“Our Seventy-Fourth Year”
Times & details for all events may be subject to change. Check back for latest information.
Next Event:
Nancy Rubin Stuart, author of “Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father”
Wednesday, June 1, 2022, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
The Winsor Room, Radnor Memorial Library
Registration Required
Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for 44 years. Poor Richard’s Women is a vivid portrait of the women who loved, nurtured, and defended America’s famous scientist and founding father.
Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England.
Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah’s life and those of Ben’s other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence.
REGISTER HERE
League of Women Voters of Radnor Township Celebrating Sojourner Truth
Friday, June 10, 2022, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
The Winsor Room, Radnor Memorial Library
Registration Required
The League of Women Voters of Radnor Township and its partners are celebrating Sojourner Truth with a live presentation in the Winsor Room by Reverend Deborah A. Zuill portraying the iconic African-American. Sojourner Truth was the brilliant 18th century suffragist, abolitionist, and human rights activist who was named one of the “100 most significant Americans of all time” by Smithsonian Magazine in 2014.
Sojourner Truth escaped slavery in 1826 in New York State, successfully sued the person who enslaved her and her 5-year-old son, and later in life published her memoir, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave. Sojourner Truth’s legacy lives on in contemporary America with a statue in the U.S. Capitol building, a postage stamp, and even a NASA robotic rover named in her honor!
Reverend Zuill is currently the illustrious pastor of Katsbaan Reform Church in Saugerties, New York. The ordained minister (and actor) has been portraying Sojourner Truth for the past 23 years to audiences in her home state and beyond. Reverend Zuill’s portrayal is staged as an interview with a fictional reporter. In this performance, the role of the reporter will be played by her son.
This program presented by League of Women Voters of Radnor Township (lwvradnor.org), is supported by a grant from Pennsylvania League of Women Voters (palwv.org) Equity Initiative, and is in partnership with Radnor Memorial Library and Radnor Historical Society.
REGISTER HERE
Civil War Series at the Finley House with Jim Segrave-Daly
Part 1: Wednesday, June 29, 6:30 PM
Part 2: Wednesday, July 27, 6:30 PM
Part 3: Wednesday, August 31, 6:00 PM
Part 4: Wednesday, September 28, 6:00 PM
On the lawn of the Finley house, 113 W. Beechtree Lane, Wayne
Registration at Delcolibraries LibCal required
Join local historian Jim Segrave-Daly for a 4-night series discussing the Civil War in American history. From its causes & consequences to the almost-mythical figures involved, the Civil War’s effects are still being felt today. Learn why it took a catastrophic event to remake America in “a new birth of freedom.”
RESGISTER HERE
This Year’s Previous Events:
Party Like It’s 1976!
Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 6:30-7:30pm
On the lawn of the Finley house, 113 W. Beechtree Lane, Wayne
Registration at Delcolibraries LibCal required
Hear ye! Hear ye! Do you know that Philadelphia is getting ready for our country’s 250th birthday in 2026? Join local historian Jim Segrave-Daly on the front lawn of the Finley House for this in-person, lively event. Jim will talk about how Philadelphia and its surrounding countryside celebrated America’s bicentennial almost fifty years ago. From President Ford’s visit to Valley Forge to award-winning director John Huston’s filming of the 1976 docudrama film, Independence, we will revisit that past, party in the present, and revel for our future! Bicentennial memorabilia will be on display and all are welcome to bring their own. Please bring a camping chair or a blanket.
Celebrate an Early Halloween at The Finley House
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 1:00-3:00pm
On the lawn of the Finley house, 113 W. Beechtree Lane, Wayne
Join us at The Finley House (113 West Beechtree Lane) on Saturday, October 30th for our Halloween celebration, which will be held on the lawn, weather permitting. The fun starts at 1:00 p.m. and runs through 3:00 p.m.
- This event is for all ages and includes:
- Our Conestoga Wagon on full display for viewing and pictures with the ghosts and goblins.
- Area High School students reading and performing Victorian Halloween poems.
- Costume Parade
- Candy, donuts and cider!
Tom Clavin, author of “Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival”
Friday, November 5, 2021, 7:00pm
Online via Zoom
Radnor Memorial Library, Main Point Books, and the Radnor Historical Society welcome Tom Clavin to celebrate the release of Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival.
Tom Clavin is the bestselling author of 18 nonfiction books on American and military history, sports, and entertainment. He previously worked as a newspaper editor and writer, including for the New York Times for 15 years, and as a writer for such magazines as Smithsonian and Men’s Journal. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association.
Lightning Down
On August 13, 1944, Joe Moser set off on his forty-fourth combat mission over occupied France. Soon, he would join almost 170 other Allied airmen as prisoners in Buchenwald, one of the most notorious and deadly of Nazi concentration camps. Tom Clavin’s “Lightning Down” tells this largely untold and riveting true story.
Spend a few hours on Veterans Day with RHS and WWII Veteran Charles Doyle
Thursday, November 11, 2021, 5:00-7:00pm
The Philadelphia Print Shop
Join us at The Philadelphia Print Shop (106 E. Lancaster Avenue, Lower Level, Wayne PA 19087*) on Veterans Day, Thursday November 11, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Our special guest will be 40+ year Radnor resident Charles Doyle, a WWII veteran. Charlie will talk about his service in Europe, meeting his wife in France, his post-war job as a salesman with the McCormick Spice Company and the tree he brought to Radnor when his family moved to the area from Boston.
Light refreshments will be provided.
W. Barksdale Maynard, author of Artists of Wyeth Country: Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, and Andrew Wyeth
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 7:00-8:00pm
Online via Zoom
Registration at Delcolibraries LibCal required
Artists of Wyeth Country is a groundbreaking new book which combines art history with detailed exploration of the historic landscapes of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The book features entirely new and unauthorized biographical accounts of the lives of the three great artists plus six walking and driving tours you can take. Author of eight books and numerous articles, Maynard has been a lecturer in art and architectural history at Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University among other academic institutions.
Marian Anderson’s Timeless Relevance
Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 2:00pm
In-Person event in the Winsor Room at Radnor Memorial Library
Registration at Delcolibraries LibCal required
Join Emile “Joe” Henwood, author of the book Remembering a Great American Hero Marian Anderson: The Lady from Philadelphia in a celebration of the life of American singer and humanitarian Marian Anderson. Few figures in history have left behind a legacy of humanity, generosity, talent and unwavering faith like Marian Anderson.
Mark Lanyon, author of Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Chester County
Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 7:00pm
Online via Zoom
Chester County was home to a diverse patchwork of religious communities, antislavery activists and free Black populations, all working to end the blight of slavery during the Civil War era. Kennett Square was known as the “hotbed of abolitionism” with more Underground Railroad stations than anywhere else in the nation.
Author Mark Lanyon captures the rich history that transformed Chester County into a vital region in the nation’s fight for freedom.
Co-sponsored with the Radnor Memorial Library and Main Point Books.
For the Love of Maps with John F. Smith, III
Thursday, March 10, 2022, 5:00-7:00pm
The Philadelphia Print Shop
The Radnor Historical Society and The Philadelphia Print Shop (106 E. Lancaster Ave*) are thrilled to be hosting Mr. John F. Smith, III on Thursday, March 10th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. His talk will cover eight truly wonderful maps from the remainder of his collection, maps that he has never before shown or discussed publicly. In addition, he will team up with Jane Toczek of the PPS to talk about the unseen chemistry and anatomies of old maps.
Due to COVID precautions, attendance at this event will be limited. As a member of the Radnor Historical Society, you have the first opportunity to secure your spot by responding to this email. RHS will confirm your ability to attend based on the number of responses received.
Some of our members may have seen John speak at other times (including a previous RHS event). Rest assured that this is a new talk given expressly for this Philadelphia Map Store and Radnor Historical Society partnership.
There will be a wine and cheese reception, followed by the presentation.
Neil Lanctot, Author of “The Approaching Storm”
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 – 7:00pm
Winsor Room, Radnor Memorial Library
Main Point Books, the Radnor Memorial Library, and the Radnor Historical Society welcome author Neil Lanctot discussing his new book about how leading U.S. Progressives debated which path to follow as WWI approached.
This event will be live at the Radnor Memorial Library. Registration is free but required through this Eventbrite link. The library is now mask-optional. There will be space for those who feel safe with some distancing.
Books are available for pre-purchase through Eventbrite. They will also be for sale at the event, where Neil will be signing.
About the Author
Neil Lanctot is an award-winning historian and author. He has written several books, including Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella and Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution. He lives with his wife in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
About the Book
The fascinating story of how the three most influential American progressives of the early twentieth century split over America’s response to World War I.
In the early years of the twentieth century, the most famous Americans on the national stage were Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jane Addams: two presidents and a social worker. Each took a different path to prominence, yet the three progressives believed the United States must assume a more dynamic role in confronting the growing domestic and international problems of an exciting new age.
Following the outset of World War I in 1914, the views of these three titans splintered as they could not agree on how America should respond to what soon proved to be an unprecedented global catastrophe. The Approaching Storm is the story of three extraordinary leaders and how they debated, quarreled, and split over the role the United States should play in the world.
By turns a colorful triptych of three American icons who changed history and the engrossing story of the roots of World War I, The Approaching Storm is a surprising and important story of how and why the United States emerged onto the world stage.
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