Find Secret Philadelphia

Join the Historical Society of Montgomery County for our next presentation in our Making History Greater Series when Mary Dixon Lebeau presents Secret Philadelphia: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

History and hermits. Museums and murals. Graveyards and churches and plenty of cheesesteak. These are a few of the secrets of Philadelphia. On April 26, Mary Dixon Lebeau reveals a city of curious contradiction, one with a rich history dating back to 1682 but also with an eye on the future. Come for the Liberty Bell—millions do—but stay for the secrets uncovered in Secret Philadelphia: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure. Journey to the places you’ve never heard of, and back to those old haunts you thought you knew, but never like this. Discover where you can: Enter through a gate full of artistic hands; peruse art between arrivals and departures; throw a penny on a Founding Father’s grave (and learn why you should); sample a sandwich on both sides of the street; learn how 19th century surgeries were performed; explore the cell where Al Capone paid his debt to society; discover the cave of the first doomsday cult; come face to face with the bird that inspired two famous authors; follow the footsteps of famous boxers – both real and fictional; encounter the real heroes of the Revolution; greet neighbors in the oldest neighborhood in the country; roam through dinosaurs and walk away with a butterfly; see slides of Einstein’s brain. From the festive fantasy of the Mummers to the disturbing reality of the Mutter, Philadelphia and the surrounding region has stories to tell.

The Making History Greater series features scholars, authors, and historians who are currently working on telling new stories about the complexity of our region’s history. Secret Philadelphia: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2018. The evening will begin at 6:30 with a social gathering and light refreshments. The presentation will begin at 7:00 pm and last for about an hour with time for questions at the end. This program is free and open to the public.