Posted by:

Book Talk: ‘Poor Richard’s Women’ By Nancy Rubin Stuart

Join us this Women’s History Month as we talk to Nancy Rubin Stuart about her book ‘Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father’, which reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for 44 years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Nancy also shines a light on Ben’s relationship with Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady of 36 Craven Street who managed Ben’s life in London alongside her daughter, Polly.

Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, what emerges from Stuart’s pen is a colourful and poignant portrait of women in the age of revolution. Set two centuries before the rise of feminism, Poor Richard’s Women depicts the feisty, often-forgotten women dear to Ben’s heart who, despite obstacles, achieved an independence rarely enjoyed by their peers in that era.

Nancy Rubin Stuart is an award-winning author whose nonfiction books focus upon women and social history. These include the acclaimed POOR RICHARD’S WOMEN; Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father published by Beacon Press in March 2022. A paperback version follows in March 2023 in honour of Women’s History Month. Earlier books include DEFIANT BRIDES, named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books on Revolutionary-era women, THE MUSE OF THE REVOLUTION, and the best-selling AMERICAN EMPRESS.  Nancy’s journalistic work has appeared in the New York Times, Huffington Post, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the New England Quarterly and national magazines. She is the executive director of the Cape Cod Writers Center.

Connect with her at www.nancyrubinstuart.com.

Buy your copy of ‘Poor Richard’s Women’ here.

Posted by:

Events Calendar 2023

To view all upcoming events for the year, please check out our Event’s Calendar via the button below!

Click me!
Posted by:

After Dark: Christmas at Craven Street

Glistening by candlelight, our 18th century Georgian Home is the perfect setting for a cosy and historical Christmas. Our guided evening tours will take you on a magical journey through our extraordinary history.

  • A rare opportunity to see our home after-dark
  • Step back in time, walk through the rooms Ben knew and loved, and learn of Georgian Christmas traditions and celebrations
  • Snap photos of the House dressed with authentic 18th century decorations
  • Enjoy mince pies and the warming English yuletide drink, Wassail, in the Parlour of Benjamin Franklin

Thursday 8 and 22 December.
Tours will run at 5pm and 6pm. Limited capacity with timed entry. Book now to secure the date and tour time of your choice.

£15 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

Posted by:

Benjamin Franklin House at History Camp America 2022

On Saturday 5th November, we will be taking part in History Camp America 2022! Across the day there will be a series of interesting virtual talks and tours from institutions all over the US. Benjamin Franklin House will be joining from across the pond to deliver a virtual tour of the House and demonstration of Franklin’s Glass Armonica.

To view the schedule for History Camp America 2022, please find the information here; HCA 2022 Schedule.

We expect more than 30 sessions for 2022—including presentations, historic site tours, recipes, session-stretch yoga, and more! Registrants have exclusive access to the online portal on the day of the event as well as one year exclusive access to replay the sessions following the event.

To view previews of the 7 site tours, please follow the like here.

Posted by:

Thanksgiving: The Origin of Tradition and Native Perspective

Join us on Native American Heritage Day to rethink the story and traditions of Thanksgiving.
Hosted by our Graduate Researcher in Residence, Alice Hopkinson.

Thanksgiving is a widely celebrated national holiday that holds an esteemed position in the American cultural conscience and is enshrined in the narrative of the nation’s history. However, for Natives, these narratives are harmful and overlook what the day means to them.

This talk will first discuss the origin of Thanksgiving, and trace its history from the famous ‘First Thanksgiving’ of 1621, through to the present day – looking at how customs, celebrations and perceptions of the holiday have both evolved and developed over time.

Breanna Gruber, a Navajo (Diné) individual who’s home is within the four sacred mountains, known as the Navajo reservation, will then join Alice to present and discuss her own Native perspective on the Thanksgiving holiday and how the traditions and celebrations affect her community.

For an introduction to the event, check out our blog.

Posted by:

The 2022 US Mid-Term Elections: Will They Make Any Difference?

Wednesday 12 October 2022, 17:30 BST/12:30 ET.
Online and in-person public event (Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building)

Our annual Robert H Smith Lecture in American Democracy will once again be held in partnership with the LSE Department of Government. This year, the lecture will ask Professor Philip Davies, “will the 2022 mid-terms make any difference?”

Philip Davies is Chair of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association. He was formerly Director of the British Library’s Eccles Centre for American Studies, is Professor Emeritus at De Montfort University and a Distinguished Fellow at Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute. He is the architect of the Congress to Campus UK programme that brings former US Members of Congress to meet UK audiences annually each November. He has published on many aspects of US elections and election campaigns and is the main sponsor of the Philip and Rosamund Davies US Elections Archive, housed at the Vere Harmsworth Library, Oxford.

The event is hosted by Pavi Suryanarayan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at LSE and moderated by Benjamin Franklin House Director, Márcia Balisciano.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

Posted by:

After Dark: Thanksgiving

Looking for the perfect London Thanksgiving? Whether you’re an American expat, former US resident or simply an Americanophile, our museum is the ideal setting to spend quality time with family and friends on this all-important American Holiday.

  • Celebrate with an after-hours tour of the historic House
  • View decorations created by our school and family groups
  • Add a note to the ‘Wall of Gratitude’ in the House’s corridor
  • Enjoy traditional Thanksgiving treats (including the “best Pumpkin Pie” in London) in our parlour

Thursday 24 November 2022.

Tours will run at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm. Limited capacity with timed entry. BOOK NOW to secure the tour time of your choice.

£15 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

Posted by:

After Dark: The Cadavers of Craven Street

Thursday 27 October 2022, from 5pm.

Are you ready to explore the darker side of Benjamin Franklin House?!  Join us for an after-hours tour this Halloween to hear of haunted happenings at our Historic House.

  • See Benjamin Franklin House transformed for the occasion and experience a eerie evening in an original Georgian home
  • Hear the spine-chilling stories of the cadavers that were found in our basement
  • Immerse yourself in our small and spooky candle-lit rooms
  • Listen to the haunting tones of Franklin’s Glass Armonica

There might even be some tasty treats (or tricks) along the way…

Your history-lovers Halloween starts here! Limited capacity with timed entry. Book now to secure the tour time of your choice.

£15 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

Posted by:

Virtual Talk: Benjamin Franklin and Popular Culture

Thursday 1st September 2022 – 5pm BST/12pm ET

Join our Front of House and Marketing Supervisor, Jessica Eykel, as she explores why and how Franklin has endured within the popular imagination since his death in 1790.

She’ll also attempt to answer that one question on everyone’s mind … ‘where on earth is Franklin in Hamilton?!’

 

Posted by:

Summer Walking Tour: Benjamin Franklin’s 18th Century London

Thursday 03 August 2023, 3pm. 

Discover the sights, sounds and smells of Benjamin Franklin’s 18th Century London in our brand-new summer walking tour!

Starting at our doorstep, our expert guide will lead you around our local area to retrace the steps Franklin would have taken whilst living and working here just prior to the American Revolution.

From famous thoroughfares to hidden streets, you’ll uncover a layer of London history and learn of its transformation over the last 200 years.

Duration: 1.5 hours (approximate)

Location: Starting from 36 Craven Street.

Tickets: £12 per person

BOOK HERE