Philadelphia, PA, USA
This museum is the Epi-Center dedicated to the life and legacy of Marian Anderson. Anderson was a contralto singer, the first African-American singer to perform at the York’s Metropolitan Opera and the first African-American who sang at the White House. She is remembered for her iconic performance at the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial in front of more than 75,000 people of all colors at a time when segregation was the norm.
The museum is located in a 19th-century house, where Anderson lived in for 20 years.
When she purchased the house in 1924, she transformed the small basement into an entertainment center with hardwood floors and lace curtains.
The place was founded as a museum in 1998 by Blanche Burton-Lyles, a concert pianist and protégé of Anderson’s in honor of her mentor’s life and legacy. At the museum, you can find memorabilia, books, painting, rare photos, and films about Anderson’s life. You can enjoy exhibitions, lectures, various musical programs, audiovisual presentations, music appreciation workshops, and private music lessons.
You can also participate in organized tours as well as special events, such as ‘Marian Marians Christmas Village’ and ‘Christmas In Philadelphia Concert Spectacular’ with a lineup of artists of the National Marian Anderson Museum Scholar Arts Program.
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Philadelphia, PA, USA
Betsy Ross House is the birthplace of the American flag. The over 250 years old house was the home of Betsy Ross, a seamstress, and flag-maker who is credited for making the first American flag. Learn about the woman who became a patriotic symbol and get a glimpse of how people lived in 18th-century America.
Tour the house and explore Ross’s upholstery shop, the bedroom where she sewed the first flag, the parlor where she received the Flag Committee and the basement where she made musket cartridges for the Continental Army. The family’s treasures are also presented there, including antique furniture, a snuff-box, and the family Bible.
Children can talk to Betsy herself, ask her about the life in Colonial America, about her motivation for making the flag, and even watch how she made the five-point star with just one snip of the scissors. There are also special exhibits and events, such as ‘Colonial Chocolate Making’, ‘Women at Work in Revolutionary America’, and various holiday festivities. Read more...
