Forging Freedom:
Delaware County's Role in the American Experiment
America250PADelco partnered with the Media Arts Council to design a series of banners connected to national moments in advancing democracy as part of our local U.S. Semiquincentennial celebration.
Each banner features an image of an artwork or portrait representing a significant historical moment that occurred in Delaware County. The banners will be displayed at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media through December 2026.
The Declaration of Independence sets the framework for our year-long public U.S. Semiquincentennial celebration. Throughout the year, Americans are reflecting on the guiding statement of the Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness' while considering the complex 250-year journey of advancing democracy.
'The Nation Makers'
Howard Pyle (1853-1911), The Nation Makers, ca. 1902, oil on canvas, 40 ¼ x 26 in. Brandywine Museum of Art, Purchased through a grant from the Mabel Pew Myrin Trust, 1984.
The Continental Army struggled for independence during the 1777 Battle of Brandywine in Chadds Ford. As the largest single-day engagement of the Revolutionary War, this pivotal conflict symbolizes core aspects of the American identity: determination, resilience, and perseverance in the face of immense adversity.
The Battle of Brandywine was the largest single day engagement of the American Revolution where nearly 30,000 soldiers (not including civilians, teamsters, servants, and other members of the army) squared off on a ten square mile area of roughly 35,000 acres. Today’s battlefield landscape encompasses nearly fifteen different municipalities with the main gateway of interpretation being Brandywine Battlefield Park (www.brandywinebattlefield.org), the epicenter of George Washington’s continental encampment.
To see more, Howard Pyle artwork, visit the The Brandywine Museum of Art, a museum of regional and American art located in Chadds Ford, on the banks of the Brandywine Creek. (Brandywine.org)
Image Courtesy of Brandywine Museum of Art.
Thomas Garrett
Before the abolition of slavery in 1865, Upper Darby Quaker Garrett bravely served as a station master on the Underground Railroad. Garrett worked with Harriet Tubm and many Quaker Meetings and AME Churches to assist more than 2,700 people seeking freedom.
The site of Garrett's home, the former Riverview Farm, is now occupied by Arlington Cemetery at 2900 State Road in Drexel Hill. A replica of Mount Vernon, it contains a small museum focused on regional Underground Railroad history. Also, tucked away in the historic Arlington Cemetery, is Greenhorn Gardens, a family run, urban farm that holds a farmers market Friday through Sunday (www.greenhorngardens.com)
You can learn more about the Underground Rail Road in Delaware County by taking the self-guided 'Upper Darby Underground Railroad Trail Guide' (https://www.upperdarby.org/UndergroundRailroadWalkingTour)
In his 1872 book, The Underground Railroad, William Still recounts the firsthand testimonies of hundreds of enslaved people he helped escape to freedom, some of whom passed through with Garrett's efforts.
Image Contributor: Garrett, Thomas, mid 19th century. Cabinet card portrait of Thomas Garrett (1789-1871). Photo by M. & W. Garrett, Wilmington. PPLG21, Delaware Historical Society Photograph Collection, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware.
The site of Garrett's home, the former Riverview Farm, is now occupied by Arlington Cemetery at 2900 State Road in Drexel Hill. A replica of Mount Vernon, it contains a small museum focused on regional Underground Railroad history. Also, tucked away in the historic Arlington Cemetery, is Greenhorn Gardens, a family run, urban farm that holds a farmers market Friday through Sunday (www.greenhorngardens.com)
You can learn more about the Underground Rail Road in Delaware County by taking the self-guided 'Upper Darby Underground Railroad Trail Guide' (https://www.upperdarby.org/UndergroundRailroadWalkingTour)
In his 1872 book, The Underground Railroad, William Still recounts the firsthand testimonies of hundreds of enslaved people he helped escape to freedom, some of whom passed through with Garrett's efforts.
Image Contributor: Garrett, Thomas, mid 19th century. Cabinet card portrait of Thomas Garrett (1789-1871). Photo by M. & W. Garrett, Wilmington. PPLG21, Delaware Historical Society Photograph Collection, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware.
Dr. Anna Howard Shaw
A leader in the women's suffrage movement (1848-1920), Dr. Shaw settled in Rose Valley while serving as the President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and worked alongside fellow suffragette Mildred Scott Olmsted toward the passage of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote in 1920.
You can visit the histricalmarker for Dr. Shaw in Media at intersection of South Orange Street and S Ridley Creek Rd. Within walking distance of this marker, you can visit the home of Shaw's friend and noted social activist Mildred Scott Olmsted. The Rose Valley Museum and Thunderbird Lodge, on the National Register of Historic Places, was the former house of Allen and Mildred Scott Olmsted.
You can read more about women's history in Pennsylvanaia by several books by Delaware County author Robyn S. Young, including 'Penn's Woods: A History of Women in Pennsylvania.' www.womeninpennswoods.com
Image Contributor : Mrs. Shaw by Bain News Service, publisher. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-08175. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
You can visit the histricalmarker for Dr. Shaw in Media at intersection of South Orange Street and S Ridley Creek Rd. Within walking distance of this marker, you can visit the home of Shaw's friend and noted social activist Mildred Scott Olmsted. The Rose Valley Museum and Thunderbird Lodge, on the National Register of Historic Places, was the former house of Allen and Mildred Scott Olmsted.
You can read more about women's history in Pennsylvanaia by several books by Delaware County author Robyn S. Young, including 'Penn's Woods: A History of Women in Pennsylvania.' www.womeninpennswoods.com
Image Contributor : Mrs. Shaw by Bain News Service, publisher. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-08175. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Sheet Metal Worker,
Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
A sheet metal worker at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. shipyard in Chester embodies both the important place manufacturing, trades and labor have in our country's history as well as the pivotal role women and African Americans served between 1941-1945 as drivers in the U.S. labor force, setting the stage for post-war civil and labor rights movements. In 1943, the Sun campus was the largest shipyard in the world, pioneering new technologies and building 40% of the U.S. oil tanker fleet. More than half of the 35,000 employees were Black, with one-third of them working in the segregated Yard No. 4.
You can visit the hiostroical marker to Sun Ship near its fromer site and present day Harrah's Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack.
Online, The Sun Ship Historical Society and Delaware County Historical Society have webinars, photos ans essays about the lifes of Sun Ship employees.
'Our Yard' magazine's section of the website (www.sunship.org) that contain all 270 issues covering from Sept. 1941 thru Feb. 1965 (over 8,000 scans)
Image Contributor John Florea/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
You can visit the hiostroical marker to Sun Ship near its fromer site and present day Harrah's Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack.
Online, The Sun Ship Historical Society and Delaware County Historical Society have webinars, photos ans essays about the lifes of Sun Ship employees.
'Our Yard' magazine's section of the website (www.sunship.org) that contain all 270 issues covering from Sept. 1941 thru Feb. 1965 (over 8,000 scans)
Image Contributor John Florea/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King studied at Crozer Theological Seminary between 1948-1951 where he encountered leaders from Cheyney University and Calvary Baptist Church. His approach to change through non-violent nonviolent direct action, mutual understanding, reconciliation, love and justice shaped the Civil Rights Movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
While the former Crozer campus and "Old Main" is closed to the public, a historical marker is viewable.
You can visit Calvery Baptist Church in Chester to see the commemorative mural at
The Chester Black History Tour features both Calvery and Crozer.(https://chesterdigital.domains.swarthmore.edu/thetour/)
produced and presented by the YES Center‘s Heritage Place with support from the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, Swarthmore College.
Visit Chester on MLK Day and join in the Commemoration, Peace March and Day of Service (free & open to the public). Collaborators for this annual event include Widener University, the Chester Creative Arts & Technology Center, City of Chester, Delaware County and the Philadelphia Union.
The book, 'The Seminarian - Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age' by Patrick Parr, is a definitive, full-length account of King's years as a divinity student at Crozer Theological Seminary.
Image Contributor: Martin Luther K
While the former Crozer campus and "Old Main" is closed to the public, a historical marker is viewable.
You can visit Calvery Baptist Church in Chester to see the commemorative mural at
The Chester Black History Tour features both Calvery and Crozer.(https://chesterdigital.domains.swarthmore.edu/thetour/)
produced and presented by the YES Center‘s Heritage Place with support from the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, Swarthmore College.
Visit Chester on MLK Day and join in the Commemoration, Peace March and Day of Service (free & open to the public). Collaborators for this annual event include Widener University, the Chester Creative Arts & Technology Center, City of Chester, Delaware County and the Philadelphia Union.
The book, 'The Seminarian - Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age' by Patrick Parr, is a definitive, full-length account of King's years as a divinity student at Crozer Theological Seminary.
Image Contributor: Martin Luther K
Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners
"Forging Freedom: Delaware County's Role in the American Experiment” public art installation was generously made possible by The Delaware County Economic Development Corporation.
We'd like to thank and recognize Delaware County for permission to install on the historic Delaware County Courthouse and the expertise of the Public Affairs office and Visit Delco in helping to promote this inaugural celebration.
This project would not be possible without the expertise of Jeff Thomas at the Media Arts Council.
In addition, licensing for 'The Nation Makers' by Howard Pyle was contributed by Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
Banners were installed and American-made in Delco by Roe Solutions Group: Fabricators | Berry And Homer.
We'd like to thank and recognize Delaware County for permission to install on the historic Delaware County Courthouse and the expertise of the Public Affairs office and Visit Delco in helping to promote this inaugural celebration.
This project would not be possible without the expertise of Jeff Thomas at the Media Arts Council.
In addition, licensing for 'The Nation Makers' by Howard Pyle was contributed by Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
Banners were installed and American-made in Delco by Roe Solutions Group: Fabricators | Berry And Homer.
