Experiencing Independence: Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution

Experiencing Independence

Experiencing Independence: Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution

October 2-3, 2026

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.”

This free symposium will explore the diaries, journals, letters, and material culture made or used by people in the mid-Atlantic region from 1760–1790. Panels will 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.

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Experiencing Independence Program

Friday, October 2

Location: Musser Auditorium, Pfahler Hall 100

3:15–3:30
Opening Remarks

3:30–5:00
Plenary Roundtable: Experiences in the Journals of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. Sponsored by the Concordia Trust

  • Justin Clement, Historic Site Supervisor, Pottsgrove Manor
  • Karl Krueger, Director Emeritus, Krauth Memorial Library, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
  • Lisa Minardi, Executive Director, Historic Trappe and the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia
  • Jennifer Reiss, Berger-Howe Legal History Fellow, Harvard Law School
  • Emily Sneff, Historian and Consulting Curator, Historic Trappe (moderator)

5:00–7:00
Opening Reception

Saturday, October 3

Location: Musser Auditorium, Pfahler Hall 100

8:30–9:45
Panel 1: Soldiers’ Movements and Identities

  • Robb K. Haberman, Adjunct Faculty, Department of History, Fordham University
    • "Creating Community in the Continental Army: The Wartime Experiences of Sergeant James Selkirk"
  • Matthew Skic, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Museum of the American Revolution
    • "Picturing Washington's Army: Eyewitness Images from the Revolutionary War"
  • John Bradstreet Weaver, Site Manager, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site
    • "'Hardy and Invincible Natives of the Woods of North America': Riflemen, Rifle Dress, and Early American Identity"

9:45–10:00
Break

10:00­–11:15
Panel 2: Reconstructing Wartime Experiences

  • Julia Bouwkamp, Ph.D. Candidate in History, University of Pennsylvania
    • "Feeling the American Revolution: The Trials and Passions of Grace Growden Galloway"
  • Laura A. Macaluso, Independent Scholar and Writer
    • "Experiencing Independence in a Vanished House: Eyewitness Accounts from Mt. Pleasant, New York"
  • Nicole Skalenko, Cultural Resources Specialist, Mead & Hunt
    • "Recapturing a Revolutionary Past: Widows Pensions and Illuminating the Female Experience During the War for Independence"

11:15–11:30
Break

11:30–12:30
Panel 3: Landscapes of War

  • Jen Janofsky and Wade Catts, Rowan University
    • "Written, Carried, and Remembered: Eyewitness Experiences of a Contested Landscape at Red Bank Battlefield"
  • MacLaren M. Remy, Museum Interpreter, Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs
    • "Death as Filth: Disposal of American Soldiers' Bodies in the American Revolution"

12:30–1:45
Lunch - (feel free to also visit Historic Trappe's museums, free with symposium registration!)

1:45–3:00
Panel 4: Wartime Letter Writers

  • Marie Basile McDaniel, Chair and Associate Professor of History, Southern Connecticut State University
    • "Connecticut Women Writers of the Revolution"
  •  Robert Schulte, Independent Historian and Educational Consultant
    • "Ink and Blood:' Notions of Independence' in the Writings of Captain Jonathan Birge"
  • Brie Stoltzfus, Research Assistant, Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum
    • "Revolutionary Experiences in the Captain Nicholas Biddle Letterbook"

3:00–3:15
Break

3:15–4:45
Panel 5: Legacies of War

  • Mya Rose Bailey, Curatorial Research Associate, High Museum of Art
    • "Revolution Reimagined: Black Autonomy Fueling American Independence"
  • Alison R. Bazylinski, Lynn Heidelbaugh, and Daniel A. Piazza, Smithsonian Institution, National Postal Museum
    • "Experiencing Independence on the Post Road: Revolutionary Change in the Mid-Atlantic, 1773–1778"
  • Susan Ellis and Andrew McLeod, Moravian Historical Society
    • "Moravians and the Revolution: Caught in the Crossfire"

4:45–5:00
Closing Remarks

5:00–7:00
Closing Reception at the Dewees Tavern, Historic Trappe

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