Walking around Independence National Historical Park, you may run into a man who looks like he just stepped out of the 18th century. Dressed in a dark jacket and white cravat, you’ll often find him greeting passersby or walking with his Bible. You likely just encountered Richard Allen, who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Or at least, the man who’s portraying him.
Robert Branch, a first-person historical interpreter, has been playing Allen for about seven years. He previously depicted Octavius Catto, a 19th-century educator and civil rights activist. He’s one of several costumed History Makers at Historic Philadelphia Inc. who bring the city’s history to life through interactive storytelling. Here’s a glimpse into that experience.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How would you describe your role?
“The first-person interpreter researches the historical figure and then brings that figure to life from their perspective.
“Historic Philadelphia has a principle that when you share history, it has to number one, be real. It has to be factual. But more importantly, it has to be relevant to today … I try not to deal with triviality.
“I do focus on more what it was like to be an African American in the time frame of the [American] Revolution and Constitution, basically covering the years from 1760 until about 1830 … and the reality was most African Americans were enslaved and, by one way or another, managed to get freedom. But the thing I'm trying to communicate is that freedom is just the first step. Now, you want equality. It's not enough to be free. You want to be recognized as an equal human being.”
Where can we find you, and how long does each session last?
“On an ongoing basis, Tuesday through Saturday, I’m in one of three places: I’m in the Visitor Center; I’m behind Independence Hall; or I’m at Carpenter’s Hall.
“Sometimes you'll speak to people, and they're very curious about you, and you give them a couple minutes, two minutes, five minutes … sometimes people really want to stay for 16, 20 minutes.”
What helps you stay in character to embody these figures?
“I’m interpreting history, but the basis of it is my personal experience.
“[My father] would always share with me the struggles that he had to demonstrate his equality ... even when I was in college, in so many situations, I had the challenge of demonstrating equality.
“When I look at the history of this country, this is an aspect that should be acknowledged. It's not just independence from England. It's a layer of people who were African or darkskinned that also struggled to get equality, just as the colonists wanted equality with England. African Americans wanted equality and independence from the colonists.”
Before you portrayed Richard Allen, you portrayed Octavius Catto. How did that come to be?
“I [was a storyteller] for about a year or so, and one of the stories that I told was Octavius Catto’s. Right around that time, coincidentally, the city of Philadelphia was preparing to erect a memorial to Octavius Catto on the southern side of City Hall.
“And the city, Mayor [Michael] Nutter, asked Historic Philadelphia, ‘Hey, we need a first-person interpreter.’ And since I have been telling the story … they approached me to do that.
“I can remember being Octavius Catto at Mayor Nutter's press conference when he announced that the city was giving $500,000 to the memorial that is now at City Hall. And so I did that for a number of years.
“However, as time goes on, I'm not getting any younger … so it became obvious that I couldn't continue to do Octavius's character because I was too old. And so that's when Historic Philadelphia approached me and said, ‘Hey, Bishop Richard Allen lived until he was about 71 years old.’ And that’s roughly my age now, so that was a better fit for me.”
How do you navigate what we see going on at the federal level regarding what history is being told and how?
“How I navigate it is just simply to share the truth. Share the facts. It doesn't do any good to make up things or embellish things and make all kinds of wild speculations. No, I simply share what the experience was.
“I haven't had people confront me and tell me to shut up … Those are not the people that will stop and talk to me. Those are the people that will pretend they don't even see me.”
Who would you like to see join the lineup of History Makers?
“I think of William Still, immediately. That's somebody, really, that is underrepresented in historic interpretation … You know Harriet Tubman and people like that, but this guy was considered to be the father of the Underground Railroad.”
Learn about Philly history through Historic Philadelphia’s Once Upon a Nation program. To become a storyteller and first-person historical interpreter, keep an eye on its job board. Ready to explore history? Here are some places to learn Philly’s secrets and stories.
