Revolutionary Family: The Biddles & American Independence
Arch Street Meeting House and Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum are excited to partner on a special program highlighting Andalusia’s current exhibition Revolutionary Family: The Biddles & American Independence.
Enjoy a screening of engaging documentary videos on the Biddle family and the Revolution, followed by a conversation and audience questions. A light reception will precede the program.
Revolutionary Family presents historic objects, artwork, and manuscripts to explore the influential roles that Biddle family members played during the Revolution. Four short-format documentary videos complement the exhibition, illuminating the experiences of nine Revolutionary-era Biddle family members and their stories of bravery, loss, ingenuity, love, and friendship: Mary Scull Biddle, matriarch and map editor, and her son John Biddle, surveyor and exiled loyalist; Colonel Clement and Rebekah Biddle, a devoted couple at camp; Captains Nicholas and Charles Biddle, brothers at sea; and Edward, James, and Owen Biddle, leaders of Revolutionary thought and action. Owen's son, architect Owen Jr., later designed Arch Street Meeting House.
The documentary videos feature subject matter experts from Andalusia and many other Philadelphia-area institutions, including the American Philosophical Society, Carpenters’ Hall, Independence Seaport Museum, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. After the screenings, Andalusia Executive Director John Vick and Research Assistant Brie Stoltzfus will join Arch Street Meeting House Executive Director Sean Connolly for a conversation about the project and its themes of family life during this fascinating, yet challenging, moment in American history.
Revolutionary Family: The Biddles & American Independence is on display through November 13, 2026, at Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum.
A 50-acre site located on the Delaware River in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Andalusia was first established in 1795 by Philadelphia merchant John Craig, then later expanded into a Greek Revival estate by his son-in-law Nicholas Biddle. Today, Andalusia stewards the Biddle family’s history and legacy through tours of the historic house museum and access to its spectacular gardens. Visit AndalusiaPA.org for more information on the exhibition and site.