Founder's Hall Museum

09/05/2026

Adam Fetterolf (Girard College President 1882-1910) wishes everyone a Happy World Beard Day.

09/04/2026

It's . Don't worry, we recognize President Harry Truman from this photo of the Girard College centennial, but we're hoping our Girard College community can help us identify some of the students and/or staff.

Let us know if you have any IDs or any centennial stories.

09/02/2026

📸 Announcing Our New Historical Photos Portal!

We're excited to share something many of you have been asking for: a searchable online archive of historic photos from our school's history!

The new portal lets you browse and search decades of images — from classroom moments and sports teams to campus views and concerts. Whether you're an alum or just curious about how things looked way back when, there's something here for you.

A quick note: this is a work in progress! We've digitized a large collection already, but it doesn't yet represent our full archive of holdings. We'll be adding more photos regularly, so check back often.

You can find the portal on the museum's website under Digitized Collections, or use the link below:
🔗 show.pics.io/girardhistory

(For mobile users, this site works best in landscape mode and to toggle between seeing an image and seeing its comments, tap the "speech bubble" icon.)

09/01/2026

There are still a few spots available on our free Stephen Girard tour of Old City coming up this Thursday at 10 AM. Come join us as we walk and talk from Elfreth's Alley to Pennsylvania Hospital, exploring Girard’s personal life and his vision for commerce, philanthropy, and urban development.

bit.ly/oldcitySG

08/28/2026

It's , when we ask our Girard College community to help us learn more about the images in our historic collections. Can you help us identify anyone in this handbell lineup from 1971? Do you have any memories of handbells at Girard (or know anything about how the group started?)

08/27/2026

This week marked the anniversary of the certification of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. Here are a few of the many female teachers who were working at Girard College in 1920 when they gained that right. The photos come from a wonderful scrapbook assembled by Mildred Schwab (later Montgomery) who taught at Girard College 1915-1926.

08/25/2026

Come see us this Saturday from 10-4 at History on the Street: Back to School Edition at 13th and Locust!

National History Day Philly and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania are teaming up to host an end-of-summer history street fair for the whole family. Founder's Hall Museum and a whole host of Philly cultural orgs will be there.

Enjoy hands-on activities, food, music and fun. Be sure to stop by our table to say hello and make a button.

📅 Saturday, August 29 (rain or shine)
🕒 12 pm - 4 pm
📍 13th and Locust Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107
🎟️ FREE
🔗 www.hsp.org/streetfest

08/21/2026

It's . Do you recognize anyone in the 1965 dining hall scene? Help us out and drop info in the chat (or just share your favorite food memories).

08/21/2026

Wonderful news about one of our neighbor National Historic landmarks. Henry Ossawa Tanner was the uncle of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, who was involved with the attempt to desegregate Girard College in the 1950s.

☀️. ANNOUNCING OUR LANDMARK VICTORY. Friends of the Tanner House (Friends of the Tanner House) has acquired the National Historic Landmark Henry Ossawa Tanner House at 2908 W. Diamond Street, securing one of Philadelphia’s most significant Black cultural landmarks for long-term nonprofit stewardship and future reuse as a community-rooted arts and heritage hub.

Read our full PRESS RELEASE at our website. LINK IN BIO. READ MORE: https://savethetannerhouse.org/press-1/0bjruc8axeh6f905r7flc6uuorekso

08/20/2026

It's . Today marks the anniversary of the formation of the American Professional Football Conference in 1920 (which later became the NFL). These Girardian "Stars of Section M" date from about 25 years earlier, around 1897.