Experiencing Independence: Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution Conference [Announcement]

Emily Sneff Location

PA
United States

Firsthand accounts of the American Revolution provide historians, museums, and historic sites with critical details for understanding what it was like to experience independence. To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Historic Trappe, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and Ursinus College are partnering to convene a symposium, “Experiencing Independence: Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution,” on October 2-3, 2026.
 
This symposium will explore the diaries, journals, letters, and material culture made or used by people in the mid-Atlantic region from 1760–1790. We seek to convene panels that explore family dynamics in the midst of political upheaval, wartime experiences of soldiers and civilians, accounts from different religious perspectives, and new approaches to non-English sources on the American Revolution. We invite papers from historians, museum curators, educators, conservators, tour guides, reenactors, and other experts who rely on these sources to interpret military engagements, domestic life, and political and cultural changes of this period. Scholars of all backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages are encouraged to submit proposals.
 
“Experiencing Independence” will include several opportunities to learn about the history of those who experienced the Revolution in and around Philadelphia. Participants will be invited to tour Historic Trappe’s sites, including: the home of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg and his wife Mary, who moved in the week following the Declaration of Independence; the home of his son, Frederick Muhlenberg, which will open to the public in 2026 after a twenty-five-year restoration; and, the special exhibition Window to Revolution: Pennsylvania Germans and the War for Independence in the Center for Pennsylvania German Studies at the Dewees Tavern. Participants will also be able to visit the Ursinus Food Forest, a land stewardship initiative by the Welcome Home Project to encourage engagement between Ursinus students and the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The opening reception on Friday evening will be hosted at Ursinus College, and the closing reception on Saturday will be hosted at the Dewees Tavern at Historic Trappe.

Prospective presenters are invited to submit a title and a 250-word abstract along with a 1-page CV by January 9, 2026 using the form linked below. Please direct all questions to Emily Sneff, Historian and Consulting Curator at Historic Trappe, at emily@historictrappe.org.

https://forms.gle/CERADxQi2TDn63m6A

Contact Information Emily Sneff, Historian and Consulting Curator at Historic Trappe

Contact Email emily@historictrappe.org