win American Independence, Washington and Madison cooperated on the framing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. When Washington took office as first president, Madison was his right-hand man and confidant, providing advice on policy and precedents. With the rise of the Federalist and Republican parties, however, Washington and Madison Read More

Lecture – “Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia’s Quakers in Exile 1777-1778”

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Wednesday, September 27 at 7 PM, Norman E. Donoghue II will discuss his new book, Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia's Quakers in Exile at the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center Auditorium. The event is free to attend but registration is required. Click here to register. In 1777, Congress labeled Quakers who would not take up arms in support of the War of Independence as “the most Dangerous Enemies America knows” and ordered Pennsylvania and Delaware to apprehend them. In response, Keystone State officials sent twenty men—seventeen of whom were Quakers—into exile, banishing them to Virginia, where they were held for Read More

Lecture – “Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War” with Friederike Baer

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Sunday, October 15 at 1:30 PM, author Friederike Baer will discuss her book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. The book examines the experiences of the estimated 30,000 German soldiers – collectively known as Hessians – that participated in the war on the British side. In 2002, Dr. Baer received a Ph.D. in early American history from Brown University. She served as a project archivist at the American Philosophical Society. Since 2010, she has been on the faculty of Penn State Abington College as an Associate Professor of History and Division Head for Arts and Humanities. Copies Read More

Lecture – “Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777”

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

On Saturday, November 4 at 1:30 PM, commemorate the Marine Corps birthday with Jason Q. Bohm (Maj. Gen. USMC) as he discusses his book on the founding and early years of the corps. The story begins with the oppressive days that drove America into a conflict for which it was ill-prepared, when thirteen independent colonies commenced a war against the world’s most powerful military with nothing more than local militias, privateers, and other ad hoc units. It continues with the creation of the Continental Marines and the men who led them during the parallel paths followed by the Army and Read More

Camp Life: Enduring the 1776 Bucks County Encampments

Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, United States

The desperate condition of the soldiers who crossed the Delaware River on December 25, 1776 has become as legendary as the crossing itself. Less well-known are the conditions under which these soldiers lived in the weeks preceding the crossing. On Sunday, December 3 at 7 PM, Park Military Historian Colin Zimmerman will examine the reality of the difficult and complex encampments and how they impacted what would prove to be a decisive military stroke in the American War for Independence. Due to the overwhelming response to attend, we are switching entirely to livestream. There will be no in-person component to Read More

Lecture – “Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in Early America”

Virtual PA, United States

This is a hybrid event.  Visitors may attend in-person in the Visitor Center Auditorium or virtually on Zoom.  In the event of inclement weather, this will be a virtual-only event.  Registrants will be notified. Join University of Pennsylvania professor Kathleen M. Brown as she discusses her book Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in America, winner of the Organization of American Historians' Lawrence Levine Book Prize for cultural history and the Society of the History of the Early American Republic Book Prize. Foul Bodies explores early America’s evolving perceptions of cleanliness, along the way analyzing the connections between changing public expectations for appearance Read More