Representing a new gateway to exploring Northwest Philadelphia, the Historic Germantown Visitor Center opened to visitors on July 9 in the culmination of a $100,000 project to expand and enhance the Germantown Historical Society building that houses the Visitor Center. The new center offers information on Historic Germantown’s 20 historic sites and the neighborhood’s legacy and role in the history of Philadelphia. The new spaces include a gift shop and two spaces for permanent and rotating exhibitions on the history of the area and beyond.
“People are often surprised by just how much there is to see and experience in Germantown,” says Tuomi Forrest, executive director of Historic Germantown, in a prepared statement. “The Visitor Center allows us to present Germantown’s history in a broader context while encouraging visitors to spend more time in the neighborhood, discover something unexpected, and leave with a deeper appreciation for the people and places that continue to shape this community.”
The new Visitor Center opened in July with one permanent and one temporary exhibition on display. The permanent exhibition, entitled “Deeply Rooted, Ever Changing: 300 Years in Germantown,” explores more than 300 years of Germantown history, from the neighborhood’s founding to the role it played in the Civil Rights Movement. The center’s first rotating exhibition, open now through Dec. 1, 2027, is called “Rebellion and Remembrance in Freedom’s Backyard,” examining Germantown’s role in the American Revolution, as the community sits just 6 miles from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
The Visitor Center is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m., from June through October. Starting in November, the center is open Thursday-Saturday for the same hours. To learn more about the Historic Germantown Visitor Center, including the schedule of events and rotating exhibits, visit historicgermantownpa.org.
Main Image: Historic Germantown Visitor Center; Credit: Historic Germantown
