Philadelphia History Meetup

History of Nursing During the American Revolution

Wed, Oct 21 · 11:00 AM EDT

Penn School of Nursing, Claire M. Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, US

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) has arranged an outing on Wednesday, October 21 at 11 am to the Penn School of Nursing’s Bates Center (Claire M. Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, floor 2U on Penn’s Campus). There is no cost for this 60-minute guided tour led by APT Secretary and Penn Nursing alumna, Pam Covey.

Our tour will focus on the exhibit covering nursing during the American Revolution. Many who think of nurses on the battlefield typically think of the Civil War and the World Wars. But there were nurses present to tend to the wounded and the sick during the American Revolution as well. For every physician who prescribed treatments and dressing changes during the Revolutionary War, there were multiple nurses, mainly women, who aided injured or sick soldiers in distress. Many people believe the professional nursing profession began with Florence Nightingale and the establishment of community hospitals, but women have tended and nursed the sick for centuries before that. This exhibit will give us insight into the overlooked nurses of the American Revolution.

For more than 30 years, the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing has hosted and facilitated special events that have highlighted the history of nursing and healthcare. The Center is committed to preserving a voice of nurses’ history, and provides considerable evidence for scholars and students to “question traditional disciplinary paradigms, to give voice to the historical power of nursing, and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of local and global approaches to issues of health and illness.” The Center has a unique collection of historical documents and materials in curated displays that will help us learn more about the history of nursing, especially in revolutionary Philadelphia.

You can reserve your spot for the tour by emailing APT Secretary Pam Covey directly at Phillyguides@gmail.com. Join us for an interesting tour! All are welcome.

When Philadelphia Had a Body Snatching Problem

Wed, Oct 21 · 7:00 PM EDT

Neighborhood House, 20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA, Philadelphia, PA, US

NOTE DATE CHANGE! Due to difficulties securing our usual venues, the meeting was moved to Wed. Oct. 21 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., on the 2nd floor in the Great Hall.

The next monthly meeting of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will be held on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm (this is the new date as we are unable to hold it on the usual second Wednesday date this month), featuring Tim Dewysockie, the author of Grave Dealings: Body Snatching in Philadelphia, 1762-1883. The first American medical school in the 18th century was established in Philadelphia. Doctors needed cadavers for anatomical lectures, but fresh bodies were hard to get. The only legal source of cadavers was executed criminals, and there weren’t enough of them.

The solution? Body snatchers stole bodies from cemeteries and sold them to medical schools for dissection. In Grave Dealings: Body Snatching In Philadelphia, 1762-1883, Tim digs through archives to unearth the forgotten history of a time of graveyard crimes and the seedy underworld of resurrectionists plying their trade. Philadelphia pioneered many medical innovations and became the center of American medical education … and body snatching!

Tim will speak on many aspects of body snatching in Philadelphia. It was not until the 1880s that Pennsylvania enacted laws to stop the practice of body snatching and established laws governing the use and disposal of human remains. Grave Dealings was named an Anisfield-Wolf finalist for 2026 and shortlisted for the Athenaeum of Philadelphia Literary Award.

Tim Dewysockie graduated from Rowan University in 2020 with a master’s degree in history and has a passion for local history. Tim has worked in libraries and archives for almost two decades. Tim currently works at Rowan University Libraries in New Jersey.

The meeting will be at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., on the second floor in the Great Hall. Come early for dinner and drinks! The Zoom link will be available in the APT Tour Talk newsletter the week of the meeting; non-members should contact Marianne Ruane president@phillyguides.org no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the link. A recording will be available on the APT YouTube page for a month following the talk.

APT meetings are open to aspiring and working tour guides as well as anyone with an interest in Philadelphia-focused history. Attend one meeting for free and then it is $60 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting in-person event. (Early bird pricing in effect now for the 2027 Membership Drive.) Zoom meetings are free. Please join us for convivial company, good food, fascinating presentations, and lively discussions!

Philadelphia Culture: Art, Food, & Music

Thu, Nov 5 · 9:00 AM EST

Location not specified yet

##### APT 2026 Fall Training Program

In 2026 the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) is offering a mixture of lectures and tours for new and experienced guides from Thursday-Sunday November 5-8. The title of this year's training is "Philadelphia Culture: Art, Food, & Music." What information on these topics will help tour guides to do their jobs better? What is really unique to Philly in these areas that we can share with visitors? What has been Philadelphia's impact in these areas nationally and even globally?

Members of the public who are not tour guides but are interested in the topics presented are welcome to attend. They can join at the non-member price or can consider joining the Association.

SCHEDULE OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM

NOTE: Read through the schedule completely; some options repeat on Saturday and Sunday. Pricing information follows the schedule. Full descriptions available here.

Thursday, November 5

-- 9 - 10 am: Presentation: "Philly as a Foodie City"
By: Jacki Mowery, Philadelphia Visitors Center Corporation (PVCC)
At: TBD

-- 10:30-11:30 am: Inside the Market: Running a Food Experience at Reading Terminal (Tour & Presentation)
By: Matt Schillizzi, City Food Tours
At: Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch Street.

-- 1-2:30 pm: Mural Mile Walking Tour
By: APT members who are guides with Mural Arts TBD
Start: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), 128 N. Broad St.
End: near 12th and Walnut (midtown village)

-- 3:30-5 pm: Confectioner's Row in Old City: Colonial Times and Today (Presentation)
By: Eric Berley - co-proprietor of Franklin Fountain, Shane Confectionery, and the Cacao Pod
At: Christ Church Neighborhood House

Friday, November 6

-- 9-11 am: "All That Philly Jazz" Walking Tour
By: APT member Faye Anderson, All That Philly Jazz
Start: Bellevue Hotel, 200 S. Broad St.
End: 801 S. 15th St. (former site of Attucks Hotel)

-- OR --

-- 9-11 am: "Exploring the Philly Jazz Legacy" Walking Tour
By: APT certified guide Jack McCarthy
Start: On Market Street, between 11th and 12 Streets.
End: Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, 736-738 S. Broad Street.

11:30 am - 12 pm: Tour of Tindley Temple
By: Tindley Temple docent(s)
At: Tindley Tea Cafe, 762 S. Broad St.

12:15-3:15 pm: Lunch & Learn: Philadelphia's Musical Impact Nationally and Globally
** Classical Music in Philadelphia
** Philly Rock & Pop
** Philly Jazz
** Philly Gospel & Soul
By: APT certified guide Jack McCarthy
At: Tindley Tea Cafe, 762 S. Broad St.

3:45-5 pm: Guided Tour of Magic Gardens
By: PMG docents
At: Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, 1020 South Street

Saturday, November 7

-- 9-11 am: "Art in Old City" Walking Tour
By: Carla Stine - artist, illustrator, and designer as well as APT certified tour guide with WeVenture and Elfreth's Alley.
Start: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets
End: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets

-- OR --

-- 9-11 am: "Early Philadelphia Music" Walking Tour
By: Jack McCarthy, music historian and archivist as well as APT certified tour guide.
Start: Washington Square, 6th and Walnut Streets, at the fountain in the center.
End: 6th and Chestnut Streets

-- OR --

-- 9-11 am: Historic District Tour with Guiding Basics
By: Judy Smith, APT certified tour guide with American Heritage
Start: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets
End: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets

-- 11:30 am - 12:30 pm: The Dining Evolution in U.S. (Presentation)
By: Steve Nepa, adjunct professor of history at Temple and Rowan Universities and frequent contributor to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
At: Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St.

-- 1-2 pm: Lunch & Learn: Tour Guide Best Practices Panel & Discussion
By: APT guide panel TBD
At: Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., second floor in the Great Hall

-- 2:30-4:30 pm: Beyond Names and Dates: How to Use Storytelling to Create Memorable Visitor Experiences and Tours
At: Philly's Gourmet Steaks, 114 Market St., upstairs

Sunday, November 8

-- 9-10 am: FREE - Interpreting Portraiture
By: NPS staff
At: Second Bank of the United States, 420 Chestnut St. (Since we’re being admitted before hours, the doors will close at 9 am. We cannot accommodate late arrivals.)

-- 10:30 am - 12:30 pm: "Art in Old City" Walking Tour
By: Carla Stine - artist, illustrator, and designer as well as APT certified tour guide with WeVenture and Elfreth's Alley.
Start: Signers Garden, 434-498 Chestnut Street (5th and Chestnut), across from Hotel Monaco
End: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets

-- OR --

-- 10:30 am - 12:30 pm:: "Early Philadelphia Music" Walking Tour
By: Jack McCarthy, music historian and archivist as well as APT certified tour guide.
Start: Washington Square, 6th and Walnut Streets, at the fountain in the center.
End: 6th and Chestnut Streets

-- OR --

-- 10:30 am - 12:30 pm: Historic District Tour with Guiding Basics
By: Maria Gorshin, APT tour guide with Tours by Gorshin and WeVenture
Start: Signers Garden, 434-498 Chestnut Street (5th and Chestnut), across from Hotel Monaco
End: Museum for Art in Wood, 141 N. 3rd Street

-- 1-2 pm: Lunch & Learn: A Fast, Fun Look at Philly’s Awesome Public Art
By: Jim Murphy, APT Director at Large and author of Real Philly History, Real Fast
At: TBD

-- 3-5 pm: Collaborative Avenue of the Arts Tour by APT members
By: APT guides TBD
Start: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street
End: The Rock School for Dance, 1101 S. Broad St., Broad and Washington

PRICING FOR THE TRAINING PROGRAM

-- Complete package of possible 16 events: $115 member/ $165 non-member
-- Individual day passes for Thursday, Friday, and/or Saturday (4 sessions per day): $40 member/ $60 non-member. The daily price is the same whether 1 event is attended or all 4.
-- Individual day pass for Sunday (2 of the 4 sessions this day are FREE for everyone, member or non-member): $20 member/ $30 non-member. The daily price is the same whether 1 or both events are attended.
-- FREE events: Tour Guides Best Practices Panel & Discussion on Saturday; Interpreting Portraiture at the Second Bank and Collaborative Tour of Avenue of the Arts on Sunday. SPACE IS LIMITED, SO YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THESE EVENTS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FREE.

PAYMENT CAN BE MADE THROUGH THIS FORM. You answer some questions that help our planning, choose the sessions you will attend, and make payment all on one form. YOU MUST LET US KNOW WHICH EVENTS YOU WILL BE ATTENDING. Spaces are limited for several sessions - please update us if your plans change so we can accommodate others.

PAYMENT AND SCHEDULING

JOINING APT

If you are not a member and would like to become one, check out our 2027 Membership Drive with early bird pricing through December 31.