Past Events

Join bibliophile Kate Howe to learn the history of the classic poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Mansion’s Literary Parlor is reading a modern book written by author Jennifer Chiaverini. Christmas Bells celebrates Christmas, past, and present, with a wondrous novel inspired by the classic poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I heard the bells on Christmas Day/ Their old familiar carols play/ And wild and sweet/ The words repeat/Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Ring…

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is pleased to present Dr. Concetta Dragani for a ZOOM illustrated talk about the Aesthetic Movement in Europe and then America. The upstairs of Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is decorated to represent Post-Centennial Philadelphia in the 1880s with many Aesthetic Movement characteristics. The Aesthetic Movement maintained that art should not be confined to painting, sculpture, and architecture, but should be a part of everyday life. Join us for what certainly will be an engaging January afternoon. Dr.Concetta Dragani…

Literary Parlor – The Semi-Attached Couple and The Semi-Detached House – two novels by Emily Eden – via ZOOM If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you’ll enjoy Emily Eden’s comic novels of manners, The Semi-Detached House (1859), and The Semi-Attached Couple (1860). At the opening of The Semi-Detached House, the beautiful (but rather petulant) Lady Blanche Chester, newly married and pregnant, is being installed in a suburban house while her husband is away. Her encounters with her neighbors, and the intrigues of the neighborhood, soon come to absorb…

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is pleased to announce that our new interpretive docent-led tour Deep Rivers is now live via ZOOM. Our docents Tenea Wilborn and John Brown take you virtually through the museum highlighting the lives, stories, and achievements of 19th-century Black entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and artisans with soundscapes and images. We will mail recipe cards and identity cards to participants on the virtual tour. Tickets are available until 10:00 am on the day of the tour. Cost: $5 The Zoom link will be sent at 10:00…

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is thrilled to host Dr. Judith Giesberg with an illustrated talk via ZOOM about The Institute for Colored Youth. Opened in 1852, the Institute offered educational opportunities for African American children in Philadelphia. Many graduates and teachers of the Institute became important 19th-century civil rights activists and leaders. Graduates include Octavius Catto, Dr. Rebecca Cole, and Caroline LeCount. Want to learn more? Join us on Saturday, February 6, 2021, at 1:30 pm for a truly informative and interesting…

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is open for virtual tours via ZOOM. Live docents will lead you through the Mansion's magnificent interior spaces. . Beautiful images of the interior rooms and close-up photos of many interesting collection items will inform your experience. Experienced Mansion docents will answer your questions. Tickets for the ZOOM tours are available until 5:00 pm the evening before the selected tour. If you have questions or would like to schedule a private ZOOM tour for your group, email…

Hawthorne’s compelling work The Scarlet Letter published in 1850 shows the ripple effect that two characters’ actions have on their insular New England Colony. Elliot’s novel, Adam Bede was published in 1859. It is a response to The Scarlet Letter and what she observed as the double standards for the behavior of men versus women. Join us from the comfort of your own home via ZOOM for a lively discussion led by 19th-century bibliophile, Kate Howe.

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is pleased to host Dr. Anna O. Marley for an illustrated talk about Henry Ossawa Tanner via ZOOM. Tanner was born in Pittsburg but grew up in Philadelphia In 1879, he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was the only African American enrolled at that time. He is known as a realistic painter and became the first African American painter to gain international acclaim.