The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, the official museum of the commonwealth, is a great place for exploration, fun, and discovery.
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State Museum of PA retweeted
This flag, on display in the "Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection" exhibit @StateMuseumPA , belonged to the First Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line between 1776 and 1783. That regiment witnessed some of the most crucial points of the war for American Independence, including the night Washington crossed the Delaware River in 1776 and the surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781. ➡️ bit.ly/4eoLK08
The flag, better known as the Thompson Rifle Battalion Flag, is a testament to a defining moment in American history, as few regimental standards survive the ravages of time. The motto painted on the flag “I refuse to be subjugated” is an appropriate choice. PHMC has owned the flag since 1906. #America205PA, #PATreasures, #PA250
ALT Among the most important of commonwealth-owned relics are the Revolutionary War–era flags that were carried by Pennsylvania regiments during the war. The State Museum is fortunate to have in its collection the 1st Continental Regiment flag, better known as the Thompson Rifle Battalion Flag, or Thompson Flag.
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We have a busy weekend coming up with a virtual Learn at Lunchtime on Friday, hands-on program on Saturday and in-person lecture on Betsy Ross and the flag on Sunday! Find out more and make plans to join us -statemuseumpa.org/calendar/
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State Museum of PA retweeted
Here's a Pennsylvania Treasure that many will know. The Pennsylvania Bicentennial Commission promoted hundreds of Bicentennial celebrations across the Commonwealth. Over the course of the yearlong celebration, the commission organized everything from cross-country wagon trains to local parades and historical reenactments. This Bicentennial Flag is now on display via the "Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection" exhibit @StateMuseumPA . ➡️ bit.ly/4dYg5kM
#America250PA, #PA250, #PATreasures
ALT Bicentennial Flag 1976
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Did you say torpedo? Join Jared McGary, Environmental Education Specialist with @DCNRnews to learn more about a unique historical event that helped change naval warfare during World War II – torpedo testing at the park. Registration is required. statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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Join us on Flag Day as Dr. Aimee Newell discusses the origin story of one of the American Revolution’s long-held and most beloved tales during “Crafting the Myth: Betsy Ross and the Flag.” Museum admission is free for guests registered for the lectures. statemuseumpa.org/events/rlj…
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Friday's virtual Learn at Lunchtime program has been rescheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12:15 P.M. If you are already registered, you should receive an update. If you have not yet registered, well, this is your sign to do so!
statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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Join us in person on Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 PM for “Moving Pictures: Preserving Painted Silk from the Revolutionary War and Beyond” with professional conservator Nancy Pollak. Museum admission is free on that day for guests registered for the lectures.
statemuseumpa.org/events/rlm…
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Dr. Curt Miner, Chief of Interpretation, dropped by @TheSparkWITF to speak with Asia Tabb about the museum’s spring lecture series tied to “Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection” exhibit.
Listen here - witf.org/2026/04/28/revoluti…
Register - statemuseumpa.org/rtlecture/
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Sign up for the May Learn at Lunchtime program, “Geohazards Demystified,” with Dr. Kyle Rybacki from the Pennsylvania Geological Survey at @DCNRnews. Explore flooding, sinkholes, and landslides through the eyes of a geoscientist. Registration is required.
statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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Join us on Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 PM for the next program in our Spring Lecture Series - "Moving Pictures: Preserving Painted Silk from the Revolutionary War and Beyond" with Nancy Pollak, Principal, Art Care Associates.
Register - statemuseumpa.org/rtlecture/
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State Museum of PA retweeted
Make Spring 2026 historic!
Tour "Seeing Double: Pennsylvania’s Industrial Revolution in 3D," a serial exhibit showcasing the state's rich industrial history through antique stereo #photography. - bit.ly/41jk4Ti
Opening April 18 and running through the summer, this exhibit will be hosted jointly across four PHMC museums on the Industrial Heritage Trail:
- Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
- Drake Well Museum and Park
- Cornwall Iron Furnace
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
ALT “Seeing Double: Pennsylvania’s Industrial Revolution in 3D”, a Serial Exhibit Highlighting America’s Industrial Heritage
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State Museum of PA retweeted
In this @pcntv History & Culture Short, Curt Minor @StateMuseumPA offers his thoughts on an 1893 painting, "Birth of Our Nation's Flag," on display at the museum. Video airs at 9 p.m. tonight (4/7) on #PCNTV. #America250PA, #PA250
youtu.be/sBRkw2e-Jpg?si=-4Qj…
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It's all about the beaver during the April Learn at Lunchtime program! Join Thomas Keller from the @PAGameComm to learn why beavers are so critical to the ecological system and how humans can live with them in the future. Registration is required.
statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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State Museum of PA retweeted
Few of the original 13 colonies can compete with Pennsylvania in terms of the sheer concentration of people, places and things associated with the nation’s founding. To help mark #America250PA, @StateMuseumPA has organized "Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collections," a roughly 3,000-square-foot exhibition highlighting more than 140 objects from the museum’s collection that together tell the story of how Pennsylvania has memorialized its revolutionary past. This “Pennsylvania Heritage” article offers a #BeforeYouGo glimpse into this historic exhibition. ➡️ bit.ly/4dhvyha
As America approaches its 250th birthday, PHMC is sharing articles from "Pennsylvania Heritage" magazine that lay out the monumental part Pennsylvania played in the founding of our nation.
ALT The Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania was the single largest celebration of the Bicentennial year. Its journey ended July 4, 1976, in Valley Forge, where a large crowd, including President Gerald Ford, gathered to greet the train and celebrate 200 years of American independence. The horse-drawn Bicentennial Wagon Train paraded through hundreds of small towns and cities, collecting signatures on Pledges of Rededication, scrolls that proclaimed the signers’ commitment to the values laid out in the Declaration of Independence.
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Aaron McWilliams, archivist with the Pennsylvania State Archives, will present “Revolutionary War Records at the PA State Archives: An Introduction and Guide” on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Admission on the program date is free with registration.
statemuseumpa.org/events/rta…
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Join us at The State Museum of Pennsylvania for the “Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection” Spring Lecture Series.
Admission is free on the program dates when you register. Find out more - statemuseumpa.org/rtlecture/
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Join Thomas Keller, the state Furbearer Biologist with the @PAGameComm, for the April Learn at Lunchtime program to learn why beavers are so critical to the ecological system and how humans can live with them in the future. Registration is required.
statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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State Museum of PA retweeted
Happy Birthday, Mister Rogers! 🎂 Fred McFeely Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, was born March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pa. @StateMuseumPA exhibits this wooden Neighborhood Trolley made exclusively by the Holgate Toy Co. for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," the popular children's TV show produced in #Pittsburgh and hosted by Rogers. The trolley made frequent appearances on the show and was recognized as a recurring "character" that transported visitors to the world of “Make Believe.” #PaTreasures ➡️bit.ly/40rFxsL
ALT Wooden Neighborhood Trolley made exclusively by the Holgate Toy Co. for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," the popular children's TV show produced in Pittsburgh and hosted by Rogers.
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Don't miss Friday's Learn at Lunchtime program. Amy Hammond, Sr. Curator of Cultural History at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, will discuss how artists have commemorated history and reflected on the meaning of independence. Registration required. statemuseumpa.org/events/vir…
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State Museum of PA retweeted
It's Charter Day! @PHMC is throwing a birthday bash for the Commonwealth's 345th anniversary today and all are invited! ➡️bit.ly/4un5qYu
➡️ See the Charter: William Penn's original charter will be on display between Noon and 4 pm today at the Pennsylvania State #Archives, 1681 N. Sixth Street, Harrisburg, Pa.
➡️ Explore the "Keystone of American History" at @StateMuseumPA . #Free admission to the museum is available from 12 noon to 4:30 pm today.
➡️#RoadTrip into History: Hit the road & explore Pennsylvania's rich past with free admission to many historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trails of History.
ALT Charter Day
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