Free Admission At Historic Sites, Museums Sunday For PA's Birthday

PENNSYLVANIA — Explore 342 years of Pennsylvania history on Sunday for free, with many sites and museums in the Keystone State opening their doors for the commonwealth’s birthday.

William Penn’s original charter will be at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, and there’s free admission to many sites and museums across the state Trails of History, said the PA Historical and Museum Commission.

England’s King Charles II granted the charter to Penn in 1681, and the Pennsylvania State Archives exhibits the original document once a year at the State Museum. The charter is written with iron gall ink on parchment; when it’s not on display, the State Archives preserves the document in a high-security vault where it is safe from strong light or environmental fluctuations.

Admission to the State Museum is free on Charter Day (Sunday, March 12), and entry includes visits to the Planetarium, the Curiosity Connection and galleries (time slot tickets are required for the Planetarium and Curiosity Connection). The Penn Charter itself will be on display at the museum until 1 p.m. Friday, March 17.

The map below shows the state’s “Trail of History,” which marks the state’s farming, industrial, military, and community roots: many of these sites are open for free Sunday, so keep reading for the full list.

Here are the other participating parks and sites with special events Sunday, March 12; some provided more detailed information than others. Links will take you to each location’s website.

• Brandywine Battlefield Park , Chadds Ford. Admission to the Battlefield free from 12-3 p.m.
• Bushy Run Battlefield, Jeannette. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. William Penn will make an appearance and there will be children’s games and crafts as well as museum tours, guided tours of the battlefield, and “unique demonstrations by historical reenactors.”
• Conrad Weiser Homestead, Womelsdorf. Open noon-4:30 p.m.
• Cornwall Iron Furnace, Cornwall. Open noon-4 p.m.
• Daniel Boone Homestead, Birdsboro. Open noon-4 p.m. for an open house and living history event with hands-on activities and demonstrations like gun building, quill pen writing, spinning, quilting, leatherworking, and candle dipping. Crafts and concessions also available.
• Drake Well Museum And Park , Titusville. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum will open a new temporary exhibit, “PA Oil-Racing into the 21stCentury,” on Sunday.
• Eckley Miners’ Village, Weatherly. Special program 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. including historial Philip Mosely discussing his new book “Telling of the Anthracite: A Pennsylvania Posthistory,” followed by a concert of anthracite heritage music by Van Wagner.
• Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata. Open noon-4 p.m.
• Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Graeme Park, Horsham. Open noon-3 p.m. with tours of the Keith House and demonstrations of Colonial parlor dances by the Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble. Also, the first 100 visitors get a free cupcake (it’s Pennsylvania’s birthday, after all).
• Joseph Priestley House, Northumberland. Open 1-4 p.m. to celebrate both Charter Day and Priestley’s birthday. Dr. Priestley will give chemistry demonstrations at 1:30 and 2:30 in the Pond Building.
• Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, Lancaster. Open noon-4 p.m. with demonstrations, tours, and a special exhibition in the Visitor Center called “Pennsylvania Germans: Their Lives Through Color.” Craft demonstrations include gunsmiths, blacksmiths, woodworkers and carvers, leather workers, and hearth cooking.
• Pennsbury Manor, Morrisville. Open from 1-4 p.m. with free activities; visitors are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to help local food banks.
• Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, Scranton. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Ulysses. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hosting an apple fritter-making demonstration (with samples) in the Mess Hall from 11:30 a.m. until supplies are gone.
• Pennsylvania Military Museum, Boalsburg. Open noon-3 p.m.
• Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg. Open noon-4 .m.
• Somerset Historical Center, Somerset. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Charter Day coincides with the Somerset County Maple Taste and Tour Weekend this year, of which the Historical Center is one of two dozen stops. Sample freshly-stirred maple sugar and taffy (“spotza,”) kettle corn, and burnt sugar cake. Also scheduled are demonstrations of crafts that supported the maple industry and a presentation of the history of the industry in Somerset Co.