Media Contact
Stephanye Watts
4601 N. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140
stephanye.watts@stenton.org
Philadelphia, PA – On April 20, 2024, The Dinah Memorial, Philadelphia’s first monument dedicated to a formerly enslaved woman, will be unveiled on the grounds of Stenton, where she labored and was buried. This memorial is the physical culmination of Stenton’s Dinah Memorial
Project, funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, a years-long community engagement discussion.
Dinah’s complex life-story has been uncovered in archival sources in the Quaker Collection at Haverford College as well as in the Logan and related family papers collections at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Letters between family members, almanacs, ledgers, legal documents, and an investigation by the Quaker Meeting provided information that allowed Stenton staff to map Dinah’s life from her childhood in the home of Hannah Emlen, who would marry William
Logan, to her death and burial in 1805. Though long celebrated for her storied role in saving Stenton from intended burning during the Revolutionary War, Stenton knew that there was more to Dinah than the “faithful slave” narrative for which she was honored on a plaque erected in Stenton Park in 1912. This new memorial, a space in the Stenton landscape designed for questioning and reflection, conceived by acclaimed Philadelphia artist Karyn Olivier, seeks to rebalance Stenton’s historical interpretation, bringing to light the realities of Northern slavery and enslavement by Quakers while highlighting the fullness of Dinah’s humanity. Executive Director Dennis Pickeral noted that “the Dinah Memorial Project has been transformative for the museum, revealing ignored and untold stories and histories of individuals who were enslaved and labored at Stenton, and for what the project has meant for the museum’s relationship with the surrounding community, who helped create the Dinah memorial and are now partners in charting
Stenton’s course for the future.”
The unveiling falls on Stenton’s second annual Dinah Day celebration commemorating her requested release from bondage on April 15, 1776. Visitors can register to attend the unveiling at http://www.stenton.org/programs. Programming leading up to the unveiling includes:
● February 2nd: Memory in Stone: Memorial Artist Talk with Karyn Olivier and “Remember My Name: Dinah’s Story” film screening
● Feb 22nd: Revolutionary Black Philadelphia with Adrienne Whaley of the Museum of the American Revolution
● March 8th: Finding Dinah in the Archive: Lunch & Learn Facebook Live with the Historical Society of
Pennsylvania and Stenton Curator Laura Keim
● March 16th: HER-itage Women’s History Month Youth Brunch and Tour
● April 8th: “Black History in Philadelphia” book talk with author Amy Cohen
About Stenton:
Stenton, described as “the most authentic of all Philadelphia’s historic houses,” was built for James Logan, William Penn’s Secretary, between 1723 and 1730. Stenton is located in the historic Logan section of Philadelphia at 4601 North 18th Street (the corner of 18th and Windrim
Avenue), just 4 blocks east of Wayne Junction. The house is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., April through December, and by appointment throughout the year. For more information or directions, phone 215.329.7312 or visit http://www.stenton.org. Stenton is a member of Historic Germantown (HG), a consortium of nineteen cultural attractions and historic sites located in Northwest Philadelphia. Visit
https://historicgermantownpa.org/ http://www.freedomsbackyard.com for further information.
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has administered Stenton as a historic house museum since 1899.
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