Join the Friends Historical Association in celebrating the 400th anniversary of George Fox’s birth with a focus on his contemporary, arguably the second most important leader in the early Quaker movement: William Penn.

Events include an in-person tour of Pennsbury Manor on May 19 and a virtual lecture by J. William Frost on May 29.

These events are all free but registration is required. Register using this form.

Sunday, May 19, 2024 - Tour of Pennsbury Manor, the home of William Penn (in-person event)

11:00 AM - Worship at Fallsington Friends Meeting
12:30 pm - Brown Bag Lunch at Pennsbury Manor Pavilion
01:30 PM - Pennsbury Manor Tour and discussion with Doug Miller (site director)

Pennsbury Manor is a reconstruction of William Penn’s country estate set along the Delaware River, approximately one-hour drive away from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the only site in the nation dedicated to preserving the historical significance of William Penn, Pennsbury Manor also tells the stories of the colonists, servants, enslaved people, and Native Americans who lived on this land.

This special visit for the Friends Historical Association will focus on William Penn's Quakerism and his relationship to George Fox. It will include a tour and conversation, both with Site Director Doug Miller.

After the tour and conversation, visitors are welcome to continue exploring Pennsbury Manor on their own. Open-Hearth Cooking demonstrations continue until 4pm and the site remains open until 5pm.

Interested friends are invited to attend Meeting for Worship at Fallsington Friends Meeting at 11am and a brown bag lunch at the Pennsbury Manor Pavilion.  

For those utilizing public transportation, carpooling will be available from the Levittown SEPTA Regional Rail station. SEPTA Regional Rail trains depart from Center City Philadelphia and arrive at the Levittown Station at 10:14 am and 12:16 pm. A train leaves Levittown at 3:12 pm to head back to Philadelphia. See train schedule.

These events are all free but registration is required by May 14. Space on the tour is limited. Register using this form.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - “William Penn: Enigmatic Quaker, Founding Father” by J. William Frost (virtual event)

12:00 pm ET (find my local time)

Within the Society of Friends, George Fox is a towering figure often cited as the founder of the faith. But to outsiders, in the 17th century and today, William Penn is the archetypal Quaker. For the 400th Anniversary of George Fox’s birth, J. William Frost will present a virtual talk on William Penn that excavates his life as a deeply religious man who experienced personal triumph and success as well as tragedy and failure, as well as his connections to George Fox. 

While many recognize William Penn as the founder of Pennsylvania and a defender of religious liberty, much less is known about Penn as a man of faith. Frost’s forthcoming book, William Penn: A Radical, Conservative Quaker (Penn State University Press, November 2024) examines Penn as a deeply religious man whose contradictions reflect, at least in part, his turbulent times. This intriguing history fills significant gaps in writings about Penn--particularly concerning Penn's faith and its intersection with his work as a statesman and politician.

J. William Frost is Howard M. and Charles F. Jenkins Professor Emeritus of Quaker History and Research and Director Emeritus of the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College. Among his many publications, he is the author of The Quaker Family in Colonial America: A Portrait of the Society of Friends and A Perfect Freedom: Religious Liberty in Pennsylvania, the latter also published by Penn State University Press. He has edited books on George Fox, antislavery, and George Keith and served as editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.

This lecture is free but registration is required by May 27. Register using this form.