Makers of Revolutionary Philadelphia Living History Day 2024

Join several historical tradespeople at the Museum on Saturday, May 18, to do hands-on crafts and activities, see demonstrations of 18th-century skills and trades, and meet the people who made the Revolution in 1770s Philadelphia. Don't forget to get your History Explorer passport stamped by all of the different makers to win a prize!

Throughout the Museum, other interpreters will demonstrate the work of contractors and soldiers in Benjamin Flower's Regiment of Artillery Artificers as they roll cartridges, mend uniforms, feed the army, and more. As part of the Museum's new special exhibition, Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington's Tent, learn about the artisans, including upholsterer Plunket Fleeson, who made George Washington's headquarters tent and camp equipment.

In the Neighborhood: Historic Crafts and Trades Fair at Carpenters' Hall
Carpenters' Hall (320 Chestnut St.) | April 27, May 4, 11, & 18 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Join the Carpenters’ Company on select Saturdays this spring for free, family-friendly showcases of historic crafts and trades in honor of the Company’s 300th Anniversary and the 250th Anniversary of the completion of Carpenters’ Hall. Guests can explore the trades that helped build Carpenters’ Hall through demonstrations of blacksmithing, carpentry, masonry, and crafts such as basketweaving. All of these skills were critical in the construction of colonial Philadelphia, and the planned interactive demonstrations by skilled tradespersons will utilize the tools and techniques from that era. Guests will also discuss these trades as modern careers with professionals themselves.