What we’re about
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides holds monthly meetings which feature a guest speaker on a topic of historical significance in Philadelphia or a field trip for a behind-the-scenes tour of a local historic site. 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 $50 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting event. The association also organizes a low-cost weekend intensive every March with comprehensive lectures on Philadelphia's history from colonial times to present day and the '12-Hour, River to River, Vine to Pine GREAT TOUR' every fall which is free to members and open to the public for a low fee. If you love and want to learn more about this amazing, vibrant city of 'firsts' - the birthplace of the United States - please join us!
Upcoming events (2)
See all- How the American Civil War Revitalized Western MedicinePhilly's Gourmet Steaks, Philadelphia, PA
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its October monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 9 at 7 pm featuring author/filmmaker Carole Adrienne for a presentation on "Healing A Divided Nation: How the American Civil War Revitalized Western Medicine." Adrienne will share her insights on Philadelphia's becoming a world center for medicine and medical education as a result of the Civil War. She will speak about American medical, surgical and pharmaceutical innovators who made Philadelphia the medical powerhouse it is today.
The meeting is held at 114 Market Street on the 2nd floor of Philly's Gourmet Steaks. Come early for dinner and drinks! The meeting will be in-person and livestreamed on Zoom.
Beginning with the state of medicine at the outset of the Civil War, when doctors did not even know about sterilizing their tools, Adrienne illuminates the transformation in American healthcare through primary source texts that document the lives and achievements of the individuals who pioneered these changes in medicine and society. The story that ensues is one of American innovation and resilience in the face of unparalleled violence, adding a new dimension to the legacy of the Civil War.
Carole Adrienne received her B.F.A. from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She has organized an archive for Old St. Joseph’s National Shrine, twice chaired “Archives Week” in Philadelphia, and has served on advisory panels for the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historic Research Center, the Mutter Museum’s “Civil War Medicine” exhibit and its “Spit Spreads Death: The 1918 Flu Epidemic” exhibit. She is working on a documentary film series on Civil War medicine and lives in Philadelphia.
The Zoom link will be shared in the APT Tour Talk newsletter the week of the meeting. Non-members should email Marianne Ruane at president@phillyguides.org no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom 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. Zoom meetings are free. Please join us for convivial company, good food, fascinating presentations, and lively discussions.
- November Book ClubNeeds location
The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its next book club meeting on Tuesday, November 19, at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend. The selection is Philadelphia Stories: People and Their Places in Early America. In 286 pages, author C. Dallett Hemphill tells the stories of famous Philadelphians from the colonial period to the time just before the Civil War. Included are Anthony Benezet, Deborah Norris Logan, Stephen Girard, Francis Johnson, and more. It provides a collection of biographical essays that could help to inform tours and discussions of early Philadelphians.
APT members will find Zoom details in the newsletter the week of the meeting. Non-APT members who would like to participate in the November book club should email APT Secretary Pam Covey at secretary@phillyguides.org no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom link. Please join us!
