The President's House

One of the stops I made in Philadelphia on Sunday was to the President's House, no not the current President, but George Washington's. I thought he lived at Mount Vernon, you might be thinking, and that would not be incorrect, but when he was President, Washington lived in Philadelphia.

Why isn't this place better known? Well, that would be because the house no longer exists as it once did. As with many historic houses, all that remains can be found in the archaeological record. I saw the interpretation of it being constructed in October, and I'm glad to say that it's been completed.

Today, visitors to the President's House can peek into the archaeological record, a sealed section of the excavation is included in the open air exhibition on the house and George Washington's slaves. The exhibition is installed on a skeleton of the house, brick walls, and window frames, to scale of what once existed. It's actually really neat and I recommend checking it out, it's .

Here are some pictures to satisfy your interest:

From the outside looking in.
From the inside looking out. It's great to see so many people actually utilizing the space in some way.
There are videos too, in addition to signage.

Here on the floor are the outlines of where rooms and walls would have stood. Such a neat feature, very clever.
Here's some of the archaeology that was conducted on the site.

I totally recommend stopping by the President's House if you are in Philadelphia. It's right in the middle of some of the biggest tourist sites and across the street from the visitors' center. Stay tuned for more of my Cooperstown-Philly-Maryland adventure.

A Short But Sweet Museum Road Trip

Hello Everyone!

I just got back from a wonderful trip, and of course there were museums involved. It inspired me to write, and hopefully you will here more about my adventure soon, but in the meantime, if you have an interest in small museums, work at a small museum, or are thinking about someday working in a small museum, get involved with the Small Museum Association.

Their annual conference was the primary reason for my trip, and I had an absolute blast. In addition to great sessions and a ton of vendors at the resource hall, there was a banquet on Monday night and people could dress in costume if they wanted to. I also met some wonderful people and made some friends. I plan to add more about what I learned at the sessions I went to in the coming days. Just do yourselves a favor and visit SMA's website follow their blog and like them on Facebook. Soon they will be posting podcasts from some of the conference sessions and I highly suggest listening to those when they are released. Go to the conference next year, it's a great value and I'll be there too!

My Road Trip:

Saturday- Cooperstown to Philadelphia, PA.
Sunday- Philadelphia, PA to Ocean City, MD.
Visited: Eastern State Penitentiary, National Constitution Center, and the President's House
Ate at: Jack's Firehouse
Monday- Ocean City, MD
Tuesday- Ocean City, MD to Philadelphia, PA.
Ate at: National Mechanics
Wednesday- Phildadelphia, PA to Cooperstown, NY.
Visited: Franklin Institute and The Woodlands Cemetery