Founder's Hall Museum

08/28/2026

It's , when we ask our Girard College community to help us learn more about the images in our historic collections. Can you help us identify anyone in this handbell lineup from 1971? Do you have any memories of handbells at Girard (or know anything about how the group started?)

08/27/2026

This week marked the anniversary of the certification of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. Here are a few of the many female teachers who were working at Girard College in 1920 when they gained that right. The photos come from a wonderful scrapbook assembled by Mildred Schwab (later Montgomery) who taught at Girard College 1915-1926.

08/25/2026

Come see us this Saturday from 10-4 at History on the Street: Back to School Edition at 13th and Locust!

National History Day Philly and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania are teaming up to host an end-of-summer history street fair for the whole family. Founder's Hall Museum and a whole host of Philly cultural orgs will be there.

Enjoy hands-on activities, food, music and fun. Be sure to stop by our table to say hello and make a button.

📅 Saturday, August 29 (rain or shine)
🕒 12 pm - 4 pm
📍 13th and Locust Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107
🎟️ FREE
🔗 www.hsp.org/streetfest

08/21/2026

It's . Do you recognize anyone in the 1965 dining hall scene? Help us out and drop info in the chat (or just share your favorite food memories).

08/21/2026

Wonderful news about one of our neighbor National Historic landmarks. Henry Ossawa Tanner was the uncle of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, who was involved with the attempt to desegregate Girard College in the 1950s.

☀️. ANNOUNCING OUR LANDMARK VICTORY. Friends of the Tanner House (Friends of the Tanner House) has acquired the National Historic Landmark Henry Ossawa Tanner House at 2908 W. Diamond Street, securing one of Philadelphia’s most significant Black cultural landmarks for long-term nonprofit stewardship and future reuse as a community-rooted arts and heritage hub.

Read our full PRESS RELEASE at our website. LINK IN BIO. READ MORE: https://savethetannerhouse.org/press-1/0bjruc8axeh6f905r7flc6uuorekso

08/20/2026

It's . Today marks the anniversary of the formation of the American Professional Football Conference in 1920 (which later became the NFL). These Girardian "Stars of Section M" date from about 25 years earlier, around 1897.

08/18/2026

Get your white gloves on and get up close with the collections. There are still spots available for tomorrow's 10 AM Hands on History tour, where we'll explore silver, ceramics, furniture, and documents from Stephen Girard's house. Get your FREE tickets at bit.ly/2026NewNation.

08/14/2026

It's , when we pull out unidentified images from our collections and ask our Girard College community to help us fill in the gaps. Can you help us identify any of these fun-loving friends from 1990?

08/11/2026

Have you ever been this close to the tops of the Founder's Hall columns? Each column shaft is 55 feet high and the Corinthian capitals at the top are each 8 1/2 feet tall. Pretty amazing, right?

08/07/2026

It's , when we ask our Girard College community to help us identify the people and dates of photos from our archives. Do you recognize anyone in this classroom shot?