History Stories

In this episode, musician Maria Dell’Orefice tells us about the music enjoyed when Philadelphia’s Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church completed construction in 1700. Maria performs music of the time and provides background commentary about the individual pieces.

In this episode, historian and journalist Michael Schreiber shares his research into the lives and deaths of Philadelphia sea captains in the age of sail who were overcome by great hurricanes, succumbed to attacks by pirates, or who mysteriously disappeared in faraway waters.

In this bonus episode, Rev. Dr. Kim-Eric Williams, Jeanette Woehr, Michael Schreiber and Amy Grant answer questions about the New Sweden Colony, Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church and Early Philadelphia.

In this episode, researcher and journalist Michael Schreiber describes the period when Philadelphia’s port was the largest in North America. He also discusses the situation of Black seamen, as well as women, who went to sea.

In this episode, Alex Palma, Assistant Director of Carpenters’ Hall, shares the history behind America’s oldest trade guild — the Carpenters’ Company — and its impact on Philadelphia’s religious architectural landscape.

In this episode, psychologist and author, Dr. Paul Grant, recounts a scandalous event in 19th century Philadelphia involving the confinement of an individual who suffered from mental health challenges.

In this episode, author and historian Michael Schreiber tells us about a mysterious killer — yellow fever — which ravaged Philadelphia and its adjacent suburbs in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.