Visit Historic Germantown - Freedom's Backyard - Just Minutes from Philadelphia

For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Anne Burnett, Program Director

Historic Germantown Preserved

5501 Germantown Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19144

215-844-1683

A Juneteenth Celebration in Freedom’s Backyard

Historic sites mark 145th anniversary of passage of amendment ending slavery

PHILADELPHIA – Come join Historic Germantown, Freedom’s Backyard, for a day of programs Saturday, June 19th celebrating the 145th anniversary of Juneteeth, the oldest known celebration commemorating passage and ratification of the 13th Amendment and the ending of slavery in the United States. Origins of the holiday date to 1865, when enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas finally learned of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation.

The outdoor festival will be held along the 6300 block of Germantown Ave and will include activities for the whole family, designed to bring history to life for all to enjoy. The Johnson House, located at 6306 Germantown Ave., will host a performance at 11:00 AM by ‘Harriet Tubman’ in which she will tell her story of helping African Americans to seek their freedom.

Other activities along the block will include SoZo’s Market Place, face painting, Story Hour, screening of the documentary film ‘My Slave Sister Myself’ at 1 PM and 3PM, and exhibits on art, slave memorabilia, and vintage beauty/barber equipment. The exhibits will be hosted by Color Book Gallery, Lucien Crump Gallery, A&D Hair Salon and other local businesses.

In addition, the historic Meetinghouse at 6133 Germantown Ave., operated by the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust, will host an Open House from 10 AM to 2 PM, showing the table on which the first written protest against slavery was signed.

Other historic sites along the avenue will be open for special tours, including Cliveden of the National Trust from 12-4PM and the Concord School House and Upper Burial Ground from 11AM-4PM. For more information, call 215.844.1683 or visit www.freedomsbackyard.com.

Historic Germantown is a consortium of fifteen cultural and historic sites located in Northwest Philadelphia. Our members range from historic houses to an art museum and arboretum. The mission of Historic Germantown is to foster an appreciation of the diverse character and meaning of our cultural heritage in order to preserve and revitalize our community. To this end, we cooperate in providing knowledge and resources to help preserve Germantown’s historic sites, interpret them to the public, and incorporate them into the life of the local community. For more information about Historic Germantown visit www.freedomsbackyard.com.