250th Anniversary of the
Pennsylvania Abolition Society
Current Exhibit
On view February 6, 2025 - May 23, 2025
In Collaboration with the 1838 Black Metropolis
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society's founding, this exhibit highlights themes of Black self-determination and leadership from the 1770s onward in the anti-slavery movement of the Mid-Atlantic region.


Using | Doing | Teaching Black History
A Public History Workshop
April 25 & 26, 2025
Keynote Address: Nell Irvin Painter
In partnership with the 1838 Black Metropolis, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania hosted a two-day workshop, bringing together individuals dedicated to preserving and sharing Black history. This event served as a platform for community storytellers, historians, digital creators, students, activists, genealogists, poets, artists, and walking tour guides to connect, share their work, and learn from one another.
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Historian and artist Nell Irvin Painter presented “Arrived, New Names,” as the keynote address Friday evening. Sharing insights about her artwork focused on William Still’s Journal C of the Underground Railroad, she set the tone for exploring how creative projects can share complicated and compelling histories.
Support for PAS 250 programming comes from The Haverford Trust Company and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Endowment Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation.