Stephen Girard: Finding a Forgotten Founding Father | In-Person Course

Registration

• Tuition for this course is $100. Members receive exclusive discounts on our programs and courses. Not a member? Learn more.
• This course is limited to participants who are 18 years of age or older.
• Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email [email protected].
• Registration opens for Delancey Society on August 16, for Rosenbach members on August 23, and for the general public on August 30. 

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Description 

Join the Rosenbach for an epic voyage into Philadelphia’s Revolutionary and early national history! 

Stephen Girard, a French emigré who took up residence in Revolutionary Philadelphia and became the wealthiest man in the early United States, is mostly remembered today as the philanthropic founder of Girard College—and for Civil Rights litigation surrounding the school in the 1960s. Hailed as a leading civic hero shortly after his death, today Girard has receded into the background of Philadelphia’s collective memory. In this two-session course, travel behind the scenes into the collections of Girard College and the Rosenbach to study rare books, manuscripts, and artworks, and become acquainted with this complex, forgotten Founding Father. See the syllabus for this course here.

The course is cosponsored by the Rosenbach Museum & Library and Girard College. 

Session 1. Portrait of a Citizen: Stephen Girard, in Myth & Memory 

Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Meets at the Rosenbach  

The course’s first session meets in the historic parlor of the Rosenbach Museum & Library. The class will study Bass Otis’s posthumous portrait of Stephen Girard, read primary sources describing the life and legacy of the French merchant, and trace the history of the legal challenges to his famous will, which built and endowed Girard College.  

Session 2. The Long Shadow of Stephen Girard: Investigating Philanthropy, Race, Gender, and Civil Rights Through the Material Culture at Girard College 

Sunday, November 17, 2024 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Meets at Girard College* 

In the second session of the course, students will take a deep dive into the historical collections at Girard College, exploring items as diverse as Girard’s books, business records, clothing, furniture, and personal effects to learn more about the merchant’s life and impact. Participants will study Girard’s association with enslavement as well as other primary sources documenting the Civil Rights activism led by Raymond Pace Alexander and Cecil B. Moore that culminated in the integration of Girard College in 1968.  

*Ample parking is available on the Girard College campus. 

About the Instructors

Katherine Haas is Director of Historical Resources at Girard College, where she manages museum, archival, and library resources documenting the life and legacy of Stephen Girard. She recently completed a reinstallation of the Founder’s Hall galleries. Haas formerly served as Associate Curator at the Rosenbach.  

Dr. Brenna Holland wrote her Ph.D. dissertation at Temple University on the subject of Stephen Girard and is currently completing a book project focused on the merchant’s family life.  

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames is Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Rosenbach Museum & Library. He is completing a book manuscript titled Ships of Reason: The Enlightenment of Stephen Girard, and the Mariners Who Built His Merchant Empire.