Time Traveling in Philadelphia

When you think of Philadelphia, one of the first things you might think about, other from Philly cheesesteaks, is history.  When you think of Philadelphia with the Honors Program, you start thinking about visiting different historical sites and lectures that you would probably prefer to sleep through.  However, the Honor’s trip to Philadelphia was nothing of the sort.  Visiting the sites and listening to great, interesting historical facts from a Penn State alum was nothing like the boring history class that one would expect.

Honors Students infront of Stenton House

The first stop was the Stenton House, former residence of James Logan, who is not as well known as William Penn and Benjamin Franklin but certainly as important.  In fact, James Logan was a mentor to Benjamin Franklin, who visited Stenton House.  Walking through the well-preserved home, one can just imagine Benjamin Franklin sitting at the front of the house after being let in by a servant waiting for James Logan to see him.  But not even the thought of Benjamin Franklin humbly waiting on James Logan could eclipse Logan’s book collection, perhaps one of the best preserved book collections from Colonial times.  The entire trip through House with our guide Dennis Pickeral, the director, was a step back in time as we saw glimpses of how people lived in the past.

After the Stenton House, where we also met with Dr. Boudreau, we stepped back into the present by visiting The Bourse, a food court with anything and everything available--Philly cheesesteaks included.  Not only did we enjoy food, it was also a time for a few of us to sit and chat.  One of the best parts of the trip was getting the chance to socialize with fellow Honors’ students.  After all, we are a community of learners, and it is always a good thing bond with those in such community, especially people who have no qualms with reenacting scenes from Rocky, running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

We again stepped into the past when we met with archeologist Debbie Miller, a former Penn State Harrisburg student.  She talked us through the process of archaeological digs, specifically her work at the National Constitution Center dig site.  It was fascinating to see the painstaking process of putting together pieces of the past--literally.  At the dig site, they found thousands upon thousands of broken crockery and are in the process of putting them together in order to decipher lifestyles from history.

Debbie from the National Constitution Center showing students some artifacts from the dig

We then had Dr. Boudreau as our guide, giving us interesting tidbits about Philadelphia as we made our way to Independence Hall.  Many of us could have probably done without knowing that Philadelphia streets used to be filled with sewage and animal carcasses, but you never know when that information could come in handy. Our group did the traditional tour of Independence Hall, many stops for pictures included.

Throughout the entire trip, we went back and forth through different time periods, soaking up the vast history of Philadelphia.  But we weren’t done yet.  We couldn’t leave Philadelphia without having gone on a Duck Tour.  Yes, a Duck Tour.

We boarded the “duck” and took off through the streets of Philadelphia.  Our guide told us some of the historical facts, most of which we had already heard, but he made sure to keep our group up to date with current information.  None of us will forget the hilarious stop outside the bridal store, driving into the water, or waving hello to every pedestrian we saw.

Students after the infamous Duck Tour.

Finally, we boarded the bus and set off for home, filled with happy memories.  The trip was both a learning opportunity and a chance for fun socializing.  Our program is filled with many different personalities, and when you combine them, these trips can lead to more fun than you could possibly imagine.  Just think, next time you could be doing the YMCA dance while on an amphibious vehicle.

Written by  Jeshanah McLeod,  junior English major in the Honors Program at Penn State Harrisburg