To Learn About the Founding of the U.S., Go to Philadelphia’s Germantown

Philadelphia’s yearlong celebration of the nation’s founding is in full swing, culminating in major events this summer. While special attention is paid to Old City, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed, other Philadelphia neighborhoods played a special role in securing democracy.

Germantown may not have been officially part of Philadelphia in 1776, but its role in the American Revolution and beyond is crucial to understanding the history of our city and country. Historic Germantown, a consortium of 20 independent cultural and historical organizations in North and Northwest Philadelphia, is making sure the neighborhood isn’t forgotten amid semiquincentennial festivities.

“A lot of people think of visiting historic sites, and they think of Independence Park or the Museum of the American Revolution,” said Tuomi Forrest, executive director of Historic Germantown. The locations in Germantown “are smaller, but the breadth of history and culture and its authenticity is something you won't experience anywhere else in the region or the country.”

The sites include museums that were once the private homes of families in the 18th century or earlier, historic cemeteries, and an arboretum, all educating about a stretch of history after European settlement.

“On one hand, you can visit a place like Cliveden, and you can see literally the bullet holes and scars in the building from the Battle of Germantown and see the furnishings of the family,” Forrest said. “And you could go down the block and see a place like the Black Writers' Museum, which is a newly created museum, and see original documents and photographs from the Black Arts Movement and the Black Power Movement from just a few decades ago. And you’re really getting that breadth of history.”

In just one neighborhood you can visit a historic one-room schoolhouse, an 18th-century home with the oldest rose garden in the nation, and the Wister family home, where teenage Sally Wister wrote a first-hand account of growing up during the Revolution.

To help Philadelphians and visitors alike experience all that Germantown has to offer, the cultural sites will host expanded programming this year.

You can join 26 walking tours, diving into topics such as 20th-century architecture, the Great Migration, and Germantown’s gardens. Public tours and activities will also be available on Second Saturdays as well as evening Firefly Hours. Visitors can collect stamps at each location in booklets for a chance to win prizes.

As it warms up, several festivals will take over Germantown’s streets and parks, including the Juneteenth Festival and Revolutionary Germantown Festival.

The semiquincentennial and the neighborhood’s slate of events come at a time when specific facets of American history are under attack. “No one is backing down from what I would call a very active attempt to suppress history from the federal level,” Forrest said. “All our sites are really aware of what's happening and are intentionally creating exhibits and programs that counter that narrative.”

The excitement won’t end in 2026. Next year will be a big year for the neighborhood as 2027 marks 250 years since the Battle of Germantown. In October 1777, American patriots fought to recapture Philadelphia from British occupation by catching troops by surprise with an attack on Germantown, where the British army had an outpost.

Here are upcoming tours: