Johnson House

Great Tour

My family and I visited the Johnson House on July 5, 2007, we were amused and very much appreciative of the hospitality and courtesy of our tour guide and the attention she showed us.

The tour was very informative and it left a postive mark on all of my family and we will never forget and will stay in myn heart forever.

I highly recommend a tour of the Johnson House to anyone.

Thanks again for the history lesson,

Larry McDowell
Louisville, KY

A Few Spots Still Open!

The Johnson House Historic Site still has spots available for our free summer educational program, “A Stop on the Underground Railroad.” This is a 90-minute program designed to offer the children of Germantown an opportunity to learn and explore the history of The Underground Railroad and Slavery in America.

Included in the program are:

Presentations and Workshops
Tour of the Site
Readings of Various Escape Stories
Healthy Snack

This program can accommodate 200 youth. Schools, clubs, churches, and after school programs are invited to participate.

For additional information and dates, contact Melissa Holloway, JHHS Museum Administrator at 215. 438.1768.

ACES MUSEUM's STARS & STRIPES CELEBRATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday - June 16, 2007

Contact:           Solomon Williams
Phone:              215 843-5421
Email:               wlmsol@yahoo.com

On Saturday, July 7, 2007, ACES Museum dedicated to honoring Black and Minority Veterans, will host a Stars and Stripes Celebration: an Open House from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and then it hosts a 1940's Dinner Party with a Swing Dance Competition from 9:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the museum at its historical location at Price Street and Germantown Avenue in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

The Open House will be a free event for the public; taking place on the unit block of Price Street, directly adjacent to Germantown Avenue (1 block north of Chelten Avenue). There is a Health Initiative Focus for the day including Blood Pressure Screenings, Obesity Reduction & HIV Prevention, and implementing on the same premises an Educational Enhancement Center .  The day will also include Live Veteran Testimonies, Puppets with History Show, Jump the Broom Ceremony, Re-enactments - Civil War & Harriett Tubman, Celebrity Softball Game, Live Music Concert, and Cookout.

There is a $30 per person donation for the 1940's Dinner Party. ACES Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so all donations are tax-deductible.

ACES is seeking for funding and support for this event as well as its yearly programming in order that ACES may consistently better serve the community.

For more information, please contact ACES Museum at 215 842-1075.

ACES MUSEUM ♠ 5801 Germantown Avenue ♠ Philadelphia , PA 19144 ♠ 215 842-1075 ♠ 215 842-3742

Johnson House is a treasure to be respected.

I had taken a tour of the Johnson House in September of 2006 and recorded some mysterious voices as we were on tour. Some of the voices were understandable (and insistant in trying to make their opinions knownover the tour guide and telling us to be quiet) and other words were not understandable.

That house and all that it stands for should be respected and preserved.

Play featuring the Johnson House and the Underground Railroad

Charles W. Henry School Theater Project
proudly presents:

an original play by Hamilton Thompson

FREEDOM
A Choice, A Journey, A Word

Stories of struggles for freedom from the Underground Railroad and from around the world, with traditional spirituals, song games and tunes from Broadway musicals performed by Henry Students in grades K - 8

May 4th and 5th, 2006
7pm
C. W. Henry School Auditorium

Tickets: $ 8 at the door
For more information: (215) 951-4006 or henryhomeandschool@earthlink.net

Johnson House Awarded Federal Save America?s Treasures Grant

Johnson House Historic Site has been awarded a major federal grant for important preservation work. The 240 year-old National Historic Landmark and Underground Railroad station, located at the corner of Washington Lane and Germantown Avenue, will receive $275,000 from Save America's Treasures for a new roof and improved water-conduction systems. Save America's Treasures is a federally managed effort run by the the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation for significant bricks and mortar work or collections care. This year, $14.89 million was awarded to 61 awardees (out of 337 applicants) in 29 states, including 7 awarded for Pennsylvania projects.

The grants have to be matched dollar for dollar with funds from other sources and Johnson House has a good start on the fundraising. This award benefited from years of dedication and hard work to preserve the Johnson House and it validates efforts by the Johnson House Board of Directors and staff past and present, as well as hard work by the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust.

Work on the project will likely begin in the early part of 2006. A successfully completed project will ensure the Johnson House several more decades of life as a historic structure commemorating the Germantown contribution to the struggle for freedom in America.

More information about Save America's Treasures

JAZZ & HISTORY AT JOHNSON HOUSE

The Johnson House Historic Site, Inc. is pleased to host its seventh annual Jazz in the Garden benefit concert on Sunday, August 7, 2005 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Washington Lane. Proceeds from the event will support ongoing preservation of this National Historic Landmark, the only do*****ented station on the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia that is open to the public.

Featured musical guests are Valray in Good Company, a local jazz combo featuring some of Philly�s finest musicians. A donation of $40 includes a tour of Johnson House, an open bar and down home supper provided by Jacquie�s Catering.

Join us for a delightful afternoon in the shaded garden, enjoying good company, good music and good food while supporting work at this important historic site.

For ticket information, please call David W. Young, Executive Director, 215-438-1768.

Sixth Annual Johnson House Book Fair

The Johnson House Historic Site will host its sixth annual Book Fair on Sunday, May 15, 2005. The sale of books will take place from Noon until 4:00 p.m. and will include new, children�s and classic books, something for the entire family. The event is free and a portion of book sales will go to support this National Historic Landmark for its role on the Underground Railroad. Scheduled tours of the site will be available.

The program will highlight one of Philadelphia�s leading Underground Railroad �conductors�, William Still, who assisted untold numbers of fugitives heading north to freedom. You will be able to hear his words as spoken by one of his descendants from the 2005 Plexus Publishing, Inc. reprint of his book The Underground Rail Road. William Still�s book narrates the activities of nearly 200 slaves, has over 60 black and white illustrations, and includes letters, newspaper clippings, and biographical sketches of 19th century abolitionists. The book has not received the attention that it should; it is a story about our history that should be included in every home.

Storyteller Linda Goss and Musician Alfie Pollitt will present African-American Literature from Slavery to the Civil Rights Movement at 1:00pm. This Words and Wisdom program is co-produced with the Rosenbach Museum and Library.

Poetry Readings will be presented by the Johnson House Youth Writers, a group of young students who use the Johnson House for inspiration, in cooperation with Arcadia University.

The event is free and open to the public and continues our tradition of celebrating great literature, particularly for children, about the Underground Railroad.

Archeology funding from History Channel and National Trust

MAYOR STREET, THE JOHNSON HOUSE AND STUDENTS TO CELEBRATE

THE HISTORY CHANNEL Save Our History grant

Mayor Street joins The History Channel, The Johnson House
and students and educators from the Philadelphia Mennonite High School
to celebrate Philadelphia's Save Our History grant from The History
Channel. Aside from the buildings on the property, the Johnson House does not have a collection or artifacts related to the site, as the grounds have never been properly excavated. With the help of The History Channel Save Our History grant, 25 11th grade students from the Philadelphia Mennonite
High School will work with the Johnson House staff and archeologists from Kise, Straw & Kolodner to conduct on-site research on the historic site and the role it played as a site on theUnderground Railroad.

The Save Our History National Grant program is an extension of
Save Our History philanthropic initiative and demonstrates the network's commitment to inspiring, motivating and educating local communities on the
importance of preserving the past. 29 history organizations across the
country will receive Save Our History community preservation grants this year. Johnson House has also received funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for this project.

City Hall, Room 202
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9
MEDIA CALL TIME: 1:30 p.m. (Event begins promptly at
2:00 p.m.)

Johnson House Events for Black History Month

Monday January 18, Martin Luther King Day of Service 10am-1pm
Lifetime of Action, Day of Reflection
Workshop at Johnson House Celebrating a Legacy of Human Rights,
Co-sponsored by Greater Philadelphia Cares.
For information and to RSVP please call 215-546-4454.

Black History Month Events
Special Events at Johnson House All February
Sunday February 6 3:00-5:00pm. Johnson House Member Apprecation Event event: members free admission, non-members $5. African American Cinema and the Underground Railroad. Larry Richards, archivist for the Free Library of Philadelphia, and editor of, African American Films Through 1959, will present how the Underground Railroad and enslavement were presented in the African-American cinema of the early 1900s. Light supper will follow. Please call to reserve a spot.

Sunday February 13 2-4pm. Meet the Abolitionists! See a live performance of Taking a Stand for Freedom, a reenactment of an anti-slavery meeting like took place at Johnson House, tours of the house and walking tours available.

Sunday February 20 3-5pm. Student Essay Contest! Awards presentation for "freedom essays" reflecting on anniversary of 1688 Protest Against Slavery and honoroing Eleanor Hendly of Teen Shop, Inc.

Saturday February 26 and Saturday March 5, Community Quilting Bee. Spaces limited. Please call now to reserve�make your mark on History!

Sunday February 27. 2-4pm. So you think you were on the Underground Railroad? Presentation and discussion of local research strategies with with Christopher Densmore, Curator of the Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore.