Philadelphia, Centennial City explores the summer of 1876, when the city hosted the Great Centennial International Exposition on 285 acres in Fairmount Park. Ten million visitors, nearly a quarter of the population of the U.S. at the time, attended the Exposition and for those six months, the eyes of the country and the world were on Philadelphia. This lecture is presented by local historian Bob Skiba.
Doors open at 5:30 pm and the lecture begins promptly at 6:00 pm. There may be standing room only for those who arrive late. Wine and cheese, provided by Spruce Street Commons, will be served before and after the lecture.
Bob Skiba served as the President of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides for the past five years and now chairs the education committee there, training and certifying city tour guides. He is also the Curator of Collections at the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives at the William Way Community Center. Bob writes several local history blogs and is the co-author of two books on Philadelphia history: “Lost Philadelphia” and “Philadelphia Then and Now.”