“ PENNSYLVANIA; THE KEYSTONE STATE ” 1940s HOME MOVIE PHILADELPHIA VALLEY FORGE 43954

This silent home movie from the mid-1940s takes viewers through a brief tour of Pennsylvania situated in the north eastern section of the United States. Pennsylvania was known as the Keystone State due to it’s central role in the early development of the US. A winding river cuts through the landscape (:22). The land is generally flat; with some hilly terrain, and lightly wooded (:35). Philly is noted as the largest and most popular city in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1682 by William Penn (:37). The William Penn House is located in the Rittenhouse Square area of the city (:51). Pennsbury Manor was the colonial estate of William Penn situated in Bucks County and opened in 1939 as a historical site (1:10). The front door is zoomed in on with a date reading 1683, noting when the construction for the manor began (2:13). The grounds in front of the home are viewed as they lead to a river that Penn had used a six oared barge to cross (2:32). The statue of William Penn peaks from the tip of City Hall (3:03) amidst the Philadelphia City skyline. Independence Hall; established in 1753, is of the greatest historical importance in the city (3:27). The Declaration of Independence was signed here as well as the Constitution. The Betsy Ross House is where the historical figure was believed to have sewn the first American flag on Arch street (3:49). The Old Swedes Church was completed in 1700 (4:03). Another popular attraction for residents and tourists is the Philadelphia Art Museum (4:13). Fairmont Park is known as the largest park in the US boasting about 3,800 acres of land (4:47). Glendinning Rock Garden is viewed comprised of complacent bodies of water surrounded by rocks and lush foliage (4:54). George’s Hill; a small summit in Philadelphia county is pictured with bright pink blossomed trees (5:08). A rhododendron walk follows (5:33). Other foliage in the area include Azalea at the Japanese Pagoda (6:18). Wisteria grow in large heaps in front of Horticulture Hall (6:34). The film shows colonial homes in the Fairmont Park area including the Sweetbriar Neoclassical mansion built in 1797 (7:04). General Benedict’s second wife and highest paid spy in the American Revolution was Peggy Shippen. Her home built in 1750 is seen at (7:13). Rittenhouse Mill is the site of the first paper mill in America established in 1707 in Fairmont Park (7:34) Valley Forge is comprised of 1,500 acres. The National Memorial Arch was constructed to commemorate the arrival of General George Washington into Valley Forge (7:43). A quote by George Washington is highlighted on the arch (7:51). The popular dog wood tree erupts in spring blossoms (8:04). The same trees are captured in autumn (8:31). A statue is presented for the former US Representative; Anthony Wayne (8:50). The Valley Forge Chapel is seen at (8:57). A young soldier guards the front door (9:11). Washington’s headquarters in Valley Forge was opened in 1777 (9:22). A solo fisherman casts his line into a bubbling river (9:28). A covered bridge running over Valley Creek is seen blanketed in snow (9:36). Thick chunks of ice rest on the surface of the Delaware River in December (9:50). Lush and colorful gardens of the city are highlighted (10:04). Guests tour through the grounds of a local farm with pastel sprouts of tulips (11:13). Traditional Amish attire is viewed on a Pennsylvanian woman (11:45). Violent red rose blossoms are captured in June (12:31). Hollyhock flowers follow (13:03). Bees swoop in to pollinate the flowers (13:28). Bright red and pink trees (14:30) turn to frozen earthen skeletons as winter hits and snow falls (14:38). We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit