Firstival: First Paper Maker in America: 1690
Saturday, June 27, 11am-1pm
RittenhouseTown, Philadelphia

We take paper for granted now. But in the late 1600s, when Pennsylvania’s founder William Penn recruited German papermaker and preacher William Rittenhouse to manufacture the writing parchment in the New World, paper was a luxury.

Rittenhouse started a paper mill, and that paper, among other things, was used for everything from Poor Richard’s Almanack to the first copies of the Declaration of Independence. At Rittenhouse Town you can still see the mill, and (weather permitting) a papermaking demonstration and other activities. It’s a short walk to the spot where the Revolutionary Army camped out before the Battle of Germantown.

https://rittenhousetown.org/

RittenhouseTown
6034 Wissahickon Avenue (Wissahickon Avenue and Lincoln Drive)

There is limited parking on Lincoln Drive to get to the site. The main access to the village is by Rittenhouse Lane off Wissahickon Avenue. There is limited parking within the village. The best option is to park in the neighborhood around West Walnut Lane and walk down Rittenhouse Lane to visit the historic site.